Twin-Sync Installation and Testing



It is sometimes written, “He who dies with the most toys-Wins!!”. Twin-sanity hit me many years ago and I still am in the terminal stages…Can’t get enough. I often get on my soapbox to warn others not to do twins as four times the problems. No one listens and the Manufacturers are coming out with more each week. Reliability has always been the danger with multi-engine planes. I have long been an advocate of gyros for rudders and ailerons to delay the unexpected snap roll that and engine out can cause, particularly in planes such as the P-38.

Along comes a new product by Bill Wike called the Twin-Sync. Like most of us “Seasoned” modelers, we are skeptical of new fangled electronics.

Managed to get my hands on this new marvel to try it out. (Back to the part of never having too many toys).

Now, I am game to try this new gadget out, but not really too interested in trying on a scale P-38 and deliberately killing an engine in flight…………Even with two gyros!!

(I will answer to Wuss, thank you very much!)

One of my “Creations” was taking two Long John’s and making a quasi P-82 twin fuse Long John. Lots of fun, easy to fly, and VERY STABLE in engine out. In fact it will take off and loop on one engine. (Don’t try this at home kids!!)

While I think it is very aerobatic, given my 3D skills, real three D pilots, of the so called Pro Bro league found it lacking. (What do they know? They fly single engine models that need little to no tinkering). During my conversations with the “Bro” of Pro Bro” he felt, that while the plane with two ST 45’s has plenty of power, hovering was almost impossible due to uneven and unrepeatable thrust and response. I reprogrammed the radio. (Ok, my kid did) to mix the engines into the rudder above 50% throttle to see if the situation was better. He felt not. Subject dropped!

The purpose of the Twin Sync is to drop the throttles to idle if one engine fails automatically, to save an expensive model. It also forces the engines to synchronize their RPM by sensing both engines and adjusting the individual throttle servos. Now, perhaps this would be useful with 3D type twins and open a whole new world of excitement and complexity in the 3d Pro Bro World.

The test bed. A converted twin fuselage Long John. Two well used ST 45’s, 12x4 propellers, and more hours than I would care to think about.