Ya know...there's a deeper issue here (at least imo)...one I've muttered quietly (or sometimes loudly) to myself about, but have never really "opened my keyboard" about on here....I think I will now, since, apparently, a gentleman I consider to be a true asset to this forum and this hobby has chosen to vacate this community 9at least for a while) because of it.

Avid modelers (much like scale pilots, ime) tend toward "type A personalities", as it were. Many of us have a competitive streak a mile wide, and very few of us are afraid to speak our minds. We energize ourselves not only from flying, but from sharing our expertise, knowledge, and wisdom with others, so that we may see THEM enjoy the hobby more, and that we may see the hobby grow and prosper.

None of these are "bad" things, to be sure...HOWEVER, they CAN lead to some pretty pointless (imo) "debates".

Ya know...I'm a HUGE fan of the G-62, particularly after Ralph gets his hands on it. I will, quite bluntly, have a very hard time being convinced to try ANY other engine on a 50cc class airframe. But ya know, that doesn't mean there aren't "other engines just as good or better". It doesn't mean that others, who fly other engines, are wrong. It doesn't mean I'm wrong for being loyal to that engine.

What it means is that I, personally, have learned that I am PLEASED WITH THAT ENGINE in a wide variety of applications. I know it, I understand it, I know what to expect from it, and it delivers what _I_ want in airframe XYZ. Period.

Now...will I come on here and suggest to someone that they give consideration to an RC Ignitions G-62 for certain airframes? ABSOLUTELY I will. Will I engage in a big debate about whether it's "better" or "worse" than some other engine? No. Why? Simple...IT'S NOT MY AIRPLANE. I will pass along my feelings, but by no means is anyone somehow "less intelligent" or "less of a modeler" if they don't share them.

And that, I think, is my point here. We, as a group, tend to be fiercely loyal to those people, companies, and products that have provided us with good results. But we also tend to sometimes confuse "fact" or "wisdom" with "loyalty". We go beyond simply supporting a particular product to somehow thinking less of others who can't or won't see the value of said product.

I know....several of you will say you were simply wanting to see "evidence" of certain claims, or perhaps you were "proving" that something was possible when someone else said it wasn't. The point here isn't who was "right", however...the issue is...DOES IT MATTER???

A friend of mine (one with a great many decades in this hobby, and more experience with it in his little finger than I'll ever have in my body) said to me once:

"Ya know what the best prop in the world is, for any application?"

"No! What?!?" I asked, prepared to be filled with the wisdom and knowledge of the ages....I was about to learn a CRITICAL secret in RC lore...

"The one that makes the plane fly the way you want."

A bit anti-climactic, I thought.

His point, however, was valid...and it is the point I hope to make here. Every single one of us is different. We fly differently, we enjoy different airplanes, we fly at different locations, we expect different things from our airplanes, we fly them in different environmental conditions, we ask them to perform different maneuvers, and we ask them to perform them in different fashions.

The "best" equipment, for each of us, is the equipment that makes OUR airplane do those things in OUR way under OUR conditions. Period. More RPM from a motor doesn't mean "better"...it means "more RPM". If I WANT more RPM, that's a good thing...but I can show you a kit in my shop right now for which I'll want FEWER RPM! the reasons don't matter....the point is, you telling me "this engine will give you more RPM on that prop" would steer me AWAY from that engine for THAT plane.

So WHAT if Ralph thinks a particular thing isn't possible, but you know it to be. Fine. Say that you disagree, and if anyone's interested you can "prove" it and leave it at that. Ralph will go on doing his engines his way, customers will continue to adore them, and you'll go on being happy with YOUR choice of engines doing what YOU'VE gotten it to do on YOUR airframes. And guess what...WE'LL ALL ENJOY OUR AIRPLANES!

Imagine that...everyone having fun flying their airplane of choice. What a novel idea.

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Ralph, if you're lurking, know that your input, vision, and wisdom are missed around here, and we hope you'll return ASAP.