RE: Byron Ryan ST-A
I wanted to do a quick follow-up to my earlier post. We finally the opportunity to enjoy the maiden flight of the PT-20 and it went fabulously! We were so impressed with how smooth and steady this airplane flies, it is a real joy. It really looks great in the air as well. Prior to that first flight we went through the process of preparing the Saito FG-36 for flight and all of the bench runs went perfectly. Initially I was so impressed with this engine that I considered buying another one for a different airframe, but the true colors of this engine came to light during the two test flights. It’s a problem that appears to be very similar to the issues mentioned previously about the RCS VT-50; it appears to have a fuel draw problem. Whenever we would make a pitch change the engine would sag (and nearly die).
In our group, we have an expert engine guy and he finally came to the conclusion that there is some sort of a fuel flow problem. We eliminated everything but the carburetor itself as the problem and had to return it to Saito repair for service. Those guys are great to work with, but as also mentioned above, for an engine that costs this much, you wouldn’t expect to run into these kind of problems that should have easily been discovered during the R&D phase of the engine. We’ll let you know how it runs after it returns. Despite the problems with the Saito FG-36 it did seem to be a perfect match for this airplane when it did run properly.
The struts on top of the wing are after-market; they were purchased at one of the local hobby shops in our area. They are airfoil-shaped aluminum tubes and we ran a threaded rod down the center of each one to (hopefully) give them some more rigidity. They really look good and make the plane very handsome, but they can also be a pain and we imagine that we’ll have to repair or replace them from time-to-time even if you’re trying to be careful not to damage them.
I’m also attaching a few photos from the day of the maiden flight of the Byron (Ryan) PT-20. Thanks!