Hi

The last thing I want to do is get involved in the meanness aspect of this thread (which is high, even for jet guys...), but I do have to say.....

Not out of an unwillingness to pay for the $9 bolt, but more out of the need for a quick fix--I went to a hardware resale shop (I forget the name, but it's right next to SoCal Guns, for those of you familiar with Convoy St.) and bought a package of what appeared to be the same size bolt as was in my Viofan. I had to replace it because my 15-year-old nephew tried to start the engine with a starter shaft from a helicopter (metric), and stripped it out (it only took a second, by the way). After cutting the bolt length down to size with a cutoff disc, I installed the bolt into the Viofan, and proceeded to get 85 flights out of it over the next several months (some with multiple starts). If memory serves, those bolts were $1.50 for a pack of two.

Does BV strive to and offer the best products and materials obtainable? I'm convinced they do. Can you find these items (and I don't mean IDENTICAL DOWN TO THE SCIENTIFIC NOMENCLATURE) like bolts, bubble-eliminating hopper tanks, fantastic glues and such elsewhere for less money? It would appear so.

BV's trying to turn a profit. What's the big deal?