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Chris,

My GP Pitts (former epc's ZDZ60 powered GP Pitts) is powered with a DA-50-R and unlimited vertical with no problem. Throttle management, because a lot of power.

You can not go wrong with the DA-50-R. It's a winner.

Just an opinion.

You guys putting the DA 50 in this airplane are going to love it. I just completed the maiden flight on my Pitts with a DA-50 and all I can say is, Vroom!! Man, plenty of power. When running up the engine before takeoff I actually felt the pain on the backs of my legs while standing over the airplane. I had to bend down and hold on to the upper wing just to avoid putting too much stress on the horizontal stab. Make sure you tighten your wheels to the axles with ripple washers or fuel tubing. Will need the the brake effect. I didn't do this and even at idle she would nearly get the tail off the ground. I have a Menz 22 8 prop on the end. Didn't check rpm's because I was too busy just holding on. My Pitts weighed in at 18 lbs. and this engine took the airplane vertical until I could hardly see it. Great engine. Throttle management a must to not over stress the airplane IMHO. One note of caution. The torque effect combined with the short fuse creates a ground looping issue that you really need to anticipate. I know you experienced gassers already know this. Even with plenty of experience I am going to bet that this will grab you if you aren't ready for it. Don't need to go to wot on takeoff. My Pitts would have been airborne at 1/4 throttle. My takeoff on the maiden was more like a torque roll from a dead start. I was airborne in about 10'. At low throttle and even with plenty of rudder she wants to ground loop. With more throttle she really wants to go left and can be touchy on the rudder when trying to compensate for this. I am going to have to work on this to get it right. I know what to do. Just need to practice getting her straight down the runway. Requires much more attention than my Giles, and as I thought, even more than on Pitts-1 with the Fuji turning a Pro Zinger 20 8 prop. Shoot, with the Giles I just point it the direction I want to go and let her rip. Straight as an arrow. Don't want to do this with this engine on the Pitts and I would think the eagle as well. Engine was set too lean for this time of year in Al. We are at about 600' vs about 4k' elevation in Az. so I think this too had an effect on the settings. Turned both the low and high end needles 1/8 turn to rich and she was perfect.

This past weekend a new club member flew the Eagle with a Brison 3.2. (his sixth or seventh flight on the plane, the first one of the day) MORE than enough power.. but... He had a problem in flight. Shortly after take off his engine would surge between low and full throttle, was an obvious radio problem. He could not land the plane because it would suddenly go to full throttle. After about 5 minutes in the air the radio degraded more; now his plane was about 80% out of control. He finally managed to purposely CRASH the plane away from people and cars. Of course the plane was totaled but no one got hurt. His radio is a Futaba with a standard PPM receiver. What he did not have was a Servo Cut Switch that would have allowed him to cut the engine in flight and land dead stick. If he had this perhaps he could have salvaged the flight with only a dead stick landing and then an investigation into the RF problems. We shall never know but...NEXT time he will install one of these.. as will I.. Food For Thought !.. Regards BobH.

A fiber optic kill switch is a good way to go on that problem too.

Jaws...did you have to cut the cowl for the plug caps? I have a 3W48 looking for a home, but don't want to butcher the cowl too much.

Bob

I have a Kyosho GeeBEE Z, thats a ground loop nightmare, but I found the cure........GYRO....goes down the asphalt straight as an arrow, wouldnt think twice about putting it in a plane to make take offs less dramatic. Just remember to turn it off once your in the air.

I think I will wait for the BME 55 Xtreme. How does the eagle knife edge?

No .Plenty of room to spare. The only snag is getting the cowl on and off with the way it is mounted. After a liitle sanding and adjusting problem is now just a manuevering of the cowl to get it on and off.
If the plugs on your engine are angled it will be easier for you. As for the RCS they are straight but like I said not a big deal
Jaws