if you read the trhead many people are putting 70 4 strokes and 91 4 strokes in this plane, if they fit a 60 will definatly fit

Good point, the cowl does look like theres lots of room under it. [8D]

That was the one good thing about the big, ugly, long .91 Magnum, The glow plug is closer the the bottom of the cowl. I have a long glow igniter, so fuss with it to get it hooked up to start it. I considered OBG or a remote, but too lazy and didn't want anymore weight up front. You're right about the bigger hole, but it's on the bottom, so no one really sees it. The wind is whipping at close to 35. March weather is upon on us, so doesn't look like a good weekend coming up to test fly this overpowered beast.

My 35% gasser doesn't really care too much about wind, so it may get the cobwebs and hangar dust blown off of it this weekend, if it doesn't rain. Almost over the bug. I'll post a flight report as soon as I can get it out and test flown, weather permitting. My 25% SD is nearing completion also, so may test both at once.

Thanks for your patience.

Cheers,
Mike Boyd

Don't know what is going on with this weather.. It has been bad here... Rain Rain Rain...
That Dec is going to be old before you ever get to fly it

If I finished mine up before Saturday and the weather is good I'll be out with my 91 powered SD then.

Let's hope for good weather in socal...

Good luck on the weather... Be looking for a flight report :-)

Slow going... Installed the elevator and rudder servos tonight. I didn't have as much time to work as I thought (kids will do that...). Means tomorrow night will be a bit rushed to get it ready for saturday (assuming the weather holds). It's been rainy/windy here like crazy. It's howling tonight...no telling about saturday though so I'm sticking with the plan.

Here's a few pics of the engine area since there seemed to be some interest...

submikester
What size motor mount did you use on that... GP mount I presume...
I notice a peice of balsa added to the front of the firewall... Did you have
to recess the firewall to get the engine back far enough for the cowl to fit ?..
Thanks
IC

Have you installed your engine cowl yet? I installed a .91 FS using the GP .60-1.20 mount and had to mount the edge of the mount nearly flush with the top of fuselage to get the thruse line correct and the cowl to line up correctly. With the inverted larger engine installation, the tank still lined up adequately without modifying the tank mounting position. The original tunnel, that you enclosed really makes a great exit for hot air egression. With your current modification, you may want to consider a fairly large airdam on the bottom of the cowl so you get enough airflow across your engine to keep it cool.

Please let us know how your new tank mounting position works out.

The weather man is teasing us about this weekend, still don't know if I will get a decent day to test fly this thing. It looks like the wind may die down a little, but the chances of rain (which we really need in south Texas) are increasing.

Once I fly mine with the .91 Magnum, I will post a report.

Cheers,
Mike Boyd

It's a magnum 91 rfs and a GP or hayes mount - can't recall. I think I got the thrust line correct but I didn't have to go all the way to the top as Mike mentioned. We'll see, if I'm off it's only an 1/8" to 3/16" or so - I can adjust that with up or down thrust...I hope...

No, I didn't have to recess it to get it in there that is just a peice of light ply covering the hole left from that box that is originally there for the standard muffler. And, yes removing that box does remove some cooling but I don't think it will be a problem. The cowl has a nice intake for fresh air - I just have to make an equally nice outlet for that air out the bottom of the cowl. Like I said - I don't think it's going to be a problem as I've had this configuration before in other airplanes. We'll see though I'm sure.

So far it looks like rain all day tomorrow on my end. That means the best I can expect is next weekend.

Sick kid kept me from finishing the model up and from making it to the field this weekend. I should be able to finished it working on it tonight and tomorrow night.

Heading to nashville on business for the remainder of the week but I shoudl be out with it saturday or sunday morning. Flight pics and report to come...

Make sure that you have at least three times the outlet area than the inlet areal. I also recommend that you block off the two holes on both sides of the spinner, so you are not allowing excess air into the cowl area that will not be flowing directly across the head portion of the engine, with the inverted set up.

I tried to maiden mine on Saturday at the Randolf Auxiliary Field (paved runway) in Sequin, Texas. When I taxied out and started to take off the plane suddenly started to turn violently to the left. When I picked it up, the plastic wheel hub had broken. A trip to the LHS and I had two new Sullivan Skylites in hand. Next attempt, weather permitting will be without wheel pants, since I will fly primarily off grass, I bought 2.75" wheels. Aso, as previously mentioned, the weak stock tail gear bent quite a ways, so also purchased a Ohio tail gear at the LHS (Second Chance Hobbies) to replace it. I don't care for the Sullivans, even though they are cheaper and lighter, as they only last about 4-5 months on the rough grass surfaces we fly on. Never has an Ohio gear failed on me yet, replaced plenty of wheels on them, but it is definitely worth the $17 purchase price.

Next weekend's weather is definitely forecast for typical March wind and rain (I hope). So don't know when I will be able to test/trim fly and report on the performance. the engine is running great and acts like it will definitely over power the plane. I set up a throttle curve, while I had it out, so it should behave well in flight.

Good luck to everyone else.
Mike Boyd

I just came across an Old K&B .40 in decent condition that runs well. I have been thinking about this
airplane for a while as a reasonable ARF to get into the air. Has anybody used anything smaller than
the recommended .46? I would love to add one of these to my collection.

you guys stuffing those 91's in the nose have me rethinking my engine chioce. I will be flying mine with floats on occassion and was planning on putting a saito 72 up front. this should be enough,no?

Haven't flown it yet but if I had a saito 72 or 82 I'd use it in this.

I have a Saito .56 in mine but my second one will have a Saito .72 in it...
It flys nice and easy with the .56 but does run out of vertical quicker then
I like...

Hindsight being 20/20 I would go with a Saito .91 over the Magnum or OS, since it is so light. From what I have seen from the Saito .82's, they are real powerhouses as well and should work great in this plane. I had to mount everything in the tail with the Magnum .91, since it weighs nearly 23 ounces. With the Saito's you would have much lower wing loading and could have a better choice for where you mount the battery and servos. I am thinking you may be a little disappointed with a .40 in this. It is a pretty large plane, with extra drag from the wing struts and tall fuselage.

I have read that the wing struts aren't very sturdy. Are they really needed and if so has any one had to replace them??[8D]

The wing struts, if installed properly, are sturdy enough, but not for structural need. They are strictly for looks. The plastic clevises on the ends are a pain to manipulate though.

mikeboyd
What about prop clearance with say a .91.. Will a 14 inch prop clear OK

Fastsky
The struts on mine are holding up fine... They are aluminum tubing so they do bend easily but thiis has never been a problem on either my Pheonix or Seagull DC .. Both use the same struts and other parts...
The struts are just for show. I somethimes get lazy and just leave them off.. I have however put little ball joints on the wing fittings and the snap on part on the end of the struts and just snap it together.. Makes it much easier just to snap and un snap for me... I was having too much trouble with the pins on the clevisis with all the opening and closing...

Thankx for the responses guys! Now I just have to get at it and start assembling.

This kit may well be one of the best values on the market. I don't consider poor quality at any price to be a value so I am reasonably difficult to please unless the quality is built in and I am very happy about this one. I would readily recommend this to any of my flying buddies. The plane is now ready to fly but, the wind is very gusty and not cooperating. I decided to use an OS 70 II and now have about four tanks of fuel through it and have achieved a very reliable idle already. I mounted the engine sideways, using a GP mount, to accomodate my glow starter and to make it easy to add fuel. I can live with the cylinder head poking out of the starboard side of the cowl. I did add triangle stock to the front two posts that provide the load carrying to the frame of the fuselage. Additionally, I filled in the area adjacent to the wing hold bown bolts to give the wing something to distrubute the load when you tighten the wing in place. I used a GP 10 oz fuel tank and it sits on foam resting on the original floor.

I did find that some of the metal hardware was soft and replaced the engine mount hold down bolts with some better stuff. I did have to add 4 oz to the tail section to make a 90 mm balance point. The wheel pants are not going to work on our grass field so they are still in the box.

I will let you know how the flight test turns out.

My next project is a SIG Sundancer 50, then my Dragon Lady and then ................

Howard

Thankx for the fine pics Howard. It looks like you are using the kit supplied wheels. I ordered some 3" TL tires as replacments. Our field doesn't seem to like smaller wheels. [8D]

I had plenty of clearance with the original tail gear for a 15" prop, but since I installed the Ohio tail gear set, I had to go to a MAS 14X6 wood prop. It clears just fine.

So what are you saying ?... You take off and land with the tail on the ground ?... My tail is up and the plane is level the last half of the take off and on two point landings... I am thinking a 13 inch prop... I take off of asphalt so I can probably cut is a little closer...