Anyone know who posts the all up flying weight for their ARFs so I can choose a good engine? I see some on Tower but I don't know if it means just the plane without engine or what. Kinda like the engine weights listed, some with a muffler, some without, some in grams , some in ounces. Gimmie a break.

Almost always, the listed weights are the Estimated Ready to Fly Weight. About the conversions, if you go to Google and search for (for example) "162 oz to lbs" and it'll do conversions for you...automatically. I like that little feature, always helps!

Tower also has a unit converter on their site. I've found it to be handy at times.
Cheers! BH

My concern is the listed weight not being specific enough. Is it flying weight or model weight minus engine, there seems to be no standard.
I recently read an article about an FW190 in MAN and it said the flying weight was 6.6 lbs. It also says to use a .50 size engine. However I have several .45 size engines that make more than 6.6 lbs of thrust.

It is ready to fly minus fuel. Plane, engine, radio, gear, and anything else on board except fuel.

The advertised weights are supposed to be "ready to fly"

You'll never get a great number from any manufacturer or mail order web site because none of them list the specific items used to complete the model.

Maybe a reviewer will post an actual weight on a finished model, but they do not always do that. If it's something you're interested in it is helpful because they usually tell you the components they used.

I'll pick on Great Planes and Tower. I had a GP Big Stik 60. The advertised weight is 6.5 pounds. Mine weighed 7.5 pounds.

They recommend .61 to .91 two stroke or .91 to 1.2 four stroke.

Maybe the prototype used a 65LA. I used a 91 Surpass. There's a several ounce spread between the two engines.
I used Hitec Dual BB servos for all control surfaces. Non-BB servos would have worked fine and saved weight.
I replaced the foam wheels with rubber wheels.
I installed a slightly larger fuel tank.
I converted it to tail dragger.

Did my changes add a pound? Or, was the wood in my ARF slightly more dense than the prototype? I have no clue.

Thus my quandry. A full pound of weight makes a big difference .

Jeffie:

A 45 is unlikely to make 6.6 pounds of static thrust with any prop you would use on an FW 190, but a 45 two stroke will still fly it very well. The 50 recommendation is made in order to include the 50 size four strokes which, as I'm sure you know, are less powerful than the 45 size two strokes.

Jim

Hi!
And remember that static thrust isn't worth much !
It's what happens in the air that counts. That's why APC and RAM props make a difference.

If it will accept an 11" prop my Aviastar .46 spins a Master Airscrew black to 13,000. On 5% nitro.

My Aviastar 53(?) wouldn't run at all, even after I sent it back to Sig for repairs. (They refunded my money after the second try.) You obviously got the good one. Put it in the FW 190 and have fun.

Jim

After the carb was replaced mine ran fine.

All up weight numbers is a lot like engine rpm numbers.
Be careful what you believe.

In my experience engine power numbers seem to all be fiction.

OK the listed weight of the Kyosho FW190 is 5.8 lbs but the latest M.A.N shows it built at 6.6 lbs . Almost a full pound heavier?
Yes they used a large 4 stroke but still.