I am getting a Tower Kaos 40.

Which engine would be best. I have the following engines available. An OS .46 AX, OS .55 AX or OS .46 FX.

I am an intermediate pilot.

Also how is this plane in the wind - 10 to 15 MPH.

Thank you for your help.

Todd

All engines listed would work fine. the Koas is a fine wind plane.

Todd,.......I've got a KAOS with an O.S. .46AX and it flies great. Flying mine with an 11 x 8 prop and it will go vert. almost unlimited. A bigger engine will probably be a bit difficult to fit into the engine mount that comes with the KAOS. It's hard enough to install the .46 AX in the provided mount. And as jship said, it will fly fine in 10 - 15 mph winds. One thing to check, after you ca the hinges, pull test them then go back and pin them....don't ask why I know to do it. Good luck. Mike

I use a YS 53 on my kaos. Flies great! Good plane in the wind.

i had two kaos .40's. a bridi kit and later the tower kaos arf. the kaos is old but great flying design. the guy that designed it back in the 70's got the numbers on the wing just right. even with the thick wing the kaos is fast with a .45 or.46. it does not need anything bigger. but it will slow down to very nice landings. the tower kaos arf has a wider fuselage than the older orginal kits to handle the newer engines. a flying buddy of mine had one of the last great planes .40 kaos's from a kit until he lost it to radio failure. a few weeks ago a guy showed up at our flying site with his old rc stuff to sell. he had a great planes kaos .60 kit. someone gave him $50 for it. looking in the box it reminded of the many kits i built or the last 25 years....but like everyone else i got spoiled by arfs.

go with the 55ax, or 46Ax

Thank you for the replies. I will go with the .46 AX. Todd

Sawdust,I'd go with the 55AX,you can always throttle back.I didn't use the provided motor mount(or any of the other hardware or hinges) so I didn't have any problems fitting the 55.The 55 will fit in the kit motor mount if you file it to fit around the 55's crankcase.This airplane doesn't care about wind.This is a pretty good arf,the hardware and covering sucks,but overall it's ok.It does fly like it's on rails,and it does scream with the 55 on it,so I'm good with it.I would make it a taildragger if you fly from a rough field like I do.Have fun.

Jim

yep, the covering on the tower kaos is crappy. mine just fell off the fuselage. its low temp towerkote...which i do not like at all. i bought two rolls to recover mine which was a mistake. monokote colors do not match it. i remember calling tower to find out what it was covered with and they did not know!. they refered me to hobbico and someone there told me it was towerkote and it was. you have to really be careful ironing towerkote on. if your iron is just a few degrees to hot it will melt it quickly.

I finally flew my Kaos with an OS .46 AX and an 11 x 7 prop.

It is a great flying plane and yes it cuts cuts right through the wind.

Since I fly from a rough field conversion to a tail dragger may be in order. This plane does not have much prop clearance.

A great plane for a great price.

Thanks to all who commented.

Todd

My first SIG Sumpthin Extra flew fine with an APC 11x6. My new Sumpthin Extra has an OS55AX with a 12x7 APC. I do like the 55AX much better. The engine is much smoother and has a lot more power. They also fit on the same mount and the distances from the mount holes and the rear of the engine to the front are identical, so if an OS46AX will fit, so will the 55. In fact you could easily swap those engines and decide for yourself. Do check your balance when doing this as the .55 may be heavier, but not much.

I absolutely agree with jship, and I'm an old, old Kaos fan from when Joe first introduced the Kaos to the rest of us.

All of the engines mentioned are perfect, as would be my favorites, the Enya .40 to .61CX or SS, Webra .40 thru .55, Thunder Tiger .40 thru .46, Sanye, .40 thru .52 (ASP, Magnum, SC) and a gazillion others. Even the old K&B .40 or .61 would power this model well.


Ed Cregger