Make sure you can adjust your mixture with the cowl on! Your high-speed needle may need a click or two one way or the other on any given day. If you have to remove your cowl to adjust it, chances are you won't!

Took my Extra out to the field today, but forgot the belly-pan at home Didn't feel like filling the radio compartment with spooge, so I loaded back up and went to attack a turkey! (Thanksgiving up here in Canada eh!).

jmc012-Jim, You put a ST.75 in the extra 300. Was that the 66 incher? Was it mounted horizontally or inverted? Did you have to cut the cowl to clear the head? If you got it to fit into the cowl are you having any problems with cooling? Thanks for any input. Joe

garch 22:

Dude you will have to cut the cowl I'm pretty sure. Mine is not here yet but when it gets here I will check it for you, I have a ST .75 it's not going on this bird but I can use it to check for you. I'm putting a Tiger Shark .91 on it. the Tiger came off my GP extra and it did not come close to fitting under the cowl and they are about the same size bird, the GP had a 65" WS and the super tiger would not fit inside the cowl. I never had it mounted on this bird but I can tell by looking it would not fit. Now if you mount it inverted you would only have to cut the bottom of the cowl for the head to clear but what about the muffler? it's got to come out some where to. Personally I would not try a .75 on the 66" extra anyway. Do you have a .75 supertiger just laying around or do you still have to buy a motor?

Miloh.

garch 22:

I got to thinking about it and looked at the two motors, the .75 is not very far from the .91 in size but the power is very different, vertical performance with the .91 on the GP extra was not unlimited but I;m not into 3D so I didn't need it to be, but the GP Extra was in the 8.5 to 9 pound range with a 65!QUOT! wing span so the VF Extra in the 7.5 to 8 pound range should be very close to unlimited with the .91.
The .91 weights out at 1:14 5/8 and the .75 comes in at 1:8 1/8 so for a 6 ounce difference the .91 is definitely the way to go. and the .91 can be had for $109.00 at
http://www.atsrcplanes.com/index.htm
Check the pictures for size comparison.

Miloh.

So i see people using a variety of engines in the VF 66" extra 300. What engine would be the best for this plane? I don't have an engine ready for it yet but i would like to work out the total cost before ordering the plane. At $150 it is a lot of plane for the money from what i've seen/read so far. Would the Saito 100 be a good choice for this plane? Does anyone know any good sources for this in the US that ship internationally?

I'm so tempted to just go ahead and buy the plane and worry bout the engine another time!

Markjsca1:
Are you dead set on a 4s motor or will a 2s work for you and is price a concern or not?

Miloh.

There are a couple of people who have written about this engine on the 66" Extra and report very good results.

Witch engine David??

Miloh.

Markjsca1 had asked about the Saito 100.

Well i'm not dead set on a 4 stroke. I've only ever used 2 strokes up to this and price wouldn't be a major concern for me (within reason...) cause at the end of the day if the plane crashes more than likely the engine will be reuseable. Would a 2 stroke be a better choice for this plane? I eventually would like it to be able to hover etc. tho i haven't too much experience in this field. What engine did you have in mind miloh?

P.S. I've gone ahead and ordered the plane!!!

Markjsca1,

You will be vary happy with the Saito 100. This is my first 4-stroke (i've always used 2 strokes before). I have unlimited vertical with this engine for my VF Extra 300S 66". I hope this helps.

Thanks jcattera

I'd rather spend a bit more money on an engine that'll last and be easier to get parts for if needed than waste it on countless cheap engines...I've only heard good things about the Saito 100. What size prop would this engine need?

Has anyone successfully performed a flat spin on the VF Extra 300S yet?

I have attempted it, but it wasn't a true flat spin. The nose wasn't completely level. Just wondering how much throw and how far back I need to move the CG.

Any help?

Markjsca1,

I broke my Saito 100 in with a APC 14x6, but I am going with an APC 15x6 the next time to the field. I never expected to have unlimited vertical with the 14x6. The 15x6 should be a real treat!

Buy your Saito 100 through Horizon Hobbies. They are fast and recommended.

One more thing, I weighed my plane(VF Extra 300S 66") this weekend(with no fuel). It weighed 8.2lbs with the Saito 100 and a Slimline Pitts Muffler installed.

I also recc. the Slimline Pitts style muffler. Less goo to clean up and the engine runs smoother over the stock muffler.

A 2 stroke will give you more power for a given weight, and you will be closer to hovering the plane with a .91 2 stroke than you will with a 4 stroke in the same size range. A bigger 4 stroke, say a 120 or so will likley hover the plane. "Cooter" has a Magnum 120 on his VF Edge 540. Maybe he can chime in let us know if it will hang off the prop with that engine.

I'm on horizonhobby.com now $279 for the saito 100, that sound bout right?.Where can i get my hands on a slimline pitts muffler?

jcattera says he got unlimited vertical with a 14 x 6 prop on the Saito 100....I don't really want to go much bigger engine wise as i've only ever flown 46's and 60 size 2 strokes before....

I e-mailed horizon hobby and they said:

I am sorry to inform you that International sales are temporarily shut down.
Sorry for any inconvenience.

Kirsten *****
Sales Representative
Horizon Hobby
1-800-338-4639


Anywhere else you'd recommend?

"DING" (Chiming in) Ha! Yes, my Edge 540 with a Magnum 1.20 4 stroke will hang on the prop, though I'm not very good at it yet. But, I'm getting better.

Thanks David I see now after going back.


Markjsca1: Sorry I got you confused with another conversation I was having about 2 stroke motors. The saito 100 sounds like a good motor to me from what guys using it say. I'm using a .91 2 stoke for mine. I would love to have a 4 stroke but power for price puts me on a two stroke at 1/3rd the money.

Miloh.

Joe
I have an Edge not the Extra, I haven't cut the cowl yet but the head will easily fit under the cowl on the Edge. I mounted the engine horizontally. You could probably write vectorflight for the answer.
Jim

Hey everybody,

Been away for a while and boy did this thread liven up! Here's my .02 worth:

First and foremost, thanks to David Moen, David Cutler and Cooter for all of their assistance. Listen to these guys because everything they told me really helped in the build of my plane Edge 66".

Cooter has a Magnum 120 side mounted from what I remember.
David Cutler has a Saito 110 side mounted and David Moen has a 91 2-stroke I believe that is side mounted. I choose to go with the Saito 120, because it was all I had access to. Cutting the cowl was a concern of mine for two reasons: First because it is soooo pretty, second, I was concerned about lateral balancing. After looking at Cooters pics, I wanted to see if I could find a way to mount it inverted. As it turned out, it was no big deal and the prop hub lined up absolutely perfect. For those of you worried about cutting the cowl, inverted is an option to seriously consider....even for the larger 2 strokes I would imagine.

Just as an aside, I trashed the wheel pants and put on 3" wheels for the upcomming maiden. If all goes as I expect based on what everyone has told me and the flight reviews I have read, I will get the Carbon Fiber Edge gear that is straight and FG wheel pants from Aero-Works. They make a 60 - 90 size Edge and sell the gear and pants as replacements/upgrades. This has been a fun plane for me and I appreciate all the help offered in this thread. As it happens, I now have access to a 91 4-stroke, so the Extra is looking better every day. If anyone has the edge and wants to offer any set-up suggestions beyond what is already out there, feel free.

Cheers,
John

Miloh, thanks for the response on motors for the Extra 300. I have not ordered the airplane yet and am trying to establish if a .75 something will fit horizontally under the cowl with a pitts muffler. I am not planning to do 3-d with this setup, just some spirited pattern stuff. I have been running a Tower.75 with a Bisson pitts combo in my GP Shoestring which comes in at 8# dry with a 26 oz wing loading. Moves it along pretty well at about 80-90 mph, doesn't have unlimited vertical, but is propped more for speed. (The tower .75 puts out 2.2 hp per their specs.) I am thinking of this combo, the ST.75 or a Fox Eagle .74 if I can find a pitts muffler to mate up. The Tower and Fox heads are round and smaller than the ST heads and may fit in. Anyway, I would still like to establish if the ST.75 will fit horizontally in the 66 inch 300, as I have yet to own a ST. and would like to try one out. Will wait on the engine decision until you get your plane and see if the ST.75 will fit. Others may be interested also,so it might be a good exercise. Am also going to contact VF to see if they know of anyone who has tried fitting a .75 and will post how it worked out. Thanks, Joe

Hi John,

Great to see your Edge is progressing nicely.

Actually you got a bit confused I think! I have a YS110 in my Edge, and will be putting a Saito 100 in my 58" Extra, when I can get round to building it!

Keep us informed about the flights of your Edge.

-David C.

Has anyone added a pilot to their Extra or Edge ???

I think I've worked the scale out to be about 1/5 or 1/6th scale...
Does this sound about right ???

I was thinking about using a full size GI Joe or a Barbie, they seem to be about the right scale...

Any feed back would be great...

Sam