Hi!!
I will be finished with my great planes pt-40 in a few days and i´m beginnig to think about the engine i will fit in it.
In the manual they suggest a .40-.46 but maybe it´s better to get a bigger one (.50-.60) for when i move on to bigger planes.
Would be ok a .50 in a .60 plane?
And what do you think about webra engines? And Mds?
Thank you, this is a great way of learning without bothering so much the hobby shop guy. And also thanks to the people who answered my question about the dihedral jigs, the thread was closed (i understand i posted it to too many forums, but it was my first one and i just wanted to get a bigger audience, sorry!) and your advise was really helpful, thanks!

Hi
I just finished my PT-40 about a week ago and it really flies nice with minimal "tinkering", although I had to play with the CG a little. I first flew it with an OS LA .40 which performed pretty well, I then switched to a K&B 40 which really increased the performance. I am running a 10.5 X 7.5 Zinger wood prop. I am currently thinking about a 46, just haven,t decided which brand. I think that a .60 would be too heavy and over power the airplane, as I have one I thought about using until I weighed it, I am not sure of the weight of a .50 although,perhaps someone here has tried it. Good Luck on your first flight.
-Tom

I have flown an OS 46LA in my PT-40 forever.... (2 years). It has plenty of power for using it as a trainer. I just recently (tuesday) swapped out the LA for an OS 46FX. I am hoping I will bump it from a docile trainer to a "throw around the sky" type of plane.

Although you may think that getting a bigger engine will be good so that you can move it to your next plane, I respectfully would suggest that you keep your trainer for a lot longer than that. i.e. you should fly your trainer regularly even though you have another plane (I have, and it is still a lot of fun...).

So, I would recommend that you get an enging that is good for the PT-40 and not one that *may* be good for your next plane (whatever that is).

So, as for power, I would recommend at least the 46LA or equivalent. As for brand names, I have had as much good fortuned with OS as I have with Thunder Tigre. I believe that other engine brands are also good.

If I were to make my purchasing decision again, I would get the PT-40 with a Thunder Tiger .46 PRO.

gus

I wouldn't bother putting a .60 in the PT-40. You can, but it's not really worth it, and the extra weight and messing around won't be worth the results, IMHO.

Many .60 size planes will fly on a .50, but not very well. So I wouldn't go that route either. (It does depend a lot on the engine of course. Most .50's are closer to .46's than to .60's in size and weight, with a bit more power. More of an upgrade from a .40 than a replacement for a .60)

In the long run, pick up a good .46. Personally, my favorate is the Evolution .46. The TT and OS .46's are also good. The OS .46LA is less expensive, but less powerful.

Don't bother witha 60 engine on a 40 size trainer. I found out that overpowering trainers causes more problems than its worth. First you will need a larger fuel tank or you will have trouble getting a 10 minute flight out of it. Then theres the fact that trainers tend to float on landings. 60 size engines should have an 12" prop to keep the engine from over reving. With that size prop on the front of a 40 sized trainer it will want to just keep cruising even at idle speeds and not come down. It also may give you ground clearance problems with the longer prop. My thoughts are to buy a a good 46 size engine. I would get a Thunder Tiger. They are easy to adjust, have good power and good prices. [8D]

Agree with above postings -- a .60 would not make a better mousetrap. Unless you did considerable structural re-inforcement, enthusiastic use of the available power would probably result in a spectacular structural failure, aside from the general degradation of "normal" flight characteristics due to the extra weight.

any good .46 size engine. 40s are okay, but with no extra weight penalty, it's nice to be able to have power in a bad situation.