Thanks guys! I purchased the .46 LA yesterday!

Martno1fan, Thanks for the advice!

Couple tips w/ the .46 LA. For more power, take the muffler apart and remove the baffle and reassemble with loctite on the bolt. You will need the power for the extra weight of a SPAD. Also, the screws on the plastic backplate tend to loosen up. I would remove and reinstall w/ loctite. Be careful when you are cranking them down, because you can crush the plastic.

-Scott

im not sure how old your 46 la engine is but mine has no plastic back plate ?.how much of a power increase do you get by removing the baffle?.and doesnt it make the engine verry noisy?

My LA is probably 2 yrs old. Backplate is definitely black plastic. Are you saying yours is metal?

Not sure how much the power increase is, because I have not tached it. I have seen others recommend removing the baffle as well. It is not particularly noisy. Give it a try. You can always put the baffle back in.

-Scott

do you know scott im sure its metal but id need to take it out of the plane to double check it lol!!
it sure looks like metal now you got me thinking haha!!.i tried scratching the side of it and it feels like metal though!! but mines brand new so maybe it is.

Yours might be metal, i don't know. Mine's definitely black plastic. The only concern is that when you go to really crank down on the screws that hold it on, they will break the plastic. Don't ask me how I know.

-Scott

oops i dont think i need to ask mate?,bet that made your day lol!!!.what plane do you fly with the 46 la?.im looking to put mine into the acro wot by chriss foss not sure if your fammiliar with it over there?its verry simillar to the super sportster in looks but maybe more acrobatic by all accounts!!.i think it would be ok for starters in either till i fancy a bit more power!!.

My .46 LA is in a Sig Kadet MkII trainer. It has plenty of power for that plane. My brother has one in a SPAD Debonair trainer. Power is only "adequate" for the SPAD, but it still flies OK.

I've heard of the Acro Wot, but am not really familiar with it. I don't think they've really made it to the US. Depending on the weight, I'm sure the LA will work. Try taking the baffle out and see how it affects the RPM. You will have to readjust the needle setting.

-Scott

heres a pic of the acro wot for you[img]

Nice plane. Who kits it? Or are there plans available?

nevermind, I found it. 40-60 size at that.

http://www.chrisfoss.co.uk/Default.htm

No price info though.

hi the price in the uk is arround £80 to £100 im not sure if its available in the states but most probably not as our prices here compaired to youres are so expensive!!.im sure there will be plans available from somewhere though as a lot of his planes are not artf but full build.though this one is artf i bet there are plans for it somewhere.if i find any ill post a link on here for you!!.

[link]http://www.myhobbies.co.uk[/link]heres a link to prices from one source in uk.

0.46 AX.......... You wont regret.........[8D]

The LA40 is also heavier than the more powerful LA46 but neither has the power of a ball bearing 40/46. Why is it heavier? It has a thicker cylinder liner. Both have the same crankshaft (stroke) and case but the 46 has a larger bore (piston) which means the brass liner is thinner. Less weight, more power!

I placed a OS46 AX in a WM Skyraider Mach1 trainer and that plane just kick-ass!
The plane is fast, responsive, and can go vertical and do the basic areobatics with
ease. My instructor told me he has flown lots of trainers with .46 size engines, but
he said the Mach1 plane was unique. He said, it had lots of torgue, which is the result of
a good engine/plane combo. Even after I solo, I will keep the plane and engine.
It's just a fun plane to fly.

After run oil is just automatic transmission fluid. I bought a ~2 liter bottle of it at Wal-Mart (the Dextron III) for $2. My LHS charges $3.50 for a 60mL bottle.

While you are quite correct about the weight, don't get too excited about it, as there is only 0.1 oz difference -- your airplane literally can't tell the difference. However, it certainly can tell the difference in power between the two.

I am new at this too, but I can tell you the choices I have made. I started with a common trainer (hobbico superstar) with a .40 LA in it. When I got good at flying and landing that, I upgraded to a .46 AX. That is a lot for a trainer, but, I had to learn to land again carrying more speed (I had to add about 7 oz to the tail). It was good training for me. When I moved on to a Goldberg Tiger II, I used the .46 AX in that and put the .40 LA back into the trainer. I have since replaced the .40 LA with a .40 SR that I cant't get to run at high idle, but that is a whole new thread. The choices I made were on the advice of a friend (although he was adamant about getting a BB engine in the first place, I have since listened and heeded every word from him) and they worked well for me.

I agree with pulling the baffle, it make a real difference when the engine is well run in. Run 10% nitro and nothing more, the engine will sing on that and anything more is going to reduce engine life (in my opinion).

Yup, I have to pull my 40LA out to tighten the rear cover screws this week. It's the first time they have come loose on me in almost 100hours of flying.

Replace the head screws with bolts, these will definitely come loose typically well before the rear cover screws. The screws are soft hence why bolts are highly recommended.