I started with four strokes a little over ten years ago.

I had done some reading about them on the internet about back fires and had watched them at the flying field.

When I ran my own, I eventually decided they were not really any different than a two stroke to use.

I ran the same fuel and adjusted them the same way.

I still feel that way

from my experience they are a bit more sensitive in the tuning dept,, and run hotter too(dont as me how i know But you still tune them the same way.... they have a much more pleasant sound too

Minn - I totally get what your're saying....so many people in this hobby make it a lot harder than it is. You're provably right, it might not be harder than 2stroke - they are just making it harder!
before i got into the hobby 3 months ago, everyone at the local park was making it seem like everything was so hard, and three months later I find that with the help that I get here and just making things simple, this is not hard at all. SO I will get my 4stroke and not listen to those that make it seem like it's SOO hard
everyone told me "oh if you don't get an instructor you're never going to learn. Well, my very first flight was without instructor (other than the sim) and it was fine. since then I've had one hard crash...that's all. I think it's not so bad for a person that had never flown an rc plane. I said the same thing in a different thread the other day and people went at me with knifes "oh how can you say that instructors are not good" -when I NEVER said that, they just assumed I said that because I said that I didn't use one.

thanks for the good advice Minn

Like anything, some people pick some things up easier that some other people.

But with RC flying, it is much more difficult than most people think - only because they do not consider the three-dimentional aspect of flying. They are stuck in the two-dimentional mode of driving: go fast, go slow, turn right or left and if you have a problem, stop. As you know, there's no break pedal when you're in the air.

So for 98% of beginners, having someone there to bail them out is a MUST. And I will be the first to admit that a few RARE people are sucessful on their own. But they ARE rare, and we DO get a little upset when one of them comes in here and says, "You don't need an instructor. It's easy!"

Go out and get that four stroke. Jump in and find out for yourself what it is all about.

Minn I agree with you, but please keep in mind, I never said you do not need an instructor and I never said it was easy. I said: It's not as hard as some people make it out to be, and I didn't use an instructor, that doesn't mean one would not have been helpful and it doesn't mean that it's easy....

- I am not saying you are one of this guys, but some guys think that when you say something is not white, they automatically fill in the rest and think that you are saying that it's black - maybe not the best analogy, but I think you get what I am saying. When I say something is not as hard as some people make it I am not saying that it's easy. Is just that so many people scared the crap out of me when I was getting into this (oh my god, it's really really hard....go out with an instructor or else....four strokes are very very hard to tune.....have someone trim your plane before you fly it on your own..... you have to have a pro put it together or your airplane is going to break in mid air.......the world is going to end if you fly for the first time on your own!!!! )...uh..ok maybe i made the last one on my own... but that's just what I've encountered. I think the help I get here is much better than the help I get on the field

I totally agree, and this is exactly why we say it's important to use careful phrasing on line. You can't read the diflection in someone's voice, so it's easy to misconstrue what people say.

As an example, you said, "It's not as hard as people make it out to be". But it IS! It's even harder for some people. What you meant to say was that YOU found it to be easier than you were expecting.

And please, don't think I'm balling you out, I'm not. I'm just commenting on how people can misunderstand the written word.

what they say about 4 strokes tuneing like 2 strokes is essentially true with the exception of the ys 4 stroke engines which also need to have there pressure regulators adjusted. Tuneing these are an art but once done properly fine tweaking is a snap

This is true. I don't recommend YS 4-strokes as a first 4-stroke.

[quote]ORIGINAL: alexedit

Sourkraut - is your engine 2 stoke or are both, you and your brother's 4 stroke?



alexedit.... both the motors in the pics are GMS .76 2 strokes. The Yellow Phaeton 90 has been changed out to a TT .91 4stroke for more realism and sound. The green Hog Bipe is still roasting around the sky with the GMS .76, extension on and after 3 years, no ill effects and the power loss is neglible. Th eTT .91 4st in the Phaeton now also has an extension on down to the landing gear and it runs fine also.
The four strokes are not that much trickier to tune than a 2 stroke, just make sure to use a tach because the tone change is super hard to detect.
I love the extensions as they leave next to nothing to cleanup after a day of flying!![8D]

Cheers
Curt

I judge the correct needle valve position by approaching "too lean" with the needle where the engine just starts to slow down (don't stay here but a split second or the engine will quit)

You can then open the needle until "definitely rich"

and put the needle halfway between the two points

so what's a good beginner 4 stroke engine?

Saito 56

http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products...ProdID=SAIE056