RE: .40 vs .60 Trainer
 

The first sign of a firewall problem was when the firewall popped out of the plane when I kinda landed on the nosewheel.

The first sign of the stabilizer problem was when somebody yelled "land the plane, your stabilizer is loose!!!".

Don't worry, the signs are pretty obvious.:D

Some people recommend strengthening these joinst before they fail, but it's up to you. I would just give the rear stab a wiggle before each flight and make sure it is still solid.

RE: .40 vs .60 Trainer
 

I have an Avistar with a Supertiger 45 using and 11x5 prop. AMAZING power.....plane is very capable of great aerobatics for a trainer. I am able to take off within 10-15 feet using this engine on paved runway. If you have enough power, you shouldnt have a problem. Can also put large wheels so it can get over the grass easier.


With the pulse, try removing the wheel pants and also using larger wheels.

RE: .40 vs .60 Trainer
 

With the default prop, the plane doesn't seem to have a lot of power, but it is excellent this way for a newbie.

I trained my 10 year old daughter on one. I thought it underpowed, but her instructor suggested to leave it alone.

The slower prop made it easy for her to get used to the throttle response as she could not overdo anything.

It also made landings easier for her.

Once she got fairly good with it, we swapped out the prop and the plane does fine with no lack of power.

RE: .40 vs .60 Trainer
 

hey would a .40 go off the snow??

RE: .40 vs .60 Trainer
 

Just about anything will go off of snow if you have ski's mounted.

RE: .40 vs .60 Trainer
 

I got her all put together and running. I tested the power in the grass with the wing off and there should be no problem getting it into the air from the grass. I ran about 3/4 of a tank of fuel through it on the ground with varying degrees of throttle. I noticed several times that while around 75-100% throttle it bogged down completely. It didn't die and ran back up to speed after a second or so. I played around with the mixture settings but it didn't really seem to help too much. I would think that is a symptom of running too lean but the muffler was putting out smoke. Also, when I was done I noticed some black soot looking stuff in fuel line going to the muffler. This may be normal. Any of you IC experts have any idea what might be happening or where I am going wrong?

RE: .40 vs .60 Trainer
 

Sounds like it's too rich on the high end. Push it to the limiters, then when at full throttle pinch test the engine.

If it speeds UP it's rich. If it slows down it's too lean.

Get it to the point of no change and back down just a few clicks, say 3-4.

Re: Stuff

Yup all my Evolutions have done this.

This seems to be the result of the crank rod rubbing at the back of the case.

It stops after a few flights.

RE: .40 vs .60 Trainer
 

The A40's prop is a high priced replacement. I replaced about 3 of them and then switched to MAS which is tougher than
APC. Be careful and not let the A40 get too far away. If you cannot see the planes orientation then you will lose it.
That is how I crashed mine. The Evolution engine wants the idle to be set progressively leaner as it breaks in. After
setting mixture at high speed you get stumbling when rapidly going from idle to wide open when idle is too rich.
After about 30 flights I had to move the idle limiter as it ran out of adjustment range. After a non repairable crash you
can move everything over to a World Models Sky Raider Mach I or II which for $70 gets you going again inexpensively
and with more aerodynamic capability. A MACS muffler is an inexpensive hop up trick which can give a 5.5 lb plane
vertical acceleration with a .46 size engine. Good Luck with your A40.

RE: .40 vs .60 Trainer
 

Pull the limiter pins from the needles - that way you'll be able to adjust them properly - that is one of the first things I did that with my Alpha 60. Also don't worry about the 3-blade prop, just ditch that while you're at it. My Evolution turned up 9800 rpm with the stock 3-blade prop, but 12K with the 2-blade Evolution prop as a replacement (next time I fly it I'll have a Xoar prop on it). I've found the Hobbico NextStar 11 X 5 prop, besides being only $2.00, has good performance for a .46 size trainer. You'll need to change spinners when you change the prop. Also pull the weight off the drive hub when you change props so the 2-blade spinner will fit.

Hogflyer

RE: .40 vs .60 Trainer
 

Like he said, but you have to be aware of something though.

When you turn the needle adjustment screws, the needle moves "down" in towards the assembly.

The blue collar grips the needle tightly.

That means that simply removing the pin is not enough, as the collar itself will also limit travel, as it acts as a "stop" to further travel.

The obvious thing to do is to loosen the grub screw holding the collar in place...

BUT... typically the grub screw "lifts" a bit of metal as it bites down, which prevents the collar from turning even when the grub screw is removed... sigh...

I had to remove the screws and then pull off the collars with the needle gripped in a vice ( not the tip! ).

Once done I could adjust the needles correctly.

I wish Evolution would rethink the limiters, and just adjust the engine somewhat at the factory.

RE: .40 vs .60 Trainer
 

Exactly. And give the user some credit for being able to count to two and a half!!!

Rather than trying to make it idiot proof, they should just put a paragraph in the manual explaining engine tuning, like in the OS manuals.

RE: .40 vs .60 Trainer
 

Wow I had no idea it was going to be that difficult. Seems like by trying to make something easier they made it harder. I'm going to have to play around with it some. I appreciate all of the suggestions.