I have been out of power flying for over 25 years but have been active flying R/C gliders. I am interested in using a modern .60 size engine. Back in the early 70's, the Webra Blackhead .60 was a great engine and so was the OS .61

Are the .60 sizes made today as good as or better than those engines? Who makes a quality .60 size motor today? I don't need the Rolls Royce of .60 size engines but would prefer the BMW of todays motors ! I definitely don't want some cheap motor that won't last.
Thanks,
S Gibson

Over a decade or so ago, you could easily buy a .61 sized engine that wouldn't last. Today it is getting tough to find one. Even the cheapest ones are great.

Just about any modern sixty will dust an old Webra Blackhead's britches with ease. The bad new is that all of the newer engines (except Jett and Enya with their new .61) are all much larger and heavier than the old .60 sized engines that you are used to from back then.

Believe it or not, you can still buy a recently made K&B .61 in the old style, or with a screw-on cylinder head that really screams. RJL/MECOA now owns K&B. You can find their engines and their prices on their website.

I bought the Enya .61CX that just came out a while back. It is considerably smaller and lighter than even our own Webra BH and OS .60 sized engines, with about the same power output on the same size props. It's built in the Enya .40CX crankcase.

Rossi AXE .61 is available, with pipe, for less than $200 the last time I looked. I bought one, but haven't ran it as yet. eBay carries the Rossi engines. Be warned that all warranty work is performed at the factory in Italy.

The latest OS and Super Tigre engines run well and produce decent power. Especially with a tuned pipe. So do some of the Chinese 10cc engines and they are holding up well, (Magnum).

Fox Manufacturing is still around, but I'm not sure of what they have to offer in their product line up. They keep cutting models of engines from their production runs, or were the last time I looked. Being American, their prices are a bit high, but whatcha gonna do?

Some others and myself have been buying up old pattern engines off of the auction sites (RCU and eBay).

Good luck in your hunt for "the" engine.


Ed Cregger

And...the Webra Speed .61 is still available.

IMO, for the money, you can't beat the OS61FX-ABC. Years ago, I ran the ST G61 ABC. These new OS' pull just as good, or better using APC props. More modern technology, and only cost around $150.00. Hobby Service's from Tower gives very fast turnaround if repairs are needed.
Crankpin

The OS .75AX is pretty impressive on the stock muffler. If price is not an issue and you want a rear exhaust US made engine, then order a Jett (available in side exhaust, too).
-Will BArtlett

I can certainly agree and attest to the power and performance, ease of starting, and economy of the OS 75 AX. When I bought mine, I was actually looking for the new OS 55 AX, which was supposed to fly that particular plane (not pattern) very well, but the LHS didn't have one. In fact, he just sold the one he had in stock and said it would be couple weeks before I could get another. They were on back order. Demand was heavy for that engine. So, I opted for the OS 75 AX, which he DID have in stock. All I can say is WOW. What an engine.

The first start, on a brand new engine, was on the third flip of the chicken stick. I ran it as I usually do on break in, and flew it on the third tank. It performed flawlessly, as advertised, and then some. Excellent choice. And, it fits in the footprint of the OS 61 mount (and others.. Super Tigre, and so on). The .55 AX was slightly smaller, fitting in the footprint of the .46 but with considerably more power.

I have two pattern type aircraft, an Excelleron 90, and a Venus II. Both are powered by the OS 1.20 AX engine, which was what encouraged me to get the 75 AX. Those 1.20's run great. I have a third one, 1.20 AX that is, on a Goldberg Tiger 120, and it pulls that along like it was a 1.60. That's just to tell you how confident I am with the AX series of OS engines.

CGr.

Hey Willy - I am looking at Jett for my next project. I am going to duplicate my Intruder that I stripped and re-covered. Looked at Dubb Jett's site, I am impressed.
Vince

Another happy AX user here.

I have had the .75AX for a short while and it has been great. Starts easily, runs great with a great idle and is easy to tune. It has been a really easy motor to live with. Reliablity 100%.

I bought a .55AX yesterday, based on my experiences with the .75. Naturally i couldn't wait to get it home on the test stand. All i can say so far is that the .55 is every bit as easy to live with as the .75 has been.

I'd have no hesitation recommending the AX line to any novices or flyers returning to the hobby after an extended break. They really do make learning or re-learning the ropes easy.

Without researching, difference AX-FX ?
thanks

Hey Vince - terrific restoration job, looks brand new!! Nice color scheme, too

AX vs FX: AX has the high speed needle on the carburetor angled backwards while the FX has the remote needle.
I believe there have been some improvements to the muffler on the AX engines (quiet, but with less power loss <compared to open exhaust&gt
The AX engines are advertised as ABL which I assume refers to piston/liner construction but I don't know the details.

I bought a 1.20AX several months ago for an ARF pattern ship (Explorer 90 which had been gathering dust in my basement for 3 years or so...). It was the first non-pattern OS engine I had purchased since an OS .61SF - it had been a while! I've been very impressed. Ran great right out of the box. Loads of power, quiet, easy to adjust. I have about 180 flights on mine. The ONLY complaint I have is that the stupid bolt holding the muffler together broke (in the air - where else) and a new muffler costs about $55. I got about 135 flights on the first glo-plug (the OS #8 that came with the engine). I wonder if OS will replace the 1.60FX with a larger AX version (200AX??)
-Will BArtlett

Anyone know if there is a pipe header available for the 75 AX?

The exhaust bolt spacing is the same as the .61FX so any header for the .61 will fit the .75.

Mac's makes generic pipes that you should be able to cut to the right lenght for tuning to the motor.

Also Ultrathrust now list a bolt-on muffler for the .75 and i'm sure Jett would have one too. I have the Turbo-Jett muffler on mine, but it is more of a pitts style application, not pattern.

Flywilly - Here is the start to finish. You can see my AMA number on the side of fuselage. Moved back a little on this re-build. Made a trip to the graphic's dude. Plane by pool is when if was first finished.
Vince

Wow Vince...She Looks Great!! That was Quick!! You don't mess around do you??

Looks as Good if not Better Than New...

Nice Job...

Chuck

It may be better then new. As you know, this is a Chinese ARF. Needed quick plane for SPA contest. New it is USN cover scheme, and the covering was like contact paper, IMO. Stripped it, sealed the wood, recover. On the re-build, to take care of the dings fast, I used finishing resin and 3/4 oz. glass cloth. Few coats of resin, final wet sand, coat of dope, then mono-kote.
Right, it came out better then when first done. Lotta work. This time I will change CG where needed, add digital servos. This also gave me the opportunity to change the wing mount bolts to 1/4-20.

Does anyone reading this know if I can get a good finish with silk span/dope on balsa, then monokote on top of that. I am not a monokote fan, usually paint, but I have learned how to do it right.
Vince

Flywilly.. My first OS 1.20 AX had the same failure. The muffler bolt broke in flight. I thought I lost it for good, but we took a walk and actually just about tripped over the darned thing.. the rear half, intact, broken bolt and all.

I bought a length of all-thread and put that in with a nylock nut. Worked just fine. In the mean time, I notified OS about the problem and they immediately shipped me a replacement bolt.

I have two other OS 1.20 AX's and neither of them have lost the bolt, and I fly them equally as regular as I do the Excelleron 90 with the original 1.20 AX.

BTW, the other two are on a Venus II and a Goldberg Tiger 120.

CGr.

Crankpin.. you HAD to show those pictures with the pool in the background, right?

We're expecting a Nor'easter today with another coming this weekend, perhaps with a lot of snow... [:@][8D]

Great rebuild! I wish I had those skills!!

CGr

Vince, I've noticed that Monokote doesn't stick too well to hard surfaces. Try brushing on some thinned balsarite over the sealed surfaces. I hate using a heat gun, but sometimes it works better on these surfaces than an iron.. sometimes. Just watch the heat.


DM

Vintage. Thanks, you are right. Before I re-built this Intruder, I used BalsaRite dope. Look like plain ol' dope to me. Helps a lot. With MonoKote, I do fine on compound curves, it is where I have to seal down on inner dips. Name for that? Like at the bottom of a canopy I monokoted here. Down then flare out. Melting down on wingtips, etc. seems to go OK if you take your time.

Also, sealing where there is filler used, like micro-baloons. This time using finishing resin on lite glass cloth, worked good. Just at the base of canopy area, flaring down to flat is my biggest problem.

What about silkspan applied with dope, couple of clear coats, wet sanded. Monokote that OK? Maybe try UltraCote on next plane?
My QQ Somenizi Yak is UltraCoted, and great. Thanks for the info.

Vince

CGr - I looked for the back 1/2 of the muffler (especially since I saw it depart from the engine)... no luck []. Over the years I've been pretty fortunate finding various missing pieces (mufflers, pipes, canopies, control surfaces).

Monokote can produce a pretty good finish and I will keep using it, but I think I'll try Klasscote and do some more painting. I've used automotive products (lacquers and enamels <PPG&gt which work very well, but are quite expensive. Years ago I had great success with K&B as well as Hobby Poxy epoxy paints.

Vince, I didn't realize that restoration meant repair, too . You should crash more often... KIDDING

Will Bartlett

Willy - Repair/Restoration. Better second time around.

Vince