Just talked to my high school and college bud in North Carolina he went through his garage and found a drone 29 and parts for 2 or 3 more, said rod has to be rebushed on the one together along with a couple of McCoy s a Novi (glows) and 2 Olson and Rice spark He will send them down after Christmas martin

Hi Martin, I have two of these, also a glow head conversion, but as yet have not run either, have had them for quite some time, are they much of a motor, Telly

The Drone Engine was the gun engine to have for competition when they first came out. This pre dated the arrival of glows by only 18 months or so.
The Gold head plain bearing engines suffered with some shaft breakages and this brought the second series BB Drone engines out. These are a good performing engine but bear in mind you want to swing fairly large props with them.
As soon as the glow plug arrived, it sort of spelled the end of the dominance of the Drone as a competition engine.

Hi,
I'm a bit of fixed compression diesel nut. I run all mine and I do actually fly a Drone and a Micron. It's an easy "party trick" that impresses "modern engines only" fliers.
They run really well providing you have a reasonably warm ambient temperature. You need a minimum of around 20°C or 70°F.  In mid-European latitudes (UK, France, Germany, etc.) they only really run during the summer months (say April to October), but in Florida or Oz I guess there's never going to be a temperature issue. I would post photos but the system is asking me for an LRU and I don't know how to do that!

Raglafart my bud called back he got the drones in 1947 he thinks, he also has a glow head.thinks he ran a 10x10 on them as diseel (does that sound right?) does not remember if Novi as he calls it is glow or diesel we shall see best to you martin

BrokenEnglish Is the drone based on the Micron?? I did run into Leon Shulman a couple of years ago in a LHS in Orlando Fl he was there with Jason Shulman.last time I saw him was in in shop in Elizabeth NJ in the 50s

I have four Drone BB diesels. Run with stock fixed compression head and variable compression head. Ran fixed compression many times but one day with temps in the low 40's F. could not get it started. Ran with variable compression with temps in the 30's F. with no problem. A vibrator and have flown on a full size Playboy Cabin. My GB 5.4 cc diesel less vibrations so more fun on the Playboy or Airborn 810 sq. in. wing area. Jack

Jack and rest of the group it will be several weeks before I get them, will check around and see if we can find a VC head for the drone martin

Aerodyne used to have the Drone variable compression heads. Worth an enquiry?

Drone engines are pretty neat engines. It is about as simple as one can get with a model diesel engine too. The plain bearing models can be easily converted to RC by making an adapter for them to fit a small RC carb on them.

There is a adjustable diesel head one can get too. It pops up from time to time for sale here and there. Here is one example.




There is evena  glow head for them too:





Here is one of mine being test run.

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