Kris, if you had put that DA up at the beginning of the summer I would have been severely tempted to get it, but now all my money has gone to my 2.6M Extra. Timing can really stink sometimes. The 150 is such a sweet running engine, I'm sure I'll own one some day.

Here's my two cents with my experience with Keith at BME. Whenever I have called BME Keith answers the phone and he is very good at helping me with any problems that I am having. Awhile back I was starting my 105 and I got it loaded up and it backfired. About a week later it died in the air for the first time ever. After removing the carburator I found a broken reed valve and I called Keith and told him what I had found and he told me that was rare and it usually only happens if the engine backfires............oops! Keith mailed me new reed valves right a way at no charge. Sometime later I was having a problem with the front bearings on the 105--I found this problem on a Monday and I had an airshow to do the following Saturday and Sunday. I called Keith on Tuesday morning and explained the situation and he said to send him the motor. I sent it to him by next day air, which was on Tuesday afternoon, and he repaired it and sent it back to me next day air and I had it for the airshow with new bearings at no charge. I couldn't be happier with the service I have received from BME.

Big Bob Knudsen

To be fair, Kieth responded to my emails today. He told me I needed to send in my engine for possible bent crankshaft. Runout is .008 at the propshaft.

I never could get him on the phone.

Joe

I want to order a 110. I hear that there are problems with shipping the 110s out. So, I have sent three e-mails to BME over the past three weeks asking on status of 110s and to see how long a wait I would have. If the wait for a 110 is too long, I'll have to look at the DA. I have not received a single response.

Couch Flyer, give DA a call. You won't regret buying this engine. Here's a vid of my brand new DA hauling around my Extra. The engine gets better every time I fly it:

http://teamsolorc.com/johnv/CompArfRyan.wmv

If I may be so bold as to point this out. . .

In a bit of an impromptu "test" to see if my BME110/Composite-ARF 40% 330 combination was a viable competitor for the heavier CA40% 330's powered by DA and 3W150's, we held a "just for fun" drag race at the Mocksville IMAC contest after the competition was finished. About 50 people were on hand to watch the fun.

All 3 planes are 40% Composite-ARF 330's. Mine is a "lightened" version, that has a takeoff weight full of gas of about 30.5 lbs. The other two 330's were not weighed, but carried the "normal " equipment. The 3W powered aircraft had a 3W150 TOC on Tuned pefa Canister exhaust, the DA had standard DA mufflers. All planes ran Mejzlik propellors, 32-10's on the 150's and a 28-10 on the BME110.

The first matchup was the 3W powered plane against the BME110. The planes started side-by-side in the middle of the runway. 3...2...1...GO

The BME leapt ahead and was off the ground going vertical in about 15 feet. . .the 3W powered plane took about 30 feet to get airborne and by the time it was going vertical the BME was about 3-4 lengths ahead and gaining ground. After 10 seconds (unofficial duration limit) the BME110 powered plane was about 7-8 lengths ahead of the 3W 150 powered plane. . . we then broke it off and went flying for a while.

The second "Race" was BME110 vs. DA150. . using the same lineing-up and start process. . .this time the BME stumbled slightly due to a long idle period, and didn't get up to full power instantly the way it had before. When the BME plane broke ground so did the DA powered plane, and it was a dead heat at that point. 10 seconds later the BME powered plane was ahead by 2-3 lengths as the planes passed through about 750 feet or so, then we broke it off.

NOW. . .the results may vary from day to day, tuning setup and prop selection make a big difference, and a bit of "tweaking" may have gotten some more power out of any of the engines involved. The other two flyers, and myself, all run just a little rich on the top end of the power curve. That being said. . The BME's performance was ( to put it mildly) VERY impressive.

So. . you just gotta ask yourself. .

Which engine do you REALLY want???

These pics were taken of the "event". . the DA vs. BME part of the race.

Photo #1. . Combatants for the DA vs. BME part of the race venue. . On the left. . BME110 powered plane. . on the right the DA-150 powered plane. . Note the difference in propellor lengths.
Photo #2 .. Lined up and. . GO. . rpm's just coming up as the planes begin the race. . BME stumbled a little bit before it got going, so the DA has the lead at this point. . .

Photo#3. . It's a close race. . BME powered plane on the right, but closer to the camera from this angle.

Photo #4. . Both planes are a dot. . Witnesses reported the BME powered plane had a slgiht lead. . Either way. .both planes reached altitude in a BIG hurry.

As If some one could stop you?

A couple of questions for the BME guys. I'm reading all of this with great interest as I want to build a "quiet" 35 % but it kills me to add 2 or 3 lbs to an airplane. Makes sense to try a BME and put a set of cannisters on it and I end up with the same weight as something with a DA or 3W and regular mufflers. I must admit that I'm somewhat leery of the light weight BME. Hopefully that weight didn't come at the expense of needed strength but I guess there is only one way to find out. I've looked for dimensions on the 110 but can't find the distance between the mount plate and the back of the spinner. My other questions concerns what cannisters are being used and if headers are available or are you guys making your own. One more thing, do you have the distance from the exhaust port and the beginning of the cannister. I have a Carden 35% Edge on the table and am considering trying a 110 with cannisters in it which is why I'm looking for measurements. Thanks for your help.

Jlb, the f-r distance of the BME is right at 6 inches. For exhaust on my two BME Xtremes, I run a 90 degree elbow (25mm OD, from KS, available form DA) and home made flage (though flanges are now available), then couple that directly to either a "L" or "LL" Pefa canister available from Aircraft International. That makes one muffler for one cylinder, so you need two of everything.

Sound signature will depend on how fast you are spinning the prop. . a 28" Mejzlik at 7000 rpm will be 3-4dB louder than a 28" biela or Menz at 6400 rpm, and with the thrust from these props going to the biela or menz is really a better idea. the Mejzlik just spins so fast it stops increasing thrust at some point, so all that rpm is wasted.

As for balancing the plane, my 40% Composite-Arf 330s has NO lead in the nose, the batteries, rudder servos and fuel tank are on the wing tube, and its actually slightly nose heavy. On the 33% CA330 it was difficult to keep the plane NOT nose heavy, and all the servos and batteries are behind the CG in order for it to balance correctly.

All-up weight of a BME Xtreme, shorty headers, "L" canisters and ignition is right at 6 lbs, or slightly lighter than the DA100 or 3W 106 weigh with standard mufflers.

JLB, the mount to spinner distance is 6 inches. Matter of fact, since the 110 and the 105 share the exact same bottom end, most of the 105's measurements apply. Major difference is the spark plugs on the 110 face back toward the rear of the engine, and the plug cap to plug cap distance is 10.5 inches.

Regarding strength, the Extreme bottom end has been in use since early spring (in the 105), and had there been problems with it, we all would have heard about it. Take the 105 and swap in the 110 cylinders and pistons, and you've got the 110 Extreme. I had zero problems with my 105, and anticipate zero problems regarding strength with my 110.

I had used the K&S cannisters for 70cc cylinders with my 105 (my first use of cannisters) and yep, I made up my own headers using parts from Desert Aircraft. I had zero problems with them either.

For my 110, I followed Kris' suggestion to use the larger Pefa LL cannisters (still a lighter combination than DA or 3W with regular mufflers) and gained 300 rpm. I again made up headers, also following Kris' testing and used simply a shorty header/90 degree elbow giving an exhaust outlet to cannister inlet length of less then 5 inches. The Pefa LL headers ARE big with a 2 3/4" diameter and 16" cannister length. The Pefa L headers have the same inlet and outlet size and the same diameter, but are only 12 1/8" in length and may solve some fit issues if you don't have room for the "bigguns". My Wild Hare Extra does have room. BTW the K&S cannisters for up to 70 cc cylinders are 2 3'8" in diameter by 9 7/8" long so are even smaller in size. I used a 10" header length per DAs suggestion. The K&S are available from DA at http://www.desertaircraft.com , and the Pefas are available from Aircraft International at http://www.aircraftinternational.com/ .

I'm not an expert, jsut learning as I go. I'm just on my second gallon through the engine, and am 400 rpm down from the 6,900+ rpm Kris reports with a similar setup using a 28x10 Mejlik prop on his well broken in 110. I know it'll get better, just takes time and learning how to do it. Even now, though, the 110 YANKS my 30 pound WH Extra out of a hover and runs skyward until it's a dot in the sky! Yeah, so far, so good.

Hey, Kris chimed in with his reply while I was still writing mine! Well he's the guru anyway.

Thanks to both of you for the information. That sure is one compact little rascal isn't it. The numbers look good and I should have no problem at all fitting that in the Carden. I'm starting to get pretty excited about this and that takes a bit after all these years. I just wish it wasn't the end of the flying season. Oh well, when the snow clears I'll have a new quiet Carden Edge and a new Ziroli P-38 added to the stable to get up and running so next season sounds like a great time. Thanks again for your help.

Kris,

I have a buddy selling a BME 102 converted to a 105. Should I wait for a 110, or get the 105?
I do like the compactness of the 110. Will it hold up over several years of IMAC flying? I intend my next gas engine to last a while.

Thanks

How was it "converted" to a 105, Couch-flyer? If it was done at BME, using the 1mm longer stroke crankshaft, then I'd say your idea is a very good one. Even if it was "only" a 102, upgrading it with 110 jugs/pistons would STILL be a tremendous power increase with a displacement of about 106 cc's and enough power to match the 3W106 in every respect.

I currently have the 110 and a modified 102/106. The 110 is just silly with power, but the 106 spins very nicely too, hitting 6150 with unbroken-in jugs using a menz-s 28-10, and hitting 6650-6700 on a 28-10 mejzlik during the same test session after only 1 gallon of gas through the new cylinders.

I'd grab it and run with it Couch-flyer, especially if the price is low.

The 102 was converted by BME to a 105. Which prop do you like best? Do you change props when you do 3D?

Thanks

BYW I am going to install the engine in a Wild Hare Giles 202.

For the 105, the Mejzlik 28-10 is a good prop and will turn in the 6200 rpm range once broken in usually. Switching to Xtreme110 jugs will get you 500-600 rpm over that right out of the box and you can expect to gain another 150 or so rpm upon break-in. I've been veryhappy with the Biela 27-10 as well for the 102/105 sized engines, but the 110 requires a 28-10. Same for the Menz.

I've seen really no difference in performance between props in the 3D environment, though the lighter Menz or BME props will spool up faster and are generally favored over the heavier Carbon props.