I have been searching around on here for two days for a thread that addresses putting a BME 90 on a Senior Telemaster, but I have not been able to find anything other than people suggesting it MAY be a good match. So I am hoping that someone can point me in the right direction if there is a thread on this, and if not, can anyone give me some real world experience opinions on this engine and plane?

I really want to go gasoline on this, I usually fly all electrics, but I have always wanted a gas powered plane, yet the 12 foot Telemaster is not a good option because I dont have the time to build it right now, twin two year old boys keep me very busy when Im at home.

This is going to be my only plane for a while, it will be my do all be all plane, for AP, Glider tow, candy drop, bomb drop rig.

So can anyone help me out with some opinions on the motor, and or combo. Some photos of it mounted would be excellent so I can gauge the size of this motor.

Thanks,
Matt

Matt,
The reason you don't find anything is because few people are going to put such a small engine on such a large plane. It is a thirdy year old design that came out when a sixty was as big an engine as could be had. A BME ninty has the power of a very good sixty. I think that you would be much happier with 26cc gas engine. It will be far better for towing and short field flying. You can get a great 26cc electronic engine for much then the BME. If you already have one, thats a different story. A BAMAC or brillelli would be great.

Dave


http://www.bcmaengines.com/BCMA26.htm


http://brillelli.com/brillelli_engines_008.htm

That's good advice from Dave, however if you already have the motor then maybe something like a GP Big Stick would be a good choice. I have one with a Super Tigre G90, which is the basis of the BME 90 motor, that is a blast to fly. It can tear up the sky or putter around and is a real kitten to land.

Karol

I dont have the engine yet. I have only the Senior Telemaster.

Honestly as you probably have already figured, I have no experience with gas, and havent even built a glow plane in about 8 years. I have been flying electrics for years and years now. I can tell ya lots of info on that but I have no idea of what sizes work when it comes to gasoline engines.

I thought I was on to a good choice with the BME because its essentially a .90 size, which is already larger than the .60 that is recommended for the Senior. I thought that would be pushing the sizing envelope in my mind.

I cant believe you guys suggest a 26cc motor, isn't that what they recommend for the 12 foot telemaster? On the HL website theres a picture that says a G-26 is recommended for the monster. But you guys know way more than me so I will start leaning toward those size engines instead.

[link=http://www.hobby-lobby.com/telemaster12.htm]G26 in a 12foot telemaster[/link]

Matt,
They say that it can be powered by a G26, But they put a G38 on it in the picture on the same page. If you are going to tow, you need extra power.

Dave

Matt I just did a check on the Hobby Lobby's site and the Senior Telemaster's wingspan is 8'.0" and not 12'.0" as you mentioned. With that in mind, and based on the suggested glow power for this model, the BME 90 would most likely provide adequate power to fly this model.

However as Dave suggested earlier, and since this is your very first venture in the gas world where models tend to be on the large side, an engine in the 26 cc range might be a better long range choice.

The Telemaster would not be necessarily overpowered with a 26cc motor, as anyway that's what the throttle is there for, to manage engine power. For sure this would be a good choice for a first gas model, as it is renowned for it's good flying manners.

Karol

Matt,

I'm flying a Sr. with an OS .61 four stroke. It is not enough for towing/hauling, but is perfect for fuel conserving long flights. Keeps it light too. You can use this as a starting point to figure how much larger to go for your intended uses.

Wade

The BME .90 gasser would be a perfect fit for the Senior Telemaster ARF currently on sale at Hobby Lobby. If this is what you have then go for it. I'm using a G23 on mine because I have it. The G23 will be a TIGHT fit. Anything physically larger and you'll have to cut the cheeks off. As it is I had to remove the flat mounting plate from the G23 to fit inside the cheeks becuase it's too wide. I will also be using a muffler from a Maloney gas engine for clearance. You'd also have to cut down the one cheek to clear the carb. The BME .90 would bolt right onto the beams built into the fuse. It would be the easiest way to go. They call for a .60 to .90 2 cycle or 1.20 4 cycle for this plane. Another alternative would be the RCS 1.40 gasser.

The BMAE's are out of stock so thats no good.

Ive been reading around about the SPE26 based engines and there seems to be a lot of controversy over results with this platform.

That leads me to looking into Zenoah engines, because they seem to have a more steady stream of results and fans, minus the g20, plus I know I can find parts just about anywhere. Seems like everyone is dogging the g20 for being a battery hog and the G26 is not EI. But neither is a problem for me, as I have 3 - 2s2p 3250 Lithium polymer packs with no home than can take the abuse of the G20 EI, and Im not looking for 3D perfomance so a CDI G26 might work well for me in this application too but it is larger physically and weighs 19oz more.

So now Im even more confused than before. And I thought these gas engines were gonna be much simplier than the watts, volt or 26 s, amps, thrust , battery temp, motor temp, battery weight, mah tradeoffs that Im used to dealing with in electrics. []

So what do you guys think about a Zenoah G20 or G26 in a Senior Telemaster?

I know if I had a G20 I would try puttting a good 4cycle glow plug with adapter and try it that way. If it ran good...no worry about batteries or extra weight or ignition interference. Capt,n

I never knew that was even a possibility.

I have flown the Senior Telemaster (kit built) powered by an HB .61 PDP. Frankly, the model was bordering on being overpowered when flown without a payload.

The BME G90 will produce power similar to the HB .61 PDP, which was a very powerful .61 engine for its day. Therefore, the BME G90 will have no problem powering the Senior Telemaster at all, with power left over.

The original Senior Telemaster was designed to haul a 10 lbs. payload and was used to string cable from one mountain peak to another. Larger and larger cables were pulled across the gap between the mountain peaks, eventually leading up to a cable (not pulled by the model!) that was capable of being used with a cable car for human transportation. This model was designed to be a work tool. It was designed to be powered by a glow .61 two-stroke.

Others have adapted larger glow and gasoline engines to the Senior Telemaster with success.

Just be sure to set the wings up with flaps and ailerons so that "crow" can be used to get the model to land with the larger engine still running. You need something to reduce the lift of the wing when using larger engines, or you won't be able to land with the engine running.


Ed Cregger

Why is that Ed? Would that be because with the larger engine and prop, even at idle, the thrust is still too much to let the plane sink in for landing?

I think I have decided on a G-20 for the model. Seems like a good match because of size, weight, and power. Plus the dependability and parts availability of the Zenoah line up. I will power the EI with my 3250mah Lipo batteries and not worry about the power hungry EI problems that some are complaining about.

I appreciate everyones input on this, you guys have definetly educated me on some of the aspects of choosing a gasoline engine for a model.

-Matt

It is because of the huge amount of lift that the model's big wing generates, coupled with it's light wing loading and an extremely low stall speed.

Karol

I ordered a G-20 for the Senior Telemaster, Ill report my experiences with the combo once I get her all set up. Cant wait, this is gonna be fun! I finally own a gasoline powered plane!

I'm sure you will love the experience of going 'gas', as once you go gas there is no turning back.

Karol

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Yes. The model can be hard to land with a .60 if too much prop pitch and a high idle are present. Don't ask...<G>

A Zenoah G20 would be fine, as would an SPE 26cc engine, or the converted/improved versions by BCMAE or Brillelli.


Ed Cregger