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I have often wondered if all of the advantages that you have listed for gas engines (all true, by the way) are one of the reasons that some folks don't use gas engines. They like to tinker! I'm guilty of this sometimes. The expense I could do without, but I'm a tight old geezer anyway.

To me, the no clean up feature of the gas engine is the most important. So what was my last engine purchase? An ASP 1.80 slobber monster. It could have been worse. It could have been a two-stroke.

Gas is easier to use until you run across the model with RFI problems from the ignition system. This can drive you crazy.

Jettpilot,
I totaly agree with you on the magneto ignition, but then the Zen's are boat anchors by todays standards. Now you just threw the power to weight ratio out the window. I have owned Zens, Quadra's and many many glow engines, but I would prefer the messy awesome sounding four strokes anyday.

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Fortunately, there are still lots of tail heavy bipes and Cubs that can use the Zenoah's extra weight to good advantage.

Not everyone is interested in flying 3D, so the power-to-weight ratio isn't really an issue at all, for many folks.

I'm down to owning two Zenoah engines at the moment - a G62 that is on its way to Ralph's - and a NIB G23 that I snapped up on an impulse. The G23 will one day be recognized as a classic. Someone will want to fly it in a nit of fostalgia and I'll be there to sell them one, at a good profit. <G>

Don't know about the G23 being a classic but it is a good engine. I have two of them and a G38 in a 1/4 scale L-4. Great engines. My old man is using a G23 in a Balsa USA Dr1.

Good conversation.
SO, the OS MAX .10 FP, in my 72" slope glider (under construction), with a 2 oz tank should run flat out for about 12.5 minutes? That sounds reasonable. A typical 20 second sprint to altitude, soar at idle for 20 minutes, the blip it if necessary on final. That is more economical then gas.

Wow you DID dig up an old thread!

You bet, Loughbd has been dead for at least six years

It just so happens that I am one of the very few people on this planet that actually runs an OS FP10 on gasoline.
I think, 12,5 minutes of WOT on 2 oz of glowfuel is very optimistic. Mine had trouble doing 12 minutes on 2 oz at medium throttle
On gasoline, power is a bit down, but it WILL run flat out for about 30 minutes on 2 oz of gas.
(anybody thinking there is a lot of RPM missing: That is correct, it is swinging a Master Airscrew 8 x 4 and does not overheat or anything, something that is most definitely is impossible on glow fuel. But that's OK, that only extends the envelope of application.)

The difference is not in the WOT consumption. It is in the lower thottle settings. That FP10 on glow will struggle to idle for 25 minutes on 2 oz, on gasoline (provided proper carburation) it will have zero issues idling for 90 minutes or longer at that same 2 oz.

It is not in the economy (whether you pay 5 cents for a tank of fuel or 10, is pretty much irrelevant), it is about expanding the envelope of what is possible. Maynard Hill allready understood that. If that's your kind of thing, then go for it, if it isn't, stick with glow.

Brutus67,
Thanks for your input. I had heard of such things as running glow engines on gasoline, but thought it only to be a trick and not practical. Having heard your report has made me interested to research it from a truly practical standpoint. I agree, that on a .10, the cost is not an issue for low fuel vs gas (yet?!), but run time per fuel load on a motor glider is an important parameter. Reaching 12 minutes of run time is not so important either, but more run time is very nice to have. I like to run on o% nitro and the .10 likes nitro so maybe gas would improve starting and less than Wide Open throttle settings. I also like to run at lower throttle settings because it seems more scale-like even though I do not go for fine scale, that much.
I am sure all the basic information for converting glow to gas is available here and elsewhere on the 'net, but if you have any salient points of interest on your Eureka! moments would be good to hear if you wish to expound on them.
John Hess '59
Joplin, MO. USA

If you really want to employ CDI, just for the sake of doing it, understandable.
You might however consider using zero nitro methanol fuel instead of gasoline. It will make better power, have no lag transition as well as running much cooler. Needle settings will not be as sensitive. The spark ignition engine will also burn less fuel than it's glow ignition version.

Either way, it's all good.