I'm looking into getting into the hobby, and have decided on a .60 size trainer instead of the smaller .40 sizes. Probably a Tower .60 Trainer. What would be a good engine for that size plane, that would also be a good engine to take off and put into a "second" plane (maybe something like an Ultra Stick 60)?

How do the Magnum XL-61A BB ABC FSR engine and the
O.S. .65 LA w/Muffler Blue engine compare? Both are the same price ($100) at Tower Hobbies. Another choice in the same price range is the Thunder Tiger Pro .61 BB ABC w/Muffler.

Or should I bump up the money spent on something like the O.S. .61 FX Non-Ringed w/Muffler ($145) or the SuperTigre G-61 ABC w/Muffler ($120).

Thanks in advance!

George

depends what you can afford.as a beginner you want a reliable engine.in the past os was the engine to give trouble free service.also ball bearings are better than a bushed engine but you must use after run oil so they do not rust.a twin needle carb is harder to set at first but i prefer them for the low idle reliability over the air bleed carbs.the 2 needle may have difficulty in the midrange but once set the problem is gone.usually i do not have to fool with needle settings.fill,start and fly.i would lean to the os fx or a magnum.good luck

Tower Hobbies/GMS .75. Stronger than the .61's mentioned

try this site www.mecoa.com their .60 & .76 engines are virtually the same-only cheaper-and if you can find a junk/paperweight of a motor laying around, they'll even give you $20 more off! can't beat that!

....the Tower .75 would work well in both planes....

I just broke in a Thunder Tiger Pro .61 a couple weeks ago, and was really impressed. It has to be the fastest break-in I've ever done! I like just about anything that runs well, but I have to say I am really impressed with the value and quality I have seen in the TT engines. You can find others that will out-perform the TT 61, but will pay more for them. There was a "shoot-out" article in one of the mags recently, it might be worth your while to check it out. (Help me out here guys, which mag and what issue?)
FP

....like about two issues ago....

I usually recommend a plain bearing engine for a beginner mainly because they aren't as knowledgeable and careful in taking care of an engine as an experienced flier.

Rather than the OS LA series, I prefer the Thunder Tiger plain bearing engines. The TT .61GP is an excellent engine and is very popular in my club. It is inexpensive, has plenty of power, its air-bleed carb adjusts easily and it seems to keep on running for years. I have one I use off and on and I have forgotten when I bought it.

With a 12-6 prop it is a great combination with any 60 size trainer.

I used an OS 65LA in my first trainer, a Superstar 60. I'd like to recommend this engine as I'm sure lots of people use it with great success. Unfortunately, I can't. I had lots of problems with it. This engine I think was the main reason it took me so long to solo, too much fiddling to get it going. When I finally got it running right (about a year later) I put the plane through a tree....

I eventually soloed with an LT-40 which I've used with both an Irvine 39 and an OS 46FX.

Based on my experience with the 46FX, I'd also like to recommend the 61FX, but the MAN article a couple of months ago stated that it's weak powerwise, with less power than the 65LA.

There's a plethora of cheap Chinese engines to choose from, many people swear by them and some swear at 'em. I wouldn't go there due to quality control issues...

If I were to get a 4*60 or Tiger 60, I'd power it with an Irvine 72, based on my experience with the 39. At Quantum Models they have them at $137.99 for the 61 & $152.99 for the 72...

I just finished teaching a friend of mine and he has the Tower 60 trainer and OS-65LA... Runs flawlessly out of the box and has enough power to Hover the trainer, and it is not even broken in! (No, I am not kidding...)

I have the 61FX and it runs prefectly but the Tower-75 has quite a bit more power...

TT's are great motors also-

I would probably get theTT-61, Tower-75 or OS-61FX just because when you move up you will want that extra umphh.

Good luck!
james

I'm with Ed Moorman (my ex-wife's math teacher oh so long ago)

Beginners don't need "performance" and "unlimmed vertickule" <sic>....they need simplicity.

If you're gonna say "BB is better"...say WHY?

Beginners think: "What's break in?"

In fact, a beginner doesn't know a THING about after run oils ,and so on....he doesn't know how to maintain a BB engine, so it isn't better! Bushing is better in that respect. It's essentially maintenance free.

After it goes into the deck a few times....who even cares?

A beginner is just that...a BEGINNER.

Go with the simple, easy, reliable stuff and leave the "tweaky" crap for later.

'Race.

If you are looking into getting into the hobby, chances are you are visiting your local flying fields. As you do, take note of who is constantly working on setting up their engine on the ground and who is constantly flying without any engine problems. Stay away from the fiddling engine expert on the ground and find out what the guy who is getting all the airtime is using - they buy what he has and ask him to help you set up your engine. You can make any engine run reliably - the trick is sorting out those who can do it from those who say they can do it.

Dan

Math teacher, oh so long ago...

I admit to teaching college math and physics courses at night since 1978. I now have students who weren't born then. I must be getting ancient. Why am I still flying overpowered airplanes....

..It keeps ya young Ed....

Isn't working for me, but I've heard it works...<GGG>

I have a 4*60 and have used a couple of different engines on it. I started out with a K&B .65 sportster. It was brand new and was easy to get running after I fixed all of the leaks it had. I was not impressed with the power from it. It gets better every time I run it as it is finally breaking in. It took about a gallon of fuel. I had a well broken in Super tiger that I tried on it. That is one sweet engine. It has power to spare on this plane. A friend convinced me that he needed it worse than me so I sold it to him. I then put a used TT 61 GP on it. This is the best engine yet. It ran flawlessly right from the start. The air bleed carb had been replaced with a perry carb by whoever had it before I got it. That is why I think it runs so strong. I don't think that there is any thing wrong with the air bleed setup and it is easy to adjust. My engine had the perry already on it and it was already set up. I traded a royal 25 for it. Just use whatever you have and go have fun.

Rick

Rick...

Throw a 13-6 prop on that K&B Sportster....

That is a GOOD engine. Not a screamer...it's a "puller".

.65 LA