Engine
 

Get any .46 sized engine. The LA .40 is underpowered and one of the weakest .40 size engines out there (translated its crap). If you insist on a cheap .40 sized bushing engine, then the TT GP .42 beats the LA .40 hands down!

Personally, you will want a .46 sized engine that will have reserve power to help recover/do go-arounds on botched landings while learning.

I haven't had a bearing failure yet in any of my engines after years of flying. A little afterrun oil in the engine and using a castor/syn mix fuel helps.

Buying first engine for trainer
 

My value votes would be for either the TT Pro-46 (BB) or TT GP-42 (brushing). The 42 is a great value. It has a definite power advantage when compared to the OS 40LA, but it's quite a bit less powerful than the 46. It makes up the difference in weight though as it's 4 or so oz lighter than most 46s out there, and on my trainer it meant that I didn't have to add any tail weight for it to balance perfectly. At $50-60 it's one of the best bargains in the world of model-dom. The only problem is that the 46 can be had for a mere $20-30 more and will easily pull that 2nd and 3rd plane.

Then again most who learn how to fly get hooked and are in it for the long haul. If that's the case, you may even want to consider some more exotic powerplants such as the Irvine 53, MVVS 49 or Webra 50. They cost a little more (although not a whole lot more than an OS 46FX), but these european monsters are at the top of the heap for 40 sized engines in terms of power, delivery and reliability.

Buying first engine for trainer
 

I agree with Homebrewer: Stay away from the LA 40. My first trainer had an SF 40 (ball bearing, good power). After I crashed it and demolished the engine, I replaced it with the LA 40, which was just released on the market. Power was terrible compared to the SF 40. My suggestion would be stay cheap in case you crash (like I did), and go with a 46 for the added power. You will appreciate the extra umph.

Buying first engine for trainer
 

Our club has a SIG KADET SR. with a .40 LA for engine & does great flying it ,mostly at 1/2 throttle. I do think the old FP had more poop. I really think I would have bought the Evolution engine , Just because with it`s looks it will be a collectors item,SOMEDAY!! Wish I had a box with some GHQ`s, BUZZ ,one each of the McCOY`s ,& a couple of DOOLINGS !! I`m too much in the past . What ever you buy ,just take care of it ! Good luck big max 1935

Buying first engine for trainer
 

There is a lot of good info here. One thing to keep in mind is that if you are new to all of this, go with something you will not have a fortune in. Certainly you want something reliable, but most people will not be flying their trainers for long.

I do still fly my trainer from time to time. I have an OS LA engine on it and I have lost count, but I know it has OVER 350 flights on it. It still runs strong.

So as a first timer and so you do not sink a lot of money into something you may possibly not enjoy (heaven forbid) I would suggest something like the OS 46 LA engine. They are not the most powerful, but they are reliable and you can defintiely get enough out of them to learn how to fly RC

Buying first engine for trainer
 

Many forty sized trainers would fly well with a .25 AFTER they get off of the ground. Taking off of a typical grass field is exactly where the low end bushing forties fall flat on their faces.

Some people have the luxury of paved or golf course quality grass fields, but most do not. The latter are the people that need a strong .46 to get the model off of the ground.

Some of you have probably been flying R/C longer than me, but I figure over thirty years of successful/productive flight instructing qualifies me to have a valid opinion on the topic.

In all of my years of instructing, I have never seen a student pilot wailing and lamenting over buying too good of an engine. The opposite is not true.

Trainer engine
 

Bearing or bushing it will take a load of hours to wear one out. Bearings are more prone to rust if improperly cared for. Bushings wear more quickly....
This guy wants to fly. When he is done with that trainer he may want to use the engine in a second plane. If it survives that plane into another. What engine would you want in a year or two?
I look for light weight. Good power. Friendly (easy to start, idle, stays tuned) Reasonable price.
TT GP42 (cheap but powerful,good expendable engine)
Enya 40ss bushing (quality in a bushing engine)
Magnum .53 (fourty size weight and price bearing engine)
KB .61 (one of the best fourty weight engines with a bargin price)
I have about 120 engines in running condition. I own about all you have mentioned. I don't feel mine are the only definative choices. You all have good reasons for you choices...so do I.

Buying first engine for trainer
 

Like you, I too have boxes of engines and many years of running them. This does not mean that I have the only valid opinion, however.

I won't make a single, solitary penny regardless of which engine anyone buys. So, it really doesn't matter to me, other than I enjoy talking about engines and swapping "secrets".

It flusters me a bit when some of the basics we old timers have learned are forgotten or disregarded. Such as bushing engines needing more of a heavier/thicker lubricant than ball bearing engines. Lots of the problems that I have seen over the last decade or two have been caused by people running these engines on club fuel. Club fuel is usually a little light in the oil content and not equipped with castor oil to begin with, at least not in sufficient quantities. The bushing engines depend upon a nice thick film being present between the crankshaft and the bushing. If the bushing (plain bearing) is lubricated adequately, there is virtually NO WEAR. The only time this bushing wears appreciably is when the fuel has inadequate lubrication. This is something that a ball bearing equipped engine cannot claim.

So, I am not against bushing engines. But I am against running bushing engines with inadequate lubricant, which is most common these days.

What the engine manufacturers should do is introduce .50 to .55 sized bushing engines for the so-called forty sized trainers that are popular today. Problem solved in the power department. They wouldn't have to cost a penny more than the present weaklings on the market.

Buying first engine for trainer
 

Im sitting here comparing the two Thunder Tigers I have for pullin around my fun fly / winter SPAD 60"

The GP-42 has a four bolt head. It also has an "air bleed?" single screw carb which was always little touchy setting up. It has a smaller head and muffler and does get a bit hot at times.

The Pro-46 has a six bolt head and a two screw carb. AFTER break in the carb set up in a minute and I never had to mess with the low speed setting. Now that I look at them side by side the 46 has a much larger head with more cooling fins and a larger muffler. I can keep my finger on the head while it's running on the ground. "at least for a while" :D

The GP is 1.1HP and the Pro is like 1.45HP but it is 3oz heavier. A little peeve about the GP was that the muffler bolts had phillips heads and they fell out on the first first tank full while breaking it in. Lost in one square foot of grass never to be seen again. Of course 3X40mm screws are hard to find so out came the 6/32 drill and tap. It now has socket head screws that can be tightened well. They have never loosened up. The Pro 46 comes with metric socket screws and coming loose was never and issue. On both engines I did need to retighten all the screws after a couple of tank fulls. Both head and back plate. And when I mounted the carb on the Pro (it was not mounted) I pressed down quite hard on the carb to compress the O-Ring before tightening the screw. I bet some of these little things are biting some peoples budd's with the need to tweek so much. What can it hurt to check those screws. And for the extra $10 or so im for the Pro-46.

Buying first engine for trainer
 

OK.

My basic point, reinforced by Max, is that excellent service can be had from a plain bearing engine. I have some K&B engines that are more than 40 years old, still in great condition.

And plain bearing engines last better when subjected to "Improper" after run care.

If I were a newbie I'd rather have a $50 engine that would keep running in spite of my lack of knowledge until I learned how to care for it, than have an $80 plus engine, regardless of power, that I ruined in one season or less BECAUSE I was a newbie.

Low power and air bleed carbs an objection? Bosh. One of my twins has a 67" span, weighs about seven pounds, and is pulled very well by a pair of OS 40FP engines. Plain bearings. SMALL air bleed carbs. Not unlimited vertical, but more than adequate power for fun and frolic. OLD engines. And three blade props, another thing that "Everyone" says is a mistake. Almost all of my planes have three blade props.

Yes, I could use the FX series, go faster, burn more fuel, and for the engine only spend more than twice the price of the LA engine of the same size. But why should I?

As a newbie I don't need the speed of a rocket, rather at lower speeds I have more time to correct a mistake. And with the lower speed I generally have slower control response, another thing nice for me, as a newbie.

Fine. You want to get a "Good" engine to use on your next plane. You are going to crash this one, maybe two or three times, and each time you have the possibility of ruining the engine. OK, so you're the exception, you finish your training and solo without any damage to the plane, and wish you had blown the extra money for a "Better" engine, so you could put it on the new "Super Gazoo" you're building. Sell the blasted trainer, and buy your better engine. Simple.

So, for the reasons stated, and more unvoiced, I stll think a plain bearing 40-46 engine is the best for our new entrant into the wonderful world of R/C flying.

Your very first engine get plain bearings,
. have money left for other needed things.

Bill.