Fellow flyers,

I have just started gassers, although I've been flying glow engine heli's for about 10 years. I bought an x-cell graphite 60 gasser from someone who later turned out to be rather dishonest in the sale. I'm without manuals (altough I got the heli manual from Rick's), and I'm not completely sure about the specifics of some of the components.

I think the engine is a Zenoah g-23 (is there an easy way to check?) and I think it was professionally modified (PPR stage 2 is engraved on the block). I've been using BP 93 octane gas and Homelite 2-cycle oil at 25:1. The muffler looks like a Hatori, only of larger diameter than the glow ones. I'm using FM (PPM) to see if I'm getting a lot of radio interference.

I'm trying the gasser because I thought it would be more stable in wind (heavy...) and more accessible fuel. Just wish it didn't smell so much.

...I can give more details or pics if it would help...

anyways,

I don't have a good book on gassers (I have all the MHT issues, and Ray's 3rd edition for glow stuff). Any suggestions? Alot of my questions are pretty basic...

Without the engine running, I hear balls (bearings) racing around when the heli is moved around. Is this normal?

The starter seems like "dead weight" once the heli is in the air. Can you modify the starter to come off?

The machine is smooth in a hover. No visible vibration, tracking is dead on, but bolts are loosening up around the engine! I'm in the process of "re-locktite" -ing everything. Is vibration this severe common for gassers? There is a good chance that no locktite was used to start with...

Do you set the mix (like with a glow engine) at all, or just the fuel/oil ratio? What is a quick and dirty way to set the mix?

I wound up the receiver antenae at the front of the bird (keep it away from the spark plug)...was this wise?

The machine seems to be leaking. There is a gas puddle after a run, and always after filling the tank. The plumming requires disconnecting a hose in order to fill. I was planing on using Prather med (pink stuff) and a t-valve, like on my glow birds...bad idea? Can I ever use a container or fuel pump for glow fuel that had tasted gas in the past?

Oooops, my bad. I did the classic "newbie mistake" of posting a question before exhausting my available resources. Please forgive...

Feel free to ignore the initial post. I'm flying an x-cell gasser 60 graphite.

I found a good beginner's article on gassers in the back issues of MHT (Jul 98). Some of my previous questions were answered, and I've flown a few more times. My (new and improved) questions are below:

The article mentions a velocity stack. What do these do? Are they worth getting?

What kind of engine do I have? It looks like a Zenoah g-23, but has a hole drilled in the carb (Walbro), and has RPP stage #2 engraved on the side...anyone have a clue on what this means?

The engine seems happy at a mix of 2 turns out high, and 1 turn out low. Is this common? The article mentions a setting of 1 turn out each, but the machine soon loses power in a hover at this setting...are things different because of the modifications? There is no smoke (at all) at this setting. Does this mean I'm too lean? I ran the tank dry and the engine just died...no speed up like my glow machines. I'm using BP 93 octane gas with 25:1 Homelite oil. I think I'm going to switch to synthetic once this gallon is gone.

The vibrations seem gone at this mix setting, but richer or leaner seems to result in a vibe at the bottom of the vertical tail fin. Is there still a vibe problem that I need to track down? I'm using an FM receiver (not PCM) without problems.

What is a good head speed? I'm going to put a govenor on it to help with initial setup...the article suggests 1700-1750.