HELP, I have a Rossi 91 DF in a Byron F-16. I had the engine on a test stand for some tuning on the Byron Pipe when the pipe self-destructed. I have never seen this happen before. I'm not new to the hobby but i'm new to ducted fan type aircraft , and please don't tell me to go buy a turbine I would love to have one but not a Military pay check. Any help with what happen to the pipe would be a big help, the engine was not damaged.

The pictures show a Rossi pipe. hard to tell nut it looks like the onr that came with the Rossi .81 NOT the .91. Neither will work with a Byron Fan unit. The Rossi .91 runs too hot on a byron fan and they will melt. I don't know of any one that still makes a pipe for the Rossi .91 and a Byron. The only suggestion I have is replace the Rossi with an OS .91 DF engine. with a Weston mini pipe or TGA (Byron) pipe (If you can find one)

Thanks for the info. I bought the Byron F-16 and the Rossi 91 from Byron about 10 years ago and i just now have the time to get it into the air. Is the TGA mini pipe for the Byron a good match for grass feild ops or should i go with the TGA Hi volume pipe for the Byron?

Mark

I could not agree more. I am not saying "buy a turbine" but I am saying "ditch the rossi and get an OS." Beleive me, that Rossi is no bargain. While I know SOME people have had good luck with them, I have never yet seen someone put consitent flying in on one, at least not on the 90 or 105. It's no bargain, because it's almost inevitable that if you DO get it running, it WILL let you down at an inopportune moment and destroy your aircraft.
Sell it on Ebay, add a little more money, and get an OS91 or 77 and the Weston pipe. Beleive me, you will be much happier.
I don't want to get into a big "Rossis are fine if you just add an OS carb etc etc etc" debate, I just blew up a lot of Rossis and banged up a lot of planes until I got rid of all my Rossi DF motors and went to only OS. Go to any rally or local field, and count the number of guys flying Rossi DF setups. Pretty much none.
I have never seen that exact mode of failure on a pipe before, I suspect it's the wrong pipe...I HEARD about a similar failure by someone running the wrong pipe on a 105, they said the pipe melted through.
That's my two cents...I think you have an engine that is going to give you long-term troubles, I would not pursue it further, I would get rid of it.

Either will work on grass. get the OS and have fun.

Also ditch the Byron fuel system if you have it. It is also a lot of bother. I used to use sullivan oval tanks tucked into the LEX area in front of the retracts with a header tank on one side also. That got the tanks pretty much out of the air flow going to the fan. cuts down on the internal drag of the Byron F-16. I also mounted the LOng TGA pipe under the cockpit floor out of the intake for the same reason. My16 were about 15mph faster than most.

Do you have a price on the short pipe and the long pipe? I have already lost the Byron fuel system. I did install 2 ea 11 or 12 oz DF tanks in the LEX and a 4 oz header tank on the right side of the inlet right in front of the gear.


Mark

Mark,

Like everyone said, replace the Rossi motor, and pick up an OS 91 for that Byron F-16. You can get a Weston byron style pipe at www.jdenterprise.net/Westonexhaust.htm

Steven T.

darthvaj,

I believe the pipe you show is like the one in the pics I have attached. That being the case, I think the pipe was originally intended for the Rossi 60. The second pic shows it beside a Byron #5 pipe for the OS 91...... notice the difference in size comparison in the expansion chamber between the two. The correct pipe for the Rossi 91 would be very similar to the #5 pipe, if not the same. I think the one for the Rossi 105 was even larger.

I wouldn't go searching for another pipe either, just follow the lead of what the other's have said. You will be happier in the long run.

Thanks so much, the only thing that has me bugged now is why Byron sold the wrong pipe to me or it might have been an honest mistake in shipping. Either way it is to late now i will have to get a new pipe or both Eng and pipe. I think i will contact TGA on Monday and get some more info on the new shorty header pipe and what rpm range it can handle. I have tached the Rossi at 20000 on the ground right before the pipe self-destructed. Is this to high of a rpm?

Thanks to everyone who has help me


Mark

20k would be OK, as long as it is not too lean. You want a smoke trail no matter which engine you wind up with.

I have a TGA Byron pipe new in package. This is the full length high volume pipe, not the mini pipe. I'll sell it to you at a good price. Let me know if you are interested.

Joe

DO NOT use any pipe on the Rossi .91 other than the Rossi made .91 pipe. The pipe is black like the one you melted but it is larger. This engine spits fire and will melt any other pipe. Years ago I lost an entire plane due to the pipe Byron sold me coming apart and my plane burning until there was nothing left. Byron blamed Rossi...Rossi blamed Byron... I think you get the picture.

Bottom line, unless you want a toasty plane, I would only use the OS engines in the Byron set-up and save the Rossi for a tractor fan (my Rossi turns close to 24k).

Mark M.

Rossi engines are not for everyone- you must know how to set up the carb and pipe -OS .91 is like a ford or chevy standard V-8 - Rossi .81- .90 - 105 is like a top fuel dragster engine - mega horsepower and rpm- must know what you are doing to get the most out of them.

Jackjet