combatman

I am building a Great Planes P-51 kit. I already drilled the firewall to accept the Great Planes .40-size engine mount. I was originally going to use an O.S. 46 FX in this plane, but I am now considering the Saito 72.

Will the Saito 72 fit in the Great Planes .40 engine mount (which is supposed to accept up to .70 4-stroke) ?

Also, according to the plans for this kit, if you are going to mount a 4-stroke .70 engine (the one shown on the plans is the O.S. 70), then it is recommended to mount the engine directly to the firewall with a different kind of engine mount (either for vibration dampening or because the 4-stroke engine is longer and needs to be all the way back to the firewall for proper nose length) Since I already drilled the firewall for the Great Planes mount, I would prefer to use it.

Has anyone out there mounted a .70 or .72 4-stroke onto a Great Planes engine mount on this plane and had it fit?

Any information would be greatly appreciated!

-Dan

Stick Jammer

IMO, I would save that Saito for a more aerobatic plane and put the .46 FX in the Mustang. The .46FX will fly it very well and you may have prop ground clearance problems with the Saito .72.

Fighterpilot

My Feedback: (2)

I fly mine with a YS .45. I glassed and painted mine so it came in at 8 lbs. The YS flies it just fine and your OS .46 should fly yours very well. Even at 8 lbs, the plane has no bad habits and is a dream to fly. In fact the one problem I have with it is that it is very difficult to slow down for landing. The plane will carry for a long way after you have chopped the throttle.
It is a very stable airplane and is not prone to tip stalling. It will glide forever. I think you are going to really enjoy yours.
One advantage of the four stroke Saito is that it will run great when mounted inverted. In your Mustang, it will be very easy to keep the inverted four stroke inside the cowl, except for the muffler, which you can stick out the bottom side of the cowl. The four stroke will make for a very clean installation. My YS .45 is mounted inverted and it runs just fine. Not at all hard to start in that position either.
Later,
Bill

7th Angel

My Feedback: (5)

Fighterpilot, very nice looking Mustang! Do you have any more pics of it? If you do, would you mind sending me some? I'm currently building one and am going to use an inverted YS .63, and Robart air retracts. I've also been tempted to install flaps to help slow it down for landings. This kit will also be my first attempt at glassing & painting.

What weight fiber did you use, and did you use epoxy resin or polyurethane?

If you have some additional pictures and care to send them, please send them to: [email protected]

Thank you!

Doug