Joespeeder

Thanks Martin, I will give them a look again. I'm not opposed to the engine but my abilities to keep it happy are suspect. YS engines are rare around the the local clubs. I have seen them throw the spinner and prop across the field (40+ yards) with great force when it went lean during set up. Scared me to death. I will look again. But that's for a different thread. After, sticking my hand in a ASP 160 twin where I was rewarded with 7 stitches I am very gun shy sometimes. The ease of use of Laser, reputation, and power are very cool. Over here they are seen as exotic. I would love to see more of them and promote them as much as I can. Sorry to be so wordy. My vote for Jon is inline and radial options that would fit in known airframes. annnd I like gobs of power.. Joe

Hi Jon, Thanks for a all your work and a detailed reply. I have to admit that even over here my process is not common. Most modelers ask what engine will fly the plane well and then later think about adding a three blade which never works very well. I start with the prop and try to find an engine to power it. Lower rpm and higher pitch works also to accomplish the same thing. My OS 320 turns a Super Silence 22x10 at 6,400rpm and a 21x11x3 at 6,300 to 6,400 but thats on 20%, CDI, and some other Ray English mods. The FG-60r3 is seeing 6,400 after first break in and 6.700rpm after well run in on the same 2 blade prop. Most ESM/YT 80inch warbirds are around 22lbs so I'm looking for power well above the level common to whats become the norm for my 27lb minimum 83inch airframe. The radial sounds GREAT if you could do an inline in the same power range. I listed those optimistic rpm figures since you asked what would we like to see and without a little explanation it does sound over the top. However, the Corsairs inverted gull wing came from stuffing too much horsepower in the nose and needing ground clearance for mulit-blade props. You see where I'm going.... Spec the prop to the airframe then find a way to power it and stuff it in there. Low rpm and higher pitch works fine. I hear you on the Fiat set up. I wanted to fit as much of the engine inside as I could manage and the 100Ti was as close to hidden as I could get to work. It sounds awesome on 30%.... A single cylinder would hang way out of the small cowl, LINKY It's very seldom we get asked what we would like by a mfg, Once you get to the larger models it seems to get a lot easier to fit big power in there for scale style props. But on the 60-80inch ws planes it still takes real work to find something that doesn't sound like I'm doing field maintenance and fit it in the cowl. YS and RCV are out there but I'm not a needle twister and a YS's constant attention would frustrate me. If you create inline or radial engines we can fit in 60in ad 80in cowls we'll stuff them in there! lol Thanks. Joe

Hey Jon, Thanks for a great thread !! I just found it so forgive a late bit of input from across the pond. So much info here I hope I don't ramble.... lol Thank you so much for adding the dimension drawings to the new site. Lasers are very rare at our local fields and those drawings are critical to selecting the correct engine for a project. Other mfg's have the info but it's sometimes buried in a chart for several engines. The individual drawings you are adding are great. Would love to see you keep some inventory available. Lead time of up to 2 weeks is good. I know my 120 was a unique event and I'm not whining about that engine. I would love to be able to get an engine in about a weeks time from when I ordered it if needed. I know more guys over here would order them if there was a known shortish lead time. In our area we are blessed to have some very good LHS's where you can walk out with a Saito, DLE, Magnum, or OS the same day you need it. While the Laser outclasses those offerings, the lead time needed for an overseas order means it takes someone like me that really wants it to order one. Lots of opinions here on fuels and even electrics.... Sounds very familiar. Personally I like glow fuel. I started with all electric and as other have said I got tired of the battery replacement cycle. Electric sounds less expensive but isn't in real world flying. I then went to 2 stroke gas for all the familiar reasons. Loved the long flight times but after a while I really really got to hate the smell. I even used high octane automotive racing fuels since I like that smell... Even then, the smell got to me and inside the workshop it was just annoying, So back to glow fuels for me. Plus it's much easier to get a lot of options in 4 stroke glow but 4 stroke gas choices are limited. Don't care for the weedwacker sound of the 2 strokes. As far as brands go every lhs in this area carries CoolPower and Byron fuels. Generally, we use CP until you get to 30% then it's Byron Heli Spec Fuel. So for Lasers my choice is 15% CP.... It's what's in the shops and easy for me. As an aside, I have a 300v that was converted to gas and ran very well. However, I'll be changing it back to glow as the gas project just didn't produce the numbers needed even though it ran very well.... I have ideas, nothing new to you, however I'm not going to do what's needed now since I just don't like the smell no matter if I can make it produce more power. As far as tank position goes. The "low" carb position does make it difficult in an instillation like my Hurri. It started electric, then DLE20, now the 120. So carving it up and rebuilding it would be a major project for an older plane. The 120 is stuffed into the nose with no extra room which means the carb end up low. I routed the lines high and used a muffler tap. With a little routine I don't start a siphon and once the 120 is running it seems very solid so far.... Really enjoying the engine. So to your original question. I'd love to see inline twins with short strokes like the 120 for space savings. Next would be 3 cylinder radials. I prefer glow due to the smell alone. I come at this from a little different angle. I start a project with the prop I'd like to spin. Then I go looking for an engine that will spin that prop diameter in a pitch that will give me a good power/weight and proper pitch speed for the style of plane I'm doing. An inline twin that would spin a 15 or 16x8x3 close or over 9,000rpm(more is always better,lol) would be awesome for 60 sized 10ish lb or more planes. Of course I'd like it to fit in those cowls or very close. The 93mm center-line to top of the valve cover height is a good height. I'd give up the 3 blade if I could get proper power and fit the inline in the cowl. I have a Topp Rippin Fiat G-55 with a Saito 100iT that I run on 30% it's just enough for that 8lb plane but not really enough for anything heavier unless it had a light wing loading. Or an inline twin that would spin a 22x10x3 around 7,000rom or better would be terrific for 1/5 scale. Sorry for a long post. I have a SiSt D9 that I had an OS 320 FF modified by Ray Engish since it was the only 4 stroke multi cylinder engine that would fit in the cowl at the time I was ordering parts. Now there is the Satio FG-60r3 that fits the above spec for a radial option but it still stinks like gas.... As much as I like the sound of the FG60r3 it sounds weird to power a D9 with a radial making radial noises. Since I'm wishing here.... A kit to create cylinder engines similar to the 100cc V4 shown on Mick Reeves site would be cool. Would be fun to build and run a 53cc or 64cc 4 cylinder. Not sure how Mick's 100cc V4 ran but if we could buy the parts to convert 2 V engines into a 4 it would be fun. Maybe I'm weird but I'd love that kind of kit/project. Of course, not many local guys over here have built a Caterham 7 and I checked that off my list a few years ago complete with Ford SVT engine complete with a Cosworth head and a servo controlled dual stage plenum.... So I'd do a V4 conversion kit in a heartbeat. Thanks for a great thread. Lots of info and insight here above and beyond your original question. For anyone like myself in an area where Lasers are rare this thread fills in a lot of gaps. Joe