The Tiger 2 was flown for the first time today, and it was successful. I ran the engine for about a tank and a half on the ground, and after that it was well behaved. The O.S. .55 AX is the easiest engine I’ve come across. I just flipped the prop and it started just like that. It’s a bit noisy on an APC 11×7 prop, but it had great power after just a few tanks of fuel. Read More
Category Archives: Glow engines
Tiger 2 maiden flight
July 6, 2011 – 20:59
Engines part four: Why won’t it run?
December 29, 2009 – 22:59
Everytime I go to the field someone has a “faulty” engine – one that won’t start, or that dies in flight or on takeoff for some reason. Or at least they think they do. Fact is, it’s hardly ever the engine. People say the wildest things: “The whole setup is gone” (meaning cylinder and piston) “the bearings are busted”, “this damned engine is just crap”, “I heard [any brand engine]s are just crap”, “the engine was full of metal shavings when I opened it up for inspection” yada yada yada…
Hear this:
- 8 times out of 10 it’s the fuel. Too much, too little or just not the right kind
- 1 time out of 10 it’s the plug. (Which means it’s not an O.S. plug, or it’s a very old and worn O.S. plug)
- 1 time out of 10 it’s the pilot (That would be you)
That’s 10 out of 10. My guess is, about 1 time in a hundred, something in the engine itself might actually be broken. In 20+ years of glow engine flying, that’s happened to me just once.
Read More
Engines parts three: tuned pipes
December 2, 2009 – 13:01
A tuned pipe can increase engine power dramatically while at the same time reducing noise. Sounds too good to be true, but it requires a good setup and a pipe that matches your engine. You’ll also have to take into account that fuel consumption will be a lot higher.
Read More
YS 170 CDi conversion
November 21, 2009 – 18:00
I’m rebuilding the YS 170 in the new Integral with the CDi and low-oil conversion kit. The CDi consists of a new backplate, ignition box, wiring and cable protectors, head and plug. Low oil parts are just the new crank and cam gear, all other parts will be reused. Getting the engine apart was not really that much work, putting it back together is. The crank ring in particular is very delicate.
Engines part two: pumped engines
November 15, 2009 – 19:14
This is a series of general advice on engines describing my experiences. These posts are intended for those who still think about engines as a complete mystery -things I wish someone had told me before I had to spend the time to find out for myself. (YS mechanics and engine doctors already know this.)
I thought I knew everything there was to know about glow engines, and then I got my hands on a pumped O.S. Hanno Special and a Webra .80 LS with pumps. My experiences with these engines helped me a lot when I installed perry pumps on my bigger pattern engines later.
Engines part one: two strokes
November 10, 2009 – 12:11
I’ve gotten to a point where I feel comfortable giving general advice on engines so I’ll write a series of posts describing my experiences. This series is intended for those who still think about engines as a complete mystery. These are my experiences and they are all things I wish someone had told me before I had to spend the time to find out for myself. (YS mechanics and engine doctors already know this.)
Part one is about bog-standard two strokes: un-pumped and uncomplicated. Read More
YS 160 damage
August 25, 2009 – 05:59
The YS 160 engine failed to run properly so we opened it up. The valve lifter was stuck, _really_ stuck and we found metal shavings had jammed the pump piston. We tried to fix it but never got so far as to test it, when we saw the busted conrod we thought all was lost. Read More
OS 61 FX nostalgia
August 20, 2009 – 07:00
I sold the F3A Calypso and I had to run the engine just one last time. Freshly overhauled and with new bearings, it runs like nothing else matters. Beautiful. Love O.S.!
PS – I know I’m an idiot for holding the camera crooked AND holding the camera in the propwash at full throttle…
YS for OS: Laser engine change
August 16, 2009 – 18:24
The blue Laser has got a new engine, a YS 160. The Hatori 828 pipe has a much larger opening so the YS header does not fit. I fixed that with a silicone tube over the header which gave a very tight fit. The engine mount is new (Hyde mount from Central Hobbies) and I have redone the cowling fasteners which turned out lighter and easier to remove.