My son Ryan and I took our old models off the wall about the same time last spring.....uhh?
Took the prime bulb...added some naptha and some trumpet valve oil....down the intake and exhaust port...gave it a bunch of flippity flippin....took the cowling off. Blew out the rest of the cloudy ugly naptha based Omega 10% fuel through the tank and into an old plastic paint trim bucket.
Put in some new tubing...cleaned the fuel filter...tighten up the lug bolts ...tighten the old cut down 12-5 & ran some of that 2 year old Omega pink...through the tank, just to see if these old engines would start. I was really surprised how quickly that old ST-46 started with such ease.
Although it sounded a bit ratty and a bunch of really ugly looking yellow orange to black residue belched out all over my ratty old nylon pull over jacket...that engine sounded actually pretty good.
Cleaned the goo off. Put in a brand new idle bar plug..
Ryans old P-47 model...with my old Merco 35...fired up and ran right off without tweaking or adding a new plug. We did replace the plug before flying later that afternoon at a new park between University place and Steilicom.
After the first flight...testing the engine run etc....2nd flight was pattern time...NOT A PRETTY SIGHT....BUT IT WAS A PATTERN, REGARDLESS!
In truth? Kinda like riding a kiddies tricycle? U JUST NEVER FORGET! Both Ryan and I both seem to have some old muscle memory thang' going.
I had a few nervous-Noris moments on the first flight...but I was ureasonably calm on the second flight.
That old ST-46 ran quite well, except for an annoying speed up near the end of the flight. Both of us only flew 3 flights each. Both old models survived quite in tact...(Exept for more stress cracking on that old plastic cowling hold downs again.)
What a chore it was to clean off that black-gunk goo burnt castor off both models.....
I CAN ONLY IMAGINE JUST HOW NICE ELECTRICS COULD ADD TO FLYING STUNT AGAIN? PLUS...GADS! THOSE OLD MEAGERLY MUFFLED ENGINES...MAKE WAAAAAY TO MUCH NOISE!
Like the pied' piper...Ryan and I had to get out of that new park as soon as possible, as the crowd of kids that started to gather from the near by street...seemingly out of nowhere began to make us a bit concerned...
especially after one young man had said that he and his Dad were asked to leave after he flew his Dad's old Ringmaster 35 and that the local grounds crew who were standing across the field a short distance distance. After he crashed...that crew walked up and helped he and is dad "pick up the pieces of the old Ringmaster."
The grounds keeper suggested that they no fly there again.
Humm? Ryan and took that kids advice...and never returned. Just too busy a place to fly anyhoo.
I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO HOWARD RUSH'S PREDICITION THAT ELECTRICS WILL BE THE NEW WAVE OF THE FUTURE IN PRECISION OR UNPRECISION AEROBATICS...THIS NEXT YEAR AT THE NATS! (Depending on that old saying:
"One is truly only as good as their last gig or stunt flight!"
Hey Don, I got fuel.
I'm going to the RC club meeting this week. Wish me luck.
BESTEST OF LUCK...AND MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU!!!