It may be well and good to run what ever the contest supplies in some carrier events until you get to "my engine didn't like it" and that's when a "competitor" would have to step up and make a case for a different fuel. I guess I was looking for a commit on what fuel is best to run in a OS FP40 plain bearing engine? I'm one of those carrier flyer's that practices with all of his carrier planes so that when I go to a contest I can take my most competitive shot when my turn to fly comes up. I plan to practice with my Sport 40 and if a fuel with a higher percentage of caster oil is required over the long run then that is what I will use during practice and then at the contest because the 10/10/10 blends can usually be purchased by the sponsoring club I'll use that in the contest (one flight, or two at the most is all you need (if you've been "practicing")).
I cant stress "practice" enough as the most important part of carrier or for that matter any event that you participate in competitively. Some of the reasons I hear for not practicing are, #1, "I have no one to fly with me" #2, "I don't have a place where I can fly carrier"? #3, "I don't have access to a deck".
So #3 doesn't know how Lucky he is. Those heavy SOBs (decks) in my thinking the deck is the largest deterrent to carrier flying (cant do without them at a contest). I have a 10' string between two 5 pound dumbbells that I use for the most important part of the deck and always take them with me, placed just to the inside of where I take off from, and try to catch it on every landing by not ever trying to catch "it" but by landing just before it so that I catch it every time.
#2, Say what? I have places I could fly from here in Nevada that the grass (because of weather conditions) is at least 2 inches deep after it is mowed and no I just cant bring myself to fly off of it. If I get off which is doubtful then when I land it is almost always a cartwheel. I don't have any paved areas and if I did I don't know how I could attach my stooge. So I drive 30 miles round trip several time a week and fly off a socker field where the grass is shorter or a baseball field where the out field is only watered enough to make it appear a little green.
#1, Again you don't know how lucky you are. I have fellow carrier flyer's that tell me they take there carrier planes out to where their stunt friends are flying and they just cant get any of the stunt guy's to help them (gracefully). Well da, if I was an aspiring stunt flier the last thing I would want to share my circle with is a carrier flier in the "hang". The solution that has worked for me is I have a "stooge". That sucker never gives me gripes, period. It does exactly what I make it do and has never let me down "yet". I can fly time after time and it just does its job and never says a word, no breaks for water or smokes, nothing. The one thing you do have to watch out for is "yourself" because if you hurt your self you could be in a lot of trouble.
So anyway, what fuel should I use when flying with the OS FG40 when I'm piling up the hours practicing? Eric