Tom Lay motor

[Terry Bolin]

For those of you considering a custom motor, please read on...... I put the new Tom Lay 51 on my Legacy from last year to get a few flights on the new motor after I broke it in on the work bench. (3/4 Gallon on the test stand) By putting it on the older legacy, it would give me a fair compairson between the stock ST 51 (that was on the plane originally for beginner's pattern) and Tom's custom 51 . Well last night after 7 pm I got out real quick  befor dark and got 3 flights in with a little faster needle valve setting. ( I was sneaking up on the RPM from earilier in the week). I am using a 12X5 zinger pro, 10% sig fuel with 20% castor,, 63 onces plane weight. Launch RPM 9100.  After the first flight I  went to 3&1/2 foot longer lines, (63.5') moved the lead outs forward to detour part of the hard pull on my lines and shoulder! by the end of 6-7 minutes I was tired of holding my hand that tight.This motor is a monster. It made the Plane go through the whole pattern with ease on 3.5 ounces of fuel. The stock 51 would have never done this on this heavy of a plane. Tom says: the motor will fly up to a 68 ounce plane well.  With the stock 51, the plane would free fly on the top of the vertical 8's so I never did try a clover.  Next I want to put it in the new Legacy which weighed 54 ounces.   So, money well spent and a Great product for those of you who need a little more ump!
Thanks for reading!
Terry Bolin, Neosho, MO

[Crist Rigotti]

Oh yeah, money well spent!  All my St-51's went to Tom for his treatment.

[Busby]

Nothing replaces a good motor run, everything starts there.
Busby

[billbyles]

Tom Lay is definitely the man!  Money well spent.

[Randy Powell]

Just to emphasize the point. I had a Tom Lay re-worked OS46VF. I put it in a plane that had had a 40VF in it. Set it up according to Tom's instructions. Prop was a 12x4W flat back 3 blade Eather prop. The RPM was set at about 10,600 (according to instructions). Seemed a bit rich to me, but hey, I CAN follow instructions.

First the bad news. The tank wasn't big enough. After some fiddling and ultimately a new tank, the sucker took 7 1/3oz of fuel to get through a pattern. That's with about 6 laps after the clover. Yikes! For a 46?

That's the end of the bad news (if bad new it really is). The engine was spectacular. Dead consistent run. Consistent pull everywhere. Great deceleration coming down hill. Probably the most positive feel of any engine I've had. I don't know what Tom does to those things, but it works. It sucked fuel like a tidal bore, but man, it sure turned it into power. That's certain. Incredible drive into the wind.

Tom knows what he's doing.

[FLOYD CARTER]

My first and only S.T. 51 is from Tom Lay.  I have had nothing but excellent engine runs since day one! It does an amazing 4-2-4 run the best I've seen.  My Legacy is 61 oz.  Lines 66.5 ft.

Floyd in OR