_jon_
08-13-2001, 11:36 AM
I built a Great Planes Slowpoke 40 a year or so again. I initially installed an old OS .40 on it. It was underpowered. I then installed a Fox 40 on it. That engine wouldn't run reliably, always leaned out and died in flight. Then I installed a Fox 50 on it. It had tons of good power, but here again, it would die in flight. I bought an MDS .46 and installed on it last fall and flew it 2 times this season. The MDS was a great motor for the Slowpoke, but then the MDS just quit running. I can't even get it started. I had a K&B .65 that I bought off of a friend, so I installed this motor on the Slowpoke the other day, and flew it for the first time yesterday. I installed a wooden 13 x 6 Topflite prop on it. I could tell it had tons of torque by running it up on the ground while it was restrained. I moved the battery back in the fuse to get the plane to balance at the recommended CG. I took it off at about full throttle and the Slowpoke went straight up, WOW ! I wasn't ready for this at all. I leveled it out and landed it in the soybean field to the left of the runway, cleaned my shorts, then ran down and got it, picked the soybeans out of the LG and started it up again. I took it off again, this time at about 1/2 throttle. It climbed out immediately and still wanted to go up. It was definitely wanting to just hang on it's prop. I flew it around in circles for a little bit, but never got comfortable flying it. I am gonna' try a 12 x 8 prop on it and see if that settles it down a bit. I am also gonna' cut all the throws way down with this setup. Maybe when I get to be a little bit better at flying, I will put the 13 x 6 back on it and see if I can torque roll it.
Jon
Jon