GETTING INTO GAS ENGINES

Expert installation & setup tips

- GERRY YARRISH

There are lots of good reasons to use gasoline engines to power your model airplanes. When you fly giant-scale airplanes, reliable engine performance is of upmost importance. Generally speaking, gas engines are also very easy to start and run very consistently while producing their peak power at lower rpm settings than glow engines of similar displacement. These lower rpm tend to produce lower noise levels while also burning less fuel per minute as compared to nitro burning 2-strokes. And there’s the added benefit that gasoline is a lot cheaper than nitro glow fuel.

But as with all things RC, to operate properly, your gas-fed engine needs to be installed and set up correctly. Let’s take a closer look.

MOUNTING

Installations start with properly centering and attaching your engine to the model. This can be done with soft or hard-mounting points. Hard point mounting can be as simple as drilling holes in the firewall and bolting your engine directly into place. For engines with rear mounted carburetors, this will often require using long metal standoffs. In both cases, the mounting hardware (nuts and bolts), need to be secure and tight. For lightly built airframes, soft mounts are often used. These include rubber isolators that separate the mounting bolts from the firewall. They also minimize the amount of engine vibration that finds its way to the rest of the fuselage structure. Be sure to follow the airplane’s instructions for side and down engine thrust angles.