PAs on Ebays

It looks like Mr. Tom Lay is "selling up" a few Choice model engines on Ebay. If your in the Market for a new/used model engine you might want to check it out.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3138936084&category=34054&rd=1

PA .61 Modified by Tom. He's got one of those really wild looking Aero .35's up also.

Good Stuff

Although Tom is a good engine man, I am going to disagree a bit with him on this one. The PA engines (and RO Jetts as well) are set up so they will fit into either the ST mount spacing or the OS spacing. They have slotted mounting "holes" to accomodate both. Tom has here filled in the narrower set of holes leaving only the ST hole spacings for mounting. If your plane(s) is set up for the narrower spacing, it won't fit. You need to remember, however, that Tom is an ST man.

Also, the venturi has been changed by drilling through the case and venturi in the center. These venturis are specialty items and not the normal round type of venturi. With that change you can't take the venturis you may already have for your other PA engines and use them here. If you are one who changes venturi sizes with weather or propo changes, you will have to get new venturis and drill each out for this engine. The needle is also now in a different location so it won't be a drop in fit with any other PA engine.

I don't even know why he would want to change the venturi. The original true venturi works very well.

Uh, wrong on the mounting holes on the RO-Jetts, at least the BSE cases. My .61 BSE does NOT have slotted mounting holes, and does NOT match my ST 60's. I bought it while I was building my Legacy, and thank goodness, I was not far along so that I was easily able to modify the beams in the plane. Maybe certain vintage ST's match, but none of mine do. Side to side width IS the same, but front to back spacing between the holes is different. If my memory hasn't failed, the front holes are approximately (not exactly) the same position, but the back ones are a little farther forward on the RO-Jett. I haven't checked them against OS spacing. It may well match that. And remember, I am talking about the .61 BSE case. I haven't looked at a cast case. It may well have the slotted holes. Maybe someone else will jump in here.

Maverick, don't get me wrong, this is certainly NOT a complaint, since it didn't cause me ANY real problem, and I think the engine is MAGNIFICENT. It is so flexible, capable of 4-2-4, 2-2-2, pipe, you name it. Like most really good engines, it takes a lot of breakin. I thought I had it broken in when I put it on the plane. I should have read the instructions closer. Maverick stated that the suggested breakin would ready it for flying, but it would take a while before it achieved the stunt run it is designed to do. Mine continues to get better and better. I don't have a PA, but I have heard that they have somewhat the same breakin characteristics.

>Uh, wrong on the mounting holes on the RO-Jetts, at least
>the BSE cases. My .61 BSE does NOT have slotted mounting
>holes, and does NOT match my ST 60's.

That may have been an erroneous impression that I had, but I was thinking that the early ones did. In any case, the narrower (OS dimensions) mounting holes are better in my opinion anyway. My point was in noting the modifications made to the case of the PA engine in question. They will not change the run characteristics, but will affect the ability to interchange with other PA engines or to swap venturis.