Cox .049 engines??

I have a 1/2a airplane at home that is built for an engine that mounts on the front of the fuselage, with the tank directly connected to the back of the engine.

Many of the simpler, bouncing 1/2As feature this type of engine mount.

For awhile all you could get was Cox engines. But sinces estes bought them out the price went up, and the quality slackened. Unfortunately they started building the black widow with a plastic tank. Not good for a trainer. Then Norvel stared making small 1/2A engines, but their built in tank models didn't allow you to fly inverted. And as of today, I believe is still the problem with that engine.

Cox engines would run inverted..untill just recently. I was just on Tower's web site, and I see that Estes is now making the black widow again with a metal tank, BUT now say it will not run inverted because of a single vent in the tank!

Once again the mfgs. out there are ignoring us C/L people!

Can any of you Cox specialists out there shed any light??

Thanks in advance..

Those Norvell engines are good. You might want to stick to the Big Mig model though. AME's are a little bit more persnickity. Just unbolt it and get an aftermarket tank. Len might have some. Steve D. My .02 worth

What do you think about drilling a hole in the bottom of a metal BW tank and inserting a brass vent tube and using a little JB Weld to hold it in? Alternately, the local underground hobby shop operator sold me the parts to rebuild my Estes BW (with broken tank) for just a few bucks. Runs fine, just the plastic tank back warped and leaked.

There are currently several metal tanked and back-plated Black Widows, Golden Bees, etc. at eBay that usually can be had for reasonable prices. There are also usually several different folks selling tanks and back plates as well as other parts for the Cox reed valve engines as well.

One can almost always find the engines, and sometimes parts as well, at garage sales, flea markets and R/C swap meets, too.

The biggest problem I see with the Norvels, even if they would run as you desire, is the weight increase. If your plane is already built with a Cox .049 reed valve as the intended power, get a Cox with a metal tank or find the parts to repair/upgrade those you already own.

My 2¢.

More answers to this question can also be found at:

http://bigwig.geology.indiana.edu/scripts/cl-messages/messages2/32648.cfm

As to the tank with one vent, run tubing from the top of the vent to the bottom of the tank. This external tube will allow you to fly inverted. This is how we did it in the 70's. At one time Competition Models (Sal Taibi) made an aftermarket tank that screwed onto the back of the Cox TD series allowing it to be backplate mounted on free flight planes. The tank was a round metal tank. I still have four of them for my f/f planes. It replaced the TD back plate. These may still be around. Try the NFFS. (National Free Foght Society) they put out a digest with some advertising in it.

For what it's worth . . . a buddy and I have put a LOT of time on Norvel .049's & .061's (big mig sport models) on a homegrown design stunt model and they will go a couple of 3 second laps oily side up without a burp.

>As to the tank with one
>vent, run tubing from the
>top of the vent to
>the bottom of the tank.
> This external tube will
>allow you to fly inverted.
> This is how we
> did it in the
>70's. At one time Competition
>Models (Sal Taibi) made an
>aftermarket tank that screwed onto
>the back of the Cox
>TD series allowing it to
>be backplate mounted on free
>flight planes. The tank
>was a round metal tank.
> I still have four
>of them for my f/f
>planes. It replaced the
>TD back plate. These
>may still be around. Try
>the NFFS. (National Free Foght
>Society) they put out a
>digest with some advertising in
>it.