locolobot

Bill, nice to be getting advice from someone near my own age.

Solefin, I happen to have a Creek Hobbies 1/4 scale Katana and a 150 Saito is plenty of power for it . But then again maybe I just don't fly as aggressive as you do. Where did you get your plans ? I would like to have the plans for the Katana and if they still are producing them will try to get a set. Thanks

Newc

Hobbsy & Bill Robinson & anyone else - Following is a post that I made a bit ago and would like to see if there's any comments on. It may have gotten overlooked. Notice that in my earlier post there were 16 pages on this topic and now there's 18, perhaps even strengthening my comments? nHere's the previous post on the topic of Saitos...

"OK, I like the idea of a Saito thread, but isn't this loooonnnnnggggg thread defeating the pupose of a board? There's no way that I'm going to work my way through 16 (current count) pages of mesages to see if there's something that's of interest.

Why not a sub-board (under 'glow engines') strictly for Saitos? I'm assuming that there isn't a manufacturer's support board (like for YS, etc.) for Saitos because of a lack of support. Is this the case?"

Thanks for any enlightenment.

Hobbsy

My Feedback: (102)

If I were the Saito rep. I would run from a Support Forum as fast as I could too, he would have to answer a hundred posts a day on how to set the lowspeed needle alone, let alone other things whether real or imagined that come up. I say this after Moderating the Engine MFG Support Forae for a couple of years. Guys won't even look two threads down the page to see the very same question they're asking has just been asked. I have to admire Bax, Dave Shadel and the others for their patience and understanding.

An Everything Saito forum could be done like the Everything Diesel Forum Though, of course it would get looooong too and very quickly. I suggest you E-mail rc-admin or Planeinsane and get their take on it.

William Robison

My Feedback: (3)

JLN:

Sorry, I thought I had answered this. Actually I'm sure I did, but it might not have been in this thread.

A Saito specific forum has been discussed, but no "Official" support is available from Horizon/Saito. H/S does give excellent support, just not for a forum.

W8YE Jim, Dave Hobbs and I are doing our best without "Official" support, I really think we do a good job. It's just not "Official."

Bill.

locolobot

I think you do an excellant job of it. And my I add my Thanks for a job well done also.

w8ye

My Feedback: (16)

I have more Saito's than any other one brand.

I've rebuilt a few also.

Enjoy,

Jim

PlaneKrazee

My Feedback: (14)

Can someone show me where Saito literature states the Golden Knight version is anodized as repeated time and time again by F.KIA? The Saito website and my own experience show they have a baked-on black coating.

William Robison

My Feedback: (3)

Enamel and other paints can be baked on. They will also chip off. The Saito coating does not chip off.

Powder coatings are baked on. These will also chip off. The Saito coating does not chip off.

Anodization leaves a very porous surface, to seal it a surface coat is BAKED ON. It does not chip off.

Q.E.D.

Bill.

Newc

Bill - I, as well as others, sincerely appreciate the time, effort and expertise you and the others spend on this thread (and a couple of others that I visit from time to time), and I certainly did not mean for anything that I said in my post regarding this thread to mean otherwise. My only point was - and remains - that someone looking for a specific issue with regard to Saito engines would need to go through (at this time) 18 pages actually reading each post to see if his/her issue is covered within, when if there were a “Saito Only” board - official or not - they could much more easily see which individual threads have information in which they are interested.

This might also keep you and the others so valuable to this topic from having to repeat time and time again answers to questions already answered and perhaps even beaten to death!

By the way, what the heck do I have to do to get a number from you?? Must I say that I have a Saito 91 on my Midwest Citabria that is good, or that I am considering two Saito 100s to put on a 23# PBY-5A Catalina (G&P Sales) that I plan to build? (Any suggestions on three bladed props?) Or what??

While here, I might as well ask your opinion of me using the Saito 100s for the Catalina application above or going for YS 110s?

Newc

ricfly52

What a cool club. I currently have three Saitos. A 91s in a Hog Bipe, with about three hundred flights on it. A 72 in a Spacewalker that replaced an OS 70 that will be a fishing weight next time I go to the lake! And an NIB 72 that I am going to put into a Seagull Decathlon maybe this week in fact. All my future four strokes will be Saitos, there just is nothing that even comes close to compare!

Hobbsy

My Feedback: (102)

Newc, see post # 439

I can't type in this drizzly weather.

William Robison

My Feedback: (3)

JLN:

Number? The magic phrase is "I have a Saito..." You are number 83 now.

Your PBY should do very well with the Saito engines, the YS engines would do "Better" if power is the criterion, if cost matters stay with the FA-100 engines. I run MAS 15x8 three blade props on my old FA-120s, the FA-100 should be happy with 15x6 or 14x8 props.

Going over the same old material time and again? School teachers are used to it, they do it for years.

Bill.

William Robison

My Feedback: (3)

Latest two members:

83 JLNewc
84 ricfly52

Bill.

William Robison

My Feedback: (3)

Hobbsy:

How many times do I have to remind you a moderator's post count is not the same as a normal user's post count? Your count includes all the tanked posts, the user's count does not.

Now, the post where you referred to post #453 is post #439 to all the rest of us, and this post will appear as post number 442.

Subtract 439 from the number you see on that post, then subtract the ramainder from 453 and tyou should have the right number for us common folks.

Bill.

Hobbsy

My Feedback: (102)

Thankya William, I luv ya for that, I wonder how happy I'd be with 439 Saitos.

William Robison

My Feedback: (3)

Dave:

439 Saitos? May well be a lot less happy. Gerri would be having you for breakfast with so many sitting around, and you'd be thinking about all the bucks you have tied up in them.

If this "RE: Welcome to Club SAITO ! - 10/9/2005 8:38:36 AM" post of mine is the one you mean, it shows as post #432.

Bill.

Hobbsy

My Feedback: (102)

Bill, I was referring to JLN's post about the Saito MFG Support Forum. Saitos seem to outnumber other brands by a great amount, it would be a busy forum.

skd11

I have a Saito 300 Dual carb Dual plug. I can't get it to run good. Can anyone tell me where the high and low needles should be set. Also I can't get the pump regulator set. I have had the adjustments all over the place. The instructions in the book aren't even close to running. The book said the factory settings should be close but mine came out of the box with everything closed off.

William Robison

My Feedback: (3)

Skid:

You're number 85 on the list.

I'll come back on your engine in a bit.

Bill.

skd11

Thanks a lot. I'll be waiting. I have been trying to get this thing to run for about a year. It has been flown only once. By the way, it's in a Great Planes 1/3 scale Pitts Special.

William Robison

My Feedback: (3)

Skid:

Looks like I'm writing the instruction manual all over again, from memory.

Bill.

solafein

After much diligent searching, about 15 minutes or so, someone turned me on to a screen name of lod slade or slade lod. I searched diligently again to no effect. I then did an Internet search and found a web discussion forum moderated by Slade. He designs Katanas. He graciously e-mailed 40 mega bytes worth of TurboCAD plans and even posted a link to freeware drafting software so I could open them and gawk. He does this for free.


You have to go through all the rigmarole of subscribing to the forum, and then you can pm Paul (slade) for the plans. He has left detailed instructions for this. It was about two weeks before I received mine, as the site was down. Interestingly enough, he was apologetic about the wait, as if I could complain about any wait in getting free plans.

I do not fly aggressively, I do not have the experience for that yet, but I am working on it. I am starting with Pattern type flying and working up to IMAC, hence the Katana.


Mr. Robison

"I have also received plans for a scratch build Katana, which calls for a 1.20 - 1.80 four stroke. It is slightly bigger than 1/4 scale, 10 - 12 pounds and 78 in. wingspan. I want to squeeze in a 2.20 into it.
Point of definition Sir. It's only scratch built if you are also the designer. That being said, if you can balance the plane with the FA-220 it should work well."

Being new to this hobby, I am not accurately appraised of technical definitions. Thank you for preventing me from continuing to sound like an idiot. What would be the proper term for building from plans only?

I looked at the Horizon site and compared numbers. If weight is an issue, I will use the 1.80, but if I manage to get it light, the 2.20 will find a home. I think that I will try to balance it with weight blanks of each engine and see what develops. Extra weight in the nose usually means too much in the tail to get it to fly right.

Note: Moderator removed not allowed link.

PlaneKrazee

My Feedback: (14)

F.KIA,

You are the king of De Nile.

From Horizon website:

Ah yes

PlaneKrazee

My Feedback: (14)

Properly applied powder coats on properly prepared surfaces will not chip off if they are applied at the proper thickness.

William Robison

My Feedback: (3)

[b]Skid:

Adjustment/operation of the Saito FA-300TTDP engine.

Preparation:

Before we talk about settings, let’s check the installation. Set properly, this engine can suck two ounces of fuel per minute, so we want a tank with the large size hoses all the way down to the clunk. And the clunk drilled out to match. This needs to feed a tee, again with a large bore. From the tee medium hose can feed the two carbs, but make the two hoses as close to the same length as your can.

\A better set up is using a tank with two clunks in it, and individual feed hoses for the two carbs. Again, make the two hoses as close to the same length as you can. With two clunks medium fuel line will do fine.

The Saito pump does not pump fuel, it pumps air to pressurize the tank. Depending on the age of your engine you could have either of two systems. The early type had a diaphragm pump mounted under the left cylinder cam box, the late one has what seem to be two breather nipples on the crank case. With either system roll the engine, you will feel air blowing from only one of the nipples. That nipple should have a hose going to the next part. You should also have what looks like a remote needle valve, with one extra nipple on it. This is the pressure regulator. Two of the nipples will be directly across from each other, and the third down on the side of the part the needle screws in. The first two are one from the pump or crankcase nipple, the other to the tank vent. Doesn’t matter which is which, they interchange. the third nipple is the bleed line, you can leave it open if you have the real pump, or if you are using the crank case nipple it is also the excess oil drain from the engine, run a hose out the bottom to keep the inside clean. The hose needs to be a minimum of 4” length to give the vent the restriction needed.

My choice for the glow plugs is the OS “F” plug in the rear holes, K&B 1L plugs in front. The new “Saito” plug from Horizon seems to work as well as the “F” plug, in front almost any medium to cold plug will work.

Now the initial settings:

Now pull all four rocker covers and set the valves as close to 0.002” as you can. With the twin carb version you wont have to bother with them, except for routing check and adjustment.

Holding the engine pointed away rom you check the throttles. They should reach full throttle together, and close off on the low speed end at the same time. Diddle/bend/adjust the linkage to get them together.

Set the low speed needles to have the flat level with the face of the throttle levers, if you have metal levers leave them there. If your levers are plastic turn them in exactly one turn from even.

The most common mistake with a Saito pumper is running the pressure too high. Turn the regulator needle in to seat (gently, please) then out five full turns.

Seat the HS needles, open them three turns.

Now with your starter choke the engine, get fuel to the carbs. If you’re running two clunks you can choke them one at a time, with a single clunk you have to choke them together – the one being choked will draw air from the other.

Now hook your glow driver to the rear plugs – you don’t have to heat all four – set the throttle to 1/4th, apply the starter. It should start right off.

If the engine starts, runs momentarily and quits, open the main needles another ½ turn, reprime, restart it.

It has been my experience that a cold Saito wont start at an idle setting, ÂĽ throttle or a little more seems to work best. Let it run at ÂĽ for 30-45 seconds, it wont idle until it warms a bit.

For initial running adjustments turn both HS or both LS needles equally. Check/adjust the high speed first, then the low. As you set the low needles go back and check the high speed regularly. The LS will affect the high a lot more than the HS affects the low.

When you have high and low running nicely set the engine to approx ½ throttle, and check it there. Now is when you can adjust the pressure. If the mid range is lean, turn the regulator needle in ½ turn at a time, or if rich turn it out, until the mid range is close. Go back and adjust the low and high needles again – the pressure affects both high and low as well as the mid range.

From this point there should be no problem to get it run in, or if it has some time on it, to set it for flying.

Hope this does it for you.

Bill.