Bringing up a thread from the dead...my 41 came with the 65 and I flew it all over, places like the wind rivers, Smiley Creek, Yuma Az, northern Wisconsin, all over the north of Utah like Fremont Island, Promotory point and I loved the fuel burn, but I was having problems with the lack of power at high density altitude. I put on 8.50's, scott 3200 tail wheel after 2 different hard tire scotts and a supposed maule tundra that failed miserably several times. When i started working in Alaska, I was in the middle of a recover in Utah, so I took a month off in June of 2006, finished the recover and put on a 65 that I had. Fortunately the 65 had a cylinder problem...so I fanagled on an O-200-8 that I had enough parts to build. That engine got 4 new cylinders and I slapped on the A-65 74" prop and 5 hours later it was headed to Alaska. When I got it up there, it was time to start upgrading, which included new baffling, paint on the cowling, Ercoupe spinner, VG's and real mufflers from a Champ because even in summer in Alaska you may need heat. My airplane also had dual toe brakes and McCauley wheels for the 8.50's, I can stop and the single pucks are not overwhelming and wanting to put my on my back. My airplane has the short mount and the tail weighs 72#.
One time flying from Big Delta to Wolf lake, I went VFR on top, temp at 14K msl was -8 in May. The biggest improvement was having Merrill Field propeller repitch the prop from 46" to 43", cruise went from 85-90 knots to 104 kts ground speed at 2500 MSL in a square pattern on a calm day out by the Tanana River. The engine was actually able to make rated RPM now. I would fly that airplane about 150 hours in 4 months of summer all over Alaska, Tok for dinner after work? sure, Eagle or Chicken, walk into the lodge for lunch? No problem, a little Glacier tour in the Alaska range before work? Land at the Susitna river strip on the Denali Highway and look at the subsistence caribou remains...done. I knew my limits and was adept at slipping, 800' was my minimum strip length for landing anywhere, take off I was able to get up in one set of runway lights at the Lake hood dirt strip..which I paced off at 250' I never wrecked and I am still trying to get my airplane back in the air since I flew it back from Alaska in 2014.
future modifications I want to do...the big trim tab from a post war airplane and better baffling made from glass/carbon fiber. If you want to know more, head over to the T-craft forum and sign up, lots of good people there. Parts are available and most new are owner produced.
Good luck, Tim
