" wrote in
oups.com:

I'm curious if anyone can comment on what the parts availability for
these two engines is. Are they becoming too rare to maintain
adequetely? Anyone have any experience flying behind one?
I saw a Heath Parasol at OSH that had an A-40 and a Porterfield with
an A-50, and I recently picked up the book: "Flying with 40 Horses" by
Chet Peek and was curious if anyone out there still flies with these
engine, or have they all gone with C-65's?


There's a good few still flying of both types. With all engines of this
vintage you have to get a bit creative with parts, though. Things like
rings and valves can usually be gotten from some other engine or if they're
only close, then modified to fit. For instance, there's a Ford tractor
ring that fits the a-50 perfectly. It's not a certified part, but it is
exactly the same ring that the manual calls for, just without a tag.
Mags and carbs can be dealt with easily and there's not a lot else to the
things anyway. You'll end up with a garage full of parts engines if you're
smart, though.
Look at it this way, a lot of OX-5s are still flying. It's all do-able as
long as you're dedicated and not afraid of the work and $$$.


Bertie