Andor Holtsmark wrote:
At 17:12 04 June 2006, Eric Greenwell wrote:

I think this is a very narrow view of what a sustainer
can do and how
they are really used. Don't many European pilots often
take a winch
launch, then use the sustainer to get to lift 20 or
30 miles away?


-And how often do they suffer from engine trouble?

Why are these two stroke engines so notoriously unreliable?
When I think about all of the two wheeled vehicles out there that
operate reliably at terrestrial sorts of speeds for years, without the
good flow of cooling air like on an aircraft, I wonder why sustainers
are so problematic. I'm familiar with two strokes being harder to
start, but from discussions here and elsewhere I get the impression they
can be expected to poop out after an hour of use, or less, in the air.
Doesn't seem right. Thoughts? Experience?

Shawn