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How to Install a Motor & Prop in an RC Plane

Radio controlled model airplanes have bulkheads that support the engine at either the front, rear or on the wings of the aircraft. This bulkhead is usually of wood construction, though it may also be metal or plastic, depending on the type and size of the airplane. It's up to you to determine what engine you will be using for the plane, and then drill the bulkhead appropriately. Installing the propeller onto the engine is one of the easiest parts of the entire construction process.

Things You'll Need

Pencil
Drill
Drill bits
Adjustable wrench

Instructions

- 1
  Hold the metal base plate of the model engine against the bulkhead of the airplane. There will be between four and six mounting holes on the perimeter of this base plate. Each of the holes should be at an even distance from the edges of the bulkhead, and the engine's piston cylinder should be at a 12 o'clock position relative to the airplane resting on its landing gear.
- 2
  Draw a small dot inside each of the mounting holes with the pencil to indicate where you will drill the mounting holes, and then set the engine aside.
- 3
  Drill out the necessary mounting holes for the engine with a drill bit that is the same size as the screws used to mount the engine.
- 4
  Line up the engine over the holes drilled into the bulkhead, and then slide a mounting screw into each of the holes through the bulkhead. Run a washer and a nut over the end of each of the ends of the screws, and then use a screwdriver to tighten them securely in place.
- 5
  Remove the retaining nut from the engine's drive shaft to install the propeller onto the plane. One side of the propeller has writing on it, while the other side does not. Slide the propeller onto the drive shaft of the engine with the writing facing away from the plane.
- 6
  Run the retaining nut onto the end of the drive shaft and tighten it with an adjustable wrench.
- 7
  Route the fuel line for the engine from the gas tank to the engine's fuel intake. On most engines, this is the small round access tube between the piston and the propeller. When in place, connect the wire that runs from the throttle servo to the engine throttle to complete the installation of the motor.

Aviation