QRC .049 History

Cessna 182 Skylane:




Cessna 210 Centurion:

Cox Sportavia:





(Images from worthpoint.com)

THANKS Levent! Nice pictures of the boxes and planes! RED silver and blue on the box , just plain silver on the plane!

Marleysky wrote:I have a Cox Cessna ( or maybe it’s a EZ Bee) and a Cox Sportavia that shows the Red, Silver and Blue “QRC” on the box, but inside mounted on the plane is just the all silver extended tank “Silver Bee” with a muffler.

Since the QRC was my first engine associated with an R/C plane I've held them in esteem. Recently I've been refurbishing several of them I've collected through the years. Since the only ones I had previous experience with were the all silver ones in the RTF planes I didn't think much about it until I pulled them out to see what was needed to bring them back up to snuff. After doing the best I can to find pics and info, I've come to the conclusion there were three stages plus an Estes period in their production history.

Ver 1, The first ones, had a brass backplate, red tank, silver crankcase & spinner cone, standard round prop drive with the old red style snap starter. MH Aerotools mentioned some had brass standard round prop drives???
Ver 2, which is the iconic image people associate with QRCs came out shortly afterward with the zero drag spring start and the blue spinner cone. Later iterations of these came out with the new style hex prop drive w/grey snap starter and plastic backplates.
Ver 3, is the all silver versions that were included in the RTF planes. These had the new style hex prop drives and grey snap starter. I don't think it was a matter of "running out of colors" for Cox as much as lets keep the production costs cheap and keep the fancy colors for the consumer boxed engines. I distinctly remember mine had a Brass backplate but they moved to the black plastic ones shortly afterwards. I also think some came with Brass hex prop drives.
Estes, by the time Estes got a hold of things is when the consumer boxed versions started coming out with whatever parts were available whether they had colors or not. Basically if it had an 8cc stunt tank and a muffler, it was a QRC.

Mike

Iceberg wrote:I recently obtained an original QRC that was dirty but after cleanup was found to be in very good condition. Seems maybe only run a time or two then shelved.

I have run it on a plane of mine. I must admit that I'm not incredibly impressed with performance however with the muffler sounds a bit like a mosquito flying by. It does run quite decent lower end of the power spectrum however due to low BHP run time is pretty good. Running over three minutes.

Question: What planes were fitted with this motor in which years? I know it must be mid 70's when noise was starting to be an issue. But what planes did cox fit with this interesting looking motor?

Thanks
Iceberg

Iceberg: someone in the forum, nitrosmeller and I, have 2 used EZ Bee’s for sale or trade , or ??

PM if interested. I have shown pics before. I can’t from this iPad currently.  

Happydad.                

Here's one. I think I have another with a small brass drive plate somewhere around here.


Bob

rsv1cox wrote:My EZ Bee just calls it a muffled Babe Bee.

Early QRC in the crystal box.

Its my understanding the Baby Bees with the muffler were called QZ .049s for "Quiet Zone".

Nice QRC! I've got one of these but it needs a tank. Kinda holding out til I can get my hands on an original red one.

Mike

dckrsn wrote:Here's one. I think I have another with a small brass drive plate somewhere around here.


Bob

Beautiful!

My early, pre-blue spinner cone stuffed in my display with some other early engines.

ho y tink QRC is like gtp older style exaust manifold look ez bee is not rc exaust is dragon fly use same

my wit new mufler
not rc just silensed

Absolutely one of the coolest posts I have read in a while.

davidll1984 wrote:my wit new mufler

not rc just silensed

Very cool stuff David. Kind of a QZ-Car engine. Love the "modern" QRC, might have to build one myself

Mike

rc exaust on cars giving same performance tink exaust from ez bee is litle bether wit heat trap ful close sound good les noise just drop of rpm on cars trap wont fuly close