KC-06

KC-06 in standard form. Don Simpkins photos.

The KC-06 is a Ukrainian twin ball race engine with ABC cylinder technology. It is very nicely made engine and is evidently designed for Free Flight use, being fitted with a spinner, fuel flood-off inlet and brake as standard. It has a typical rear exhaust Schnurle porting system. The brass liner is quite thin with three equally sized and timed inlet ports fed via passages machined into the the crank case. The prop driver incorporates a steel brake drum though the brake spring is not supplied. The crank case is a single piece alloy die casting with substantial beam mount lugs, which have machined under sides, and an integral brake housing. The light alloy backplate has a central brass crankcase pressure tap. As supplied, the pressure tap is plugged with solder. A Nelson plug is fitted as standard. The plug screws into a light alloy adaptor button. The base of the button forms a squish band. Inside this the button has a 45 degree chamfer to meet the outer edge of the flat base of the plug, which together form the combustion chamber. This is quite similar to the Rex-06. The button is shimmed for compression adjustment and is retained in the head by a six bolt alloy clamp ring.

Two different carbon props may be ordered as factory accessories for this engine: the standard, non-folding, prop is 140 x 75 mm (5.5" x 3") and the folder is 145 x 75 mm (5.7" x 3").

Don Simpkins says the KC-06 turns the standard propeller supplied with it at a solid 31,000 rpm on 10% nitro. The folder runs slightly slower, which is expected given its slightly larger diameter. He adds "The engine really tweeks out nice with the needle then backed off slightly to overcome unloading in flight". On these figures the KC-06 joins the AD-06 and the Cyclon-06 as one of the most powerful 1 cc engines produced to date.

Bob Gutai has also owned a KC-06, but it was subsequently lost in the woods at Camp Borden. He says "It really loved the nitro. It was a shame to lose that engine. It ran right with the best of my Cyclons. It was in my #3 model". He adds that "While not all the KC's run well from new, they do respond well to minor rework and can be made to run. Some take a little more work than others".


The gold tint in this photo is a lighting effect. This picture shows the KC-06 on a Strukov F1J with the standard prop fitted. Don Simpkins photo.	John Bailey photo.

These photos show modifications made by Valery Strukov to the engines fitted to his F1Js. He has machined off the brake housing and beam mount lugs to save weight. Part of the left side lug has been retained as a mount point for the flood-off valve. He replaced the original backplate with one that doubles as a radial mount. It is fitted with a crankcase pressure tap because these models use a hard tank.

The engines are made by Sergey Kushnariov, who lives in Kharkov. He does not have a web site and does not speak English at all. Vasily Beschasny knows him and says that he had stopped making engines in summer 2002 when he moved away from Karkov. I'm not certain what the current situation is but am clarifying it: in the mean time if you need new engines or spares you should check prices and availability with Vasily.