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Model Forum / Radio Controlled / Air Models / May 2004Ready to go whole hog glow
I am new at RC, have only been flying since Jan, I have 2 planes a Slow Stick that I statrted with and a .46 glow trainer SPAD that I built - maybe its the tendency we have for wind around here (I live in the palouse region of eastern Washington state - lots of wide open fields) - anyway, it seems now that I am getting better at fking the GLOW plane even in wind - and about half the time I try to fly the slow stick I just end up crashing the darn thing because of some wind gust that I try to recover from. Wondered if the tendencey for RCers is to gravitate towards one or the other (elec or glow) or do a lot of you fly both. All I know right now is given the choice I would grab the fuel jug and the spad. > I am new at RC, have only been flying since Jan, I have 2 planes a > Slow Stick that I statrted with and a .46 glow trainer SPAD that I [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > you fly both. All I know right now is given the choice I would grab > the fuel jug and the spad. Depends on how religious you are. A larger heavy electric plane is just as good at wind as a large heavy glo plane. Not all electric planes are slow sticks. If you have suitable areas for glo planes handy, and don't mind the fuss and hassle of all the ancillary gear, why not fly them? My main reason for not flying them is the distance to a suitable site. I am aware that you can outfit an electric with comparable power, weight to glow... but I would think the cost of a setup like that is going to be a LOT. I am not ready to chuck the electric stuff, its fun as long as its relatively calm... I guess I am just seeing a lot more breezy days lately! >> I am new at RC, have only been flying since Jan, I have 2 planes a >> Slow Stick that I statrted with and a .46 glow trainer SPAD that I [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > >My main reason for not flying them is the distance to a suitable site. Mike, The cheap and easy route is the .46 glow powered plane. An electric plane that compares to that in performance will be much more costly and generally require more knowledge to set up properly. When-and-if you become bored with flying .46 powered glow planes or you find you are restricted from flying them due to noise or time constraints, you may want to look at doing a larger electric powered plane. Slow Sticks by their nature aren't particularly good for every day outside planes. Unless you live in a very calm wind climate. Is there such a thing? BTW, I fly both glow and electric power sources. That's not particularly cost effective, but I can't manage to completely give up either one of them for many different reasons. Wiz > I am aware that you can outfit an electric with comparable power, > weight to glow... but I would think the cost of a setup like that is [quoted text clipped - 25 lines] >> >>My main reason for not flying them is the distance to a suitable site. Wiz, I think you nailed it on the head - cheap and easy - as long as you have an area to fly in, glow is cheaper and can deal with wind better. I would actually prefer to go all electric - I mean its not like I actually enjoy wiping castor oil off the plane afterwards... but for now (for a rank beginner like me) glow seems to give me the most performance for my dollar and can deal with the %$@#$ wind like I seem to be getting continually :) >Mike, > [quoted text clipped - 44 lines] >>> >>>My main reason for not flying them is the distance to a suitable site. On 5/4/2004 12:29 AM Ted shuffled out of his cave and grunted these great (and sometimes not so great) words of knowledge: I fly both and have only "gotten into" electrics in the past year. The MAJORITY of glow planes handle wind better because they are heavier and fly faster. I like the selection of planes available for glow and the fact I do not have to be as aware of the weight as I do with electrics. I also like the fact they are usually larger than electrics and easier to see. MANY electrics, especially the electric trainers and park flyers, have problems with wind over 5 mph. This is due to their lighter weight and slower flying speed. The Slow Stick is an excellent trainer, but has problems (as you have noticed) with wind. Some of the advantages of electric are: Low noise, smaller flying area needed (many cases), no clean up afterwards and less gear to bring with you. One BIG drawback that many people find with electrics is the complexity of finding the proper combination of battery, motor, prop, and in many cases, the gear box ratio. If you are interested in pursuing electric flying more get either MotoCalc or ElectriCalc. They can provide a lot of the necessary information. Cost is about $30 - $40, it is well worth it. I have one electric (at present) that does quite well in wind. It is a Freedom 3D with a Mega 22/20/2 motor, 6:1 gear box, 16x8 E prop, and a 10 cell sub C GP 3300 pack. It is not a beginner's plane - intermediate and up flying levels, but it handles 10 mph+ winds, and provides flight times of ABOUT 8 - 11 minutes (depends on how "adventurous" I want to be). If you are interested, here is the URL for the plane/setup: http://www.modelelectronicscorp.com/ Another place for more detailed information on electrics is The E-Zone http://www.ezonemag.com/ Welcome to the "insanity". > I am new at RC, have only been flying since Jan, I have 2 planes a > Slow Stick that I statrted with and a .46 glow trainer SPAD that I [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > you fly both. All I know right now is given the choice I would grab > the fuel jug and the spad. Thanks Ted I think yesterday caught me on a bad day with the electric - after a good flying session with the glow trainer at the field, I went home and tried the slow stick. It seemed calm at the timie, but as soon as I got it above tree top level, man the plane is going all over the place and next thing I know its diving and before I could do anything it nosed in. Must have been wind above the trees creating the turbelence that I wasn't seeing on the ground. I have considered trying a brushless setup with the SS, but I seem to be more inclined to just buy another TT pro .46 and build another spad :) >On 5/4/2004 12:29 AM Ted shuffled out of his cave and grunted these >great (and sometimes not so great) words of knowledge: [quoted text clipped - 47 lines] >> you fly both. All I know right now is given the choice I would grab >> the fuel jug and the spad. > I have considered > trying a brushless setup with the SS, but I seem to be more inclined > to just buy another TT pro .46 and build another spad :) A brushless wouldn't be the answer on a slow stick. You could get a little more power and longer flight times, but that structure won't hold up to high speeds. The Wing will fold. If you're using a 7 cell pack, the weight and power of an 8 cell pack will make a big improvement for a lot less money. If you're already at 8 cell, you're pretty well maxed out performance wise. PCPhill >>I have considered >>trying a brushless setup with the SS, but I seem to be more inclined [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > less money. If you're already at 8 cell, you're pretty well maxed out > performance wise. What you want is a plane with a little more speed and a little more mass, that still lands at a sensible pace. Not hard to find. Try a GWS formosa. > PCPhill > I am new at RC, have only been flying since Jan, I have 2 planes a > Slow Stick that I statrted with and a .46 glow trainer SPAD that I [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > you fly both. All I know right now is given the choice I would grab > the fuel jug and the spad. Mike, it comes down to a property called "wing loading". Heavier planes have to fly faster to stay aloft and because of that, they handle the wind better. Another factor is drag. A slick model will penetrate the wind better than a draggy one. A third factor is power. Stick a hot motor or engine on any model and eventually thrust will overcome any wind. I've flown a Zagi in some pretty stiff breezes, and I've had a big, lightly loaded glow trainer blown around like a leaf. Morris |
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