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Model Forum / Radio Controlled / Air Models / July 2007UpStar EP Glider by Tower Hobbies
Has anyone tried the UpStar EP Glider by Tower Hobbies? Would you care to give your personal opinion. Likes and Dislikes! Good and Bad features! Earl of Ohio website: http://rcpbsession.net I bought an Upstar Glider about this time last year and I flew it today as a matter of fact. I have crashed it a few times but one was an equitment failure and the other times were pilot error. The center of gravity is important and you have to put the battery as far back as possible. I didn't like the folding prop that came with it. It provided lots of power but I broke too many of them too often. AT $12.00 a pop, I quit buying them and went to an 80/40 electric prop that I bought from Heads Up RC in Wisconsin in a 5 pack. They don't give as much power but this prop has been on it for months and I fly it 2-3 times a week. I get at least 15 minute flights with a fully charged battery. In my opinion it doesn't thermal very well. Once you get it trimmed out it flys relatively well. I never fly it at more than 1/2 throttle. Even with the small prop that I use now it will do loops all day from level flight. You can even fly inverted but not for long. This was my first electric glider and it took some getting used to but it is now "Ole Reliable". I think most of the beginning problems were with me and not the plane. The screws that hold the canopy on are a pain so I just use tape. It works much better. I've read forums on RC Universe and some of the guys rip the Upstar pretty bad. Many had problems with the motor running just a few seconds and then dying. Mine has never had that problem. I think it's caused by the esc shutting the motor down because it's pulling too many amps. Here again, I think it's because it's overpropped. Would I recommend it as a first ep glider? I'm not sure. At full throttle things happen very fast. That was a part of my problem at the beginning. I only give it full throttle for 20-30 seconds to get some altitude and then I go to 1/2 or less. Hope this helped. > Has anyone tried the UpStar EP Glider by Tower Hobbies? > [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > Earl of Ohio > website: http://rcpbsession.net | I've read forums on RC Universe and some of the guys rip the Upstar | pretty bad. Many had problems with the motor running just a few | seconds and then dying. Mine has never had that problem. I think | it's caused by the esc shutting the motor down because it's pulling | too many amps. Here again, I think it's because it's overpropped. There's been a large number of planes like this over the years -- speed 500 to 600 can motor, direct drive, 6 to 8 cell NiCd/NiMH pack. Yes, they tend to be over-propped. Really, what they generally need is a lower Kv motor (or a gearbox) so they can use a bigger prop, but instead they go for direct drive, and a prop that's smaller than would be ideal for the airframe, but is bigger than ideal for the motor. So they take an inefficient motor, and make it worse by running it outside of it's `sweet spot'. And this requires a big heavy battery, making the plane thermal poorly. What they really need is a lower Kv motor, perhaps a brushless outrunner, or a gearbox. Then they can use a smaller battery which saves weight. Going LiPo could save even more weight. Of course, once you've spent all this money into upgrading the drive train, you might as well get a better airframe as well. To be fair, I've never seen this particular model, so maybe some or all of my comments on the class don't apply. On the bright side, people sell these things used all the time. I got a similar 2m electric glider by Thunder Tiger (I think) complete with all radio gear, batteries and even a charger for $70 at a swap meet, and it flew as well as any of them. But there's a huge difference between it and the more `serious' electric gliders that I now have.  SignatureDoug McLaren, dougmc@frenzied.us Is it weird in here, or is it just me? --Steven Wright Doug McLaren Wrote: > But there's a huge difference between it and the more `serious' > electric gliders that I now have. Doug, could you recommend a good electric glider? I'd like to ge something in the middle for starters, at least until I see how I lik it. Thanks! Keit -- Fueg | Doug, could you recommend a good electric glider? I'd like to get | something in the middle for starters, at least until I see how I like | it. Thanks! First of all, avoid anything with a direct drive speed can (usually speed 400-600) motor unless it's dirt cheap (as in used, or given to you for free.) Gliders generally work best with a big, slow prop -- and so that means either a gearbox or a brushless outrunner. Going direct drive usually means a smaller prop going faster, which is wasteful. NE Sail sells a lot of good electric gliders -- http://www.nesail.com/categories.php?subcatID=12 but notice that most of these are just airframes -- no motor, no battery, no servos. Price goes up fast! For beginners, the Easy Glider Electric is a great choice. Being foam, it tend to not break when crashed. And they give you a speed 400 motor with a gearbox -- so it can turn an appropriately sized prop. Speed 400 motors also don't use that much power, so the battery size needed is reasonable. And if you want to upgrade to brushless, the motors and gearboxes are reasonably priced. Gearboxes tend to cost more than the cheap can motors they're attached to -- but they really make a huge difference for a nice slow glider. The Easy Glider really does thermal pretty well, and while the stock power system doesn't make it a rocket, it's adequate. Lots of soaring clubs are doing `one design' contests with everybody flying an Easy Glider -- the pure glider version rather than the electric version, but either way, it's quite popular. SignatureDoug McLaren, dougmc@frenzied.us Insanity: trying the same thing over and over, expecting a different result each time. Doug, thanks for the info. I have experience with electric planes bu I've never had a glider. I thought it would be nice to have somethin easy that I could relax with. I really don't mind getting the powe system separate if it's of some advantage. Keit -- Fueg |
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