Originally Posted by
ma_mulcahy
I have glow, gas and electric. Gas is great until you get down below 20cc and then the extra weight of the engine and ignition become an issue. Yes, I know there are glow gas engines, but I prefer to have an ignition system to ensure there are no flameouts at low throttle.
Electric is OK, but I think anyone that goes that route stating the economy of electric is better isn't looking at the full picture. Batteries will need to be replaced every 2-3 years and then there is the need to handle LiPos very carefully. Don't drop a pack or put it away with a full charge. You may find a puffed pack or even a fire on your return. Relatively speaking, electric is high maintenance when compared with internal combustion engines. It surely has it's place, but all of us have to decide for ourselves where we want to spend our hard-earned $$$.
I doubt glow will die in the next decade.
I'm with you. All those things you said are accurate. I prefer electric because it's not messy like nitro nor anywhere near as expensive. I don't know how many flights I'll get out of a $25.00 gallon of glow fuel and maybe you can help me out with the math but if I get 15 minutes of flight every pint, I will fly for 2 hours on that gallon bottle until it's gone. I can't stand glow and I'm glad I don't use it.. now.... the gas engines are a huge benefit because from what I heard they are extremely efficient. If I wanted to fly for an hour, I can do that with one pint and a couple drops of oil in the tank. If I ever go back to ignition based flight I would definitely go that route..
With a battery, I can find deals on 3s 2200's for as little as four packs for 60 bucks. that's just over the cost of two gallons of nitro so even if I buy 12 packs and they only last me two years, assuming I don't crash I come out ahead in the game with the batteries because I'll get a boatload of flights out of them, however I will not even come close to competing with the efficiency of a true unleaded engine. I'm not getting an hour in the air no matter what. I do think glow engines are probably headed to the museums sooner than later, in favor of gasoline efficiency but before they're lost to our memories and the AMA museum of old stuff we used to use, those gas engines have to come down in price. Can anyone tell me the difference in price between say an OS Max .40 nitro engine and an equivalent sized gas one?
And even if I switch to gas, and I haven't done the math yet, I still think in three years I'll spend less on batteries than I do on gasoline, of course, that is subjective based on how many times you put your bird in the air.
I own about 50 packs and I take them all to the field with me. I fly all day and never have to stop to charge. I just do it when I get home.
One year in and they're all doing well thanks to the storage charge.