getting out of electric...
 

Electric RC was too problematic for me... so I want to get into gas 3D. All the guys at my field seem to love their gassers more then the crappy badly performing electrics. So what's a good gas 3D setup? I want something that can handle being flown and landed without exploding or having random failures at the least convenient moment(story of my life)...

RE: getting out of electric...
 

50cc is a great entry into gas! Very very easy to maintain and live with and lots of performance

Engine:
DA50
BME 50
3W50
DL 55

Plane:
Wild Hare - Any
Great Planes - believe it or not the Cap is a great flying plane and cheap!
Aeroworks
Extreme Flight
Lots of good choices!

Servos:
Hitec 5955's
JR 8611's
Futaba
DS120's or HD 150's (cheap and good)

Battery:
A123 x 1 for plane and no regulator!
any 4.8 nimh or get another A123 and use a regulator to 4.8v depending on your ignition

Fueler:
1-2gallon gas can and $20 pump
or
Jersey Modeler or similar

I am guessing you have a good TX and RX. Honestly 50cc gas is easier then glow IMHO. Shop around and you will find some package deals. A good used 50cc plane can be had for $1k or so.

RE: getting out of electric...
 

Just curious about when you say gas do you mean gas or glow fuel? many seem to use term incorrectly.

RE: getting out of electric...
 

I Fly both electric and gas. My electrics far exceed my gas in every area except noise. While my 30% YAK is a lot bigger than my electrics it does not out perform them. I am curious as to what electric planes you have been flying, small park flyers or performance 3-D? All of my electrics are brushless and are flown on lipoly's, with most in the 150-200 watt/lb ratio, they are very light and powerful and do every 3-D move with authority. I am just the opposite I wish all of my planes were electric. I dont like having to break-in engines and premix gas and oil. The maintenance on my gas is a lot more involved as gas motors are shakers. Last week I had a prop screw break off in the prop hub, I had to drill it out with a left hand drill bit and order some new screws. I am always finding loose bolts or losing canopy and or cowling screws due to vibration. I have not had the same amount of problems with my electrics. My point is that while gas is exciting it takes a certain amount of attention to detail that my electric planes don't. Find out what is involved with gas before you give up on electric. I think that when both types are set up correctly and daily maintenance is performed, before and after flying, they both offer the R/C pilot many hours of enjoyment. Gas planes tend to be bigger and bigger planes tend to take more time to transport and unpack and assemble and fuel up and start up and warm up and disassemble and repack and transport and unpack and put back into their storage area. Gas planes are cool but they tend to take some planning and time. I like the convenience of throwing an electric plane in the back seat and driving down to the local school or park and flying for a half hour and then just throw the plane back into the car without having to wipe it down and head a couple of blocks back home. Don't get me wrong, I will never give up my gas YAK but it only gets flown on a Saturday or Sunday and I have to drive a half hour out to the club field to fly it. I wish you good luck with gas, however, I think you should do yourself a favor and get a really good electric plane too from 3D Hobby Shop or Extreme Flight or one of the other performance oriented companies and fly it anywhere anytime.

RE: getting out of electric...
 

With the right equipment,electrics are simple and easy,and out perform most glow and gas in the smaller categories. If you had problems with that,a 50cc will likely drain your wallet and confidence real quick.

You need to find out why you had problems,was it cheap mismatched gear? A lack of combining good tested products in the right airframes?

Glow or gas are fun, but you also need to understand a good combo of planes and equipment, to make it reliable and user friendly.
Plenty of guys on here to help set you up and avoid future problems.

RE: getting out of electric...
 

I just cant see 40% planes being fun with electric. I mean I honestly had less work to do on a regular basis on my 40% planes then on anything else I flew. Some of the smaller gassers if you do not setup correctly can have issues.

How is breaking in a gas engine hard? I will hover and 3D all my planes even with new engines. Any plane that remains in my hanger will either survive the initial abuse or I get rid of it.

Gas engines are often derived from chain saw motors and or UAV motors. I don't see either being broken in and yet both perform as designed.

RE: getting out of electric...
 

RE: getting out of electric...
 

To answer all your questions. I don't care if I go gas or glow(I have a few spare weed eaters though...). I have flown tons of 3D electric planes from small flat foamies to 50" wingspan ones. They always seem to give me more problems than I bargained for... I used top quality gear such as Hitec servos, JR recievers, JLine and Spektrum radios, TP batteries, Electrifly speed controls, etc. The main problem I had was that the planes simply would not perform. I would always use the reccommended setup and look up reviews of the planes to see if they were trouble planes and they weren't... till I got one... My little electric planes also sucked when it came to wind handling, hardcore aerobatics, and withstanding a gentle landing(half the planes I had the gear would shear off when I landed. Never heard that in the reviews!). I practiced on the simulator(realflight g3/4) and I could fly amazingly with 10+mph wind. I could rolling harrier circle, hover for hours, high alpha knife edge, harrier and knife edge spin, flat spin, and even some 4D(It was on there, why the hell not? lol) But when I would try to fly my planes in real life, 5mph wind would make them super erratic(even after trimming) and impossible to 3D. I repeat I was using the reccommended setup for 3D. I built the planes well too. I take my time when building. I guess a small plane can never match the performance I have gotten from my bud's 40% yak. I love that thing!!

RE: getting out of electric...
 

I have to agree with the electric guys (can't believe I'm saying that) couple guys at our field fly electric and they get great performance,but and I do mean BUT they have no soul. Plus we have a good time ribbing each other. That's the good thing about this hobby, something for everyone. For me it's sound, slim, smell, paper towels, and cleaner. For electric it's high dollar batteries, and dryer sheets. Hey to each his own:D

RE: getting out of electric...
 

A properly setup 50cc gas plane will fly great! I mean since you have flown a 40% and speaking from experience, it will feel like a toy in comparison. However they do handle the wind better and having lived and flown in FL I know its usually like 15mph winds or more during the winter. Again once setup correctly you can have a lot of fun with 50cc gas. The market is really flooded with good gear for this size and all the way up to 35%. Past that there are fewer choices but the ones out there are great.

RE: getting out of electric...
 

Unfortunately "recommended setups" are often "recommended so that you spend more money on upgrades later".

I find that I have to go at LEAST one or two steps up in power and motor systems on electrics, to get the performance I expect from them.

While I've no electrics larger than 1.20 sized planes at the moment, my .60 electrics and below do keep up with my expectations because I use the above rule.

That said, you can not beat the gassers for reliability. Less to clean up and haul out to the field too.

RE: getting out of electric...
 

So buy one like his, and set it up like his. If it makes you happy. Then you can fly it all you want.

RE: getting out of electric...
 

I would, if I could afford one... I'm just a 16 year old wanting a good 3D rc plane...

RE: getting out of electric...
 

Unfortunately the answer is not easy. My Reator 3D EP flies very good but not as good as my Aeroworks Extra 260 60-90 size which doesn't fly as good as my Aeroworks Extra 260 50cc. Each one I named cost more than the previous one. I fly all three regularly and without a doubt the 50cc is my fav. Now for the really weird part, my extra 260 foamie flies almost as good as my big 50cc for 3D work. Hovers very similar, harriers very similar, waterfalls similar, you get the picture. The wing loading on some of the foamies is extremely low making for a VERY good flying little bird. Again, the answer to a good 3D bird is quite complex so as mentioned above, if you like your friends plane, the answer may be to work hard, save your earnings and buy one like his when you have enough cash. Gook luck getting you a good flyer.

RE: getting out of electric...
 

get a mojo .40 or .60 and dont look back. gassers are great, but dont fly what you cant afford

RE: getting out of electric...
 

It has been my experence that it is more the plane than the power source that makes a good 3D plane. I'm just starting to build a AJ Slick 89" with electric power. It's going to have about 4000 watts of power so I'm sure it will perform as well as the same plane with a gas engine. I saw a big electric and just had to have one. It's like magic. All that performance in near silence was just amazing. That big plane with just the whistling sound of the wind, not better than the nice purr of an engine, just so different.

RE: getting out of electric...
 

When I was 16 I had a heavy foam trainer with a Cox Golden Bee .049 for power, the plane could'nt take off from grass (not enough power) it had to be hand launched and it only had two channels. I think it cost me a couple of pay checks to acquire and I only got a couple of flights out of it before I crashed it into a wooden fence. Times have certainly changed. Good luck getting a 40% plane. My advice to you is to get that 40% and anything else you really want before you get married and start a family. I was 29 when I finally replaced that old trainer with a Thunder Tiger Trainer .40 and four whole channels. Times have certainly changed.

RE: getting out of electric...
 

Mojo 60 moassed (they come like that now) +Saito 100 = hours of 3D fun. [sm=shades_smile.gif] It's the funnest/most durable plane I have. AAAAnd NO PUCKER FACTOR. [X(] [sm=thumbs_up.gif]

RE: getting out of electric...
 

How well does that thing handle wind? I've been looking at it and it seems to be a good plane. I usually fly in 5-10 mph winds

RE: getting out of electric...
 

Look one post above. Mojo / Moass 60 Saito 100 is a 3D trainer, mild to wild and everything you need.
Mojo 40 on a 55ax is awesome too!! Depends on your wallet and transportation to the field.

If you need one built, wander over to the Pro-Bro site and look up brother Brutus. Builder for hire.