jbenko

My Feedback: (73)

I think there was another thread on this a while back however I would like to revisit the subject. I picked up a WM Extra 300 yesterday (Patti Wagstaff version!) but won't be assembling for a while due to other projects. I had originally planned on putting an FX 1.60 in it for simplicity's sake however now I'm considering gas. I'd like to hear from both camps on the benefits of gas vs. glow. I already know about the difference in fuel cost but am wondering if having a second fueling system and whatever else one might need to fly gas is actually worth it. I have much glow experience but none with gas and am not even familiar with many gas engine brands although I've heard of 3W, Zenoah and few others. I'd like everyone's thoughts on power delivery, reliability, cost, weight and any other relevant issue supporting glow or gas engines. Thanks

Jeff Benko
Palm Beach Skyhawks
AMA82103

daveopam

My Feedback: (9)

Jeff, opinions are like A-holes but hear goes. I build my stuff to fly and I fly em hard. So my opinion
is the lighter the better. Gas does have some perks, like better idle, throttle response, reliability,
economy, ect........ But to me it's not worth the extra weight.( Plus it will make your shop smell like an old lawnmower.) Once you get past a certain scale the gas is the only way to go, but I think your talking about
1/4 scale and I'd say glow all the way. My 1/4 scale Sig Sukhoi is 12.5 lbs with a S.T.3250 in the nose.
later daveo

cstansfield

Jeff,

I have built this aircraft and flown it, but only with a RCS 1.80 gas engine from www.rcshowcase.com mounted to the front... I have a friend who has the same version as you, and has a Brison 2.4 on his. Both of our aircraft fly extremely well at low speed and is capable of doing many more 3D manuvers than I am capable of... I don't think the wing loading is really effected by the added weight... If I had it to do over again I would put a ZDZ 40 on it...

As Daveo pointed out, lighter is better...is a good concept to adhere to...But, there are tradeoffs to be taken into account here... The cost of fuel and the engine is the most prevelant. The cost of a Glow Engine may be about half of a good quality gasser, however the lower cost of a gallon of gas makes up for the cost very quickly if you fly a lot... A gas engine will last considerably longer than a glow engine just because of the wear they experience from running at such high RPM's. and the Glow fuel serves as a water magnet which induces corrosion problems.

Think of it like this... What do you think the mean time between failure is for a chainsaw or weed eater engine? Thousands of operational hours probably... When is the last time you saw anyone that has a chain saw or weed eater operate one. They run it until it is out of fuel and toss it in their shed or garage until the next time they need it. When they do need it they find whatever old mixed gas is laying around, start the thing up, and run it at full blast... Then on top of that, they bury it into a huge log or tall grass with dust and dirt all over the place getting sucked into the carb...

Now condsider how maticulate and discriminating an RC modeler is... Always making sure the gas is fresh and properly mixed to right ratio. Filters the gas to and from the airplane tank, may even have a filter between the tank and carb. The prop serves as a huge fan blowing across the engine to cool it. And to top it off it doesn't fly in dusty conditions more than likely.

On the other hand, Glow engines take considerable amounts of support equipment to get started and require a greater amount of maintenance. Although the power to weight ratio is considerably higher for a glow engine...

I really think it really comes down to the pilots personal preference and money they wish to spend...

Hope this helps in your decision...