GaryHarris

OK, I admit it. I started with them, learned how to fly with Pico Sticks and to this day, still like the simplicity of the little electric planes. And now days with brushless motors and cheap LiPo packs, it's a very inexpensive way to get started in RC planes or an alternative for those who sometimes don't feel like packing everything up to go to the field. Especially if you have a park near by or a large parking lot for a Dawn Patrol.

More to follow.

GaryHarris

Last weekend I tried the ElectritFly Sopwith Pup set up with the recommended 2c 300mah and since I had a Rimfire 300, I used that with a 8x6 E prop.

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXVWC0&P=0

Sort of a cheesy plane, but cheap, so what the heck? It flew ok until I tried a loop outdoors. I folded the wings and that little Pup came down hard enough to put the remainder of it a trash bag. My fault, not the planes. I pushed it too hard.

So now I need a placement.

UPS guy just brought me this.

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXYGD7&P=7

I'm about to start putting it together and I can say this so far, the quality of this plane seems to be very nice and plus it already has the control horns installed and has the option to strengthen the wing.

MetallicaJunkie

ive had 2... they are fun at first, ill admit that, but in the end i still love my glow and gas birds. i dont plan on buying another electric

im glad you found something you like

blueapplepaste

My Feedback: (5)

I agree. The small electrics are fun. I like that I can just throw it in the back of my car and drive 5 min to the local school yard during the week for some quick flying.

GaryHarris

I don't even have to drive! Home Depot parking lot is practicality across the street from me.

jeffie8696

Most of the time I take my Slow Stick with me as a backup and to add variety when Igo flying. Iget a lot of positive comments on how serene the SS looks just lazily hovering way up in the sky.

ChuckW

I will admit that I have three foam electrics and I have my eye on a couple more.

My latest is the Parkzone Micro T-28. A lot of simple fun on relatively calm mornings or evenings.

GaryHarris

Been eyeballing that one Chuck. [8D]

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

I was an electric hater for a long time, but I have to admit that with the advances in the past few years I'm having a ball with them now.

My latest is the new Switch from Flyzone. It can convert from a high-wing trainer to a low-wing sportster. This is a really good flying airplane!

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXZMX7&P=7

vmsguy

For that kind of money.. it better make you breakfast in bed each morning and call you sweetheart..!

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

But it comes with everything, including motor, battery, charger, esc, servos, receiver and transmitter (2.4GHz)

ChuckW

I'm still not much of an electric fan when it comes to larger airplanes. On the smaller stuff though it is great. Especially with the lower cost batteries that the smaller planes use.

GaryHarris

Yea the cost of the larger batteries keeps me in Glo.

-pkh-

My Feedback: (2)

I still like flying my nitros, but my electric park flyers are getting more air time lately just because of convenience. I've also found that the park flyers are getting me more comfortable flying in wind. They get blown around with less wind than the larger nitros. After flying the PFs in some wind, flying my nitros with even more wind is not so bad.

DenverJayhawk

Based on hobbyking prices, 2 gallons of glow will buy you a good, high powered lipo now that should give you several hundred cycles.

I'll keep my one big 2 stroke O.S. glow engine because I just absolutely love it on the Big Stik 60. But since that model, I've been buying 25 sized electrics running on 3S and 4S lipos.

jeffie8696

PKH
Couldnt agree more. My SStick gets blown around like crazy and teaches me how to deal with the wind when Ichose a bigger plane in high wind.
I must admit the electrics are very handy, clean, powerful, inexpensive etc but Ihave a love affair going with my glow engines that just wont stop.
And Ihave enough glow engines to last the rest of my life. I could fly a glow engine every day 10 times and not wear out all mine before Idied of old age .

GaryHarris

I don't like 2 strokes. [:'(]

DenverJayhawk

I'd like to get a 4 stroke some day. But the premium pricing prevents me from doing it when there's cheaper alternative with more power from a smaller displacement.

GaryHarris

What size?

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...1&ParentCat=55

GaryHarris

I have the FlyLite ready and the balance came in without having to add any lead. And very strange to note, it requires no glue. Although I glued the Hitec 55s in. The tail feather design is a notch and magnet set up and it is right on!

When the wind dies down Ill give a flight report.

jeffie8696

I wanted to go fly but the wind has been really gusty and now it is too late.
Maybe my Butterfly will be OK now that the wind has died.

GaryHarris

The wind has died down here Jeffie but the parking lot is still sorta full. I don't wanna risk the maiden flight with cars around. And my local field closed at dark. I may try a night flight later.

jeffie8696

Idid get to fly the Butterfly but my batteries are kinda crappy. I would like to get new ones but they want something like $15 each.

crash1ace

I just dont see how anyone can say the electrics are more convient and easier. I have a few park flyers and find it a pain to have to setup chargers and have to wait a couple of hours each time to charge all my batts. I use several packs for each plane just to be able to fly all day long. This for me take sometime a couple of long nights charging all my lipos and is even more annoying have to keep track of what batteries Ive charged and which ones Ive used. ANd having to go thru all that safety nonsense while Im charging. I really dont have the time to sit there and babysit my batteries. The only reason I even have a parlfyer was to see what all this electric hype was all about. PU!

Im so glad I fly nitro alot more. The cost of fuel is so inexpensive for me (cheaper that any lipo) and I love the smell of the exhaust fumes and the roar of the engine, just like a real model airplane is suppose to sound like. Just like they did when the first models were ever flown back in those early days. I like the feel of tuning that motor for best perfomance. Its even nice to fly em on a windy day, hard to that with a parkflyer. I cant even believe they make little sound modules that simulate an engine for an electric model, why even bother?

Farmer Ted

My Feedback: (5)

Sorry you nitro guys but I think electrics are where it's at

I got into RC with electrics and have absolutely no interest in flying glow or gas and it's not for a lack of understanding them either...I'm in the automotive field and beyond having a degree in automotive technology, I was also a tech and am currently an instructor.

I don't want to mess around with fiddly engine tuning and break in (especially at my altitude). I don't want to mess around with buying fuel, glow plugs, worrying about whether I'm running too lean, having limited prop selection, and the expense, short-ish life span and relatively high maintenance of an internal combustion engine.

Brushless electric motors are superior in most aspects including torque, efficiency, and reliability. Beyond that, I can drastically change the power output of a motor by simply changing batteries. I'm currently getting 700 watts (nearly one horsepower) out of a motor that weighs 160g and can get over 1000 watts out of the same motor by increasing the battery size and switching props around. I am currently flying a range of electrics from a 2lb park flyer up to a 10lb twin and a 33% RV8. The beauty of electrics is that I can fly them ANYWHERE because they're clean and quiet, I don't have to join some club and drive an hour. They're easy to set up, and with the cheap batteries, motors, and speed controls I can build a plane that's lighter, faster, lower maintenance, and longer lasting for the same if not less money than an internal combustion powered plane.

Sure, batteries need to be charged but if you set it up so that all of your planes can fly off of a couple different varieties of battery and then buy 20 or 30 of them from HobbyKing or someone like that, you've got the 'fuel' to fly all day and then some and charge them when you get home. The initial cost is a little higher but you'll come out ahead in the long run.

I realize that there's some 'tradition' in RC with IC engines and if you've used them all your life, you're probably partial to them but that doesn't hide the facts...it's just an opinion and this is just my opinion.

Electric is the future of airplanes as well as a lot of other things including cars (full size ones). The advantages are too big to ignore and the technology will only get better and cheaper. I suppose that one of the disadvantages is that if you don't know anything about volts, amps, ohms, and watts then you have some reading to do. I really don't mind that my planes don't smoke, smell, or sound like a gang of africanized bees...they also stay clean and don't require a whole lot of special preparation or maintenance. You all can get together and fly your glow planes, I'll have plenty of fun flying my electric ones. To each his own.