ajspecial

My Feedback: (2)

For the past several years our club has been going or converting to electrics, I have not seen a new glow powered airplane in a long time except for the huge IMACs and the few die hards with 60's size airplanes. With the explosion of Companies bringing stuff from China at a very affordable prices a lot of us have been able to retrofit/convert to electric power.
I wonder if all this is hurting the Glow engine companies, The glow fuel companies and the radio systems, I do not even know how much is a gallon of fuel is now and my two Futaba radios were converted to 2.4 with the extra receivers at a modest price.
Any thoughts, comments?
Thank you

flyinwalenda

My Feedback: (5)

Most of the members in my club will never convert their glow to electric. Quite a few have moved into electric planes but buy or build those specifically as electric. I know a big factor a few years ago was the cost of the batteries and support equipment. Now it has come down quite a bit since then but it's hard to convince a true nitro-head to convert. My large scale planes are all gasoline and with the smaller gas engines coming out, I am converting my medium glow planes (60-90 , 120 )to gas as $4.00/gal for gas is much better than $15.00+/gal for glow. I might convert one or two 60 size to electric but will leave the smaller nitro 2/4 strokes as-is. I have a large number of electrics but I doubt if I will ever go larger than my 10cell set-up. For that size, unless I have the electronics lying around I'm better off investing in a gas engine.
I'm sure the manufactures feel it a little but nitro power will be here for a long time provided the fuel prices stay affordable.

outdoorhunting

Nitro forever !! If I got rid of my nitro, what would I use to light my charcoal grille & campfires with !!!! Plus, for us "older fellows" the sound of the engine reminds us that the prop is spinning !! What gets your adrenalin going more, an electic buzzing by on a "high-speed" low pass or a nitro screaming by at 8000RPM???

K-Bob

My Feedback: (1)

Probably different at various clubs depending on size and location (noise restrictions) but in the case of my club, the trend has been going to smaller gassers replacing glow rather than electrics replacing glow. Sure, there's always a gaggle of small, zippy electric stuff but it's usually just a distraction for pilots to fill time between the gassers flying.

init4fun

Yes , there are those of us oldsters who will never give up on glow , but lets face it gents , today's young'uns who have no nostalgia attached to glow engines wont be enough of a market to produce for at some time in our hobby's future . Ive got about equal numbers of gas/glow and electrics , and truth be told , my electrics get a lot more field time . I mostly fly fuel now on "special occasions" , or anytime that its been too long since ive smelled burnt glow fuel ..... There will be plenty of glow equipment around for the forseeable near future , but the long range prospects for it dont look too promising , , , , , As evidenced by the fact that now we have both Super Tigre AND OS both selling brushless outrunners ! .....

...... Lipos and such seem to be getting less expensive with relation to Amps X Dollar$ , , , Anyone wanna take a guess at how much a gallon of glow fuel is gonna cost 25 years from now ???? (Kinda makes me GLAD that I aint gonna be around to see $50 a gallon glow )

topspin

It seems to me that there is still a diminishing return using electric on models larger than .90 size. I know there are plenty doing it but the cost of batteries is high not to mention the reliability of ESC's in the 100 amp plus range. Castle are OK but there are a lot of other brands that have a propensity to flame. I think the new crop of small, light gasoline engines will keep fuel flight alive for the forseable fututre. There is also flight time and ease of refueling that make this an attractive alternative to electric.

Having said that there is no way I would ever go back to glow, just too messy and glow fuel has gotten insanely expensive. I don't have any large models anymore so I'm 100% electric and I'm OK with that but I might build a large scale Bipe with a gas engine one of these days.

flyinwalenda

My Feedback: (5)

Also have to mention the still low flight times with larger electric set-ups is hard to get used to. Difficult to get over spending 4-7 hundred for a good electric set-up and only get 7min. average in the air where the same or less money spent on a gasser and you can fly for 12-15min or more in a big plane. If batteries lasted forever it would be an easy choice but when you have to buy new batteries after a few years I don't know if you would ever even-out compared to running gasoline.

zippome

I love the smell of castor oil in the morning. It smells like ......Victory!

dirtybird

My Feedback: (5)

I decided about 5 years ago to convert to all electric in the small sizes. Since I didn't want to put up with the idiosyncrasies of Lipolies I elected to stick with A123 cells. I built a fake radial engine using 9 cells that power a Scorpion 4025 motor on a 62" Lazy Ace bipe. It will fly about 6 minutes. That seems to be enough for me.
After 5 years of about 100/flights per year I had to replace the batteries. They were down to about 75% of rated capacity. Maybe a short life but I had got the cells out of a used DeWalt 36V battery.($100)
I got 10 new cells from a fellow in China for $80.
The motor cost me $100 and I just recently replaced the bearings for $10.
The 100A ESC I got off ebay for $25 (Mystery made in China)
I wonder how much Glow Fuel would have cost me for those 500 flights?
I figure I would have used about 20 gallons of glow fuel for those 3000 minutes of flight time.
At 10/gal I saved $200. The electricity cost me nothing. Its a by product of operating my car.

telejojo

Part of the fun for me is tuning and running glow or gas engines I have a few foamys but I fly them around the house or at the church I'm not going to the field and fly foamys or electric.

weathervane

I am converting all my planes to electric.
I have seen electric powered wings fly at over 180mph spinning a prop at 30000 rpm. A nitro motor putting by at 8000 does not do it for me.
-Andrew

arnold1943

Couldn't have said it better myself. I just bought an old O.S. 1.6 -I'm dying to fire it up. I figure about a 18X10 prop (right?[8D])

JPMacG

My Feedback: (2)

Yeah, I doubt that the glow engine and glow fuel companies are doing well. But that is probably not anything new. I suspect they have been on a long gradual decline for years.
There will always be glow fuel and glow engine manufacturers as long as there is some market for them. But I suspect the number of manufacturers will shrink.

scottrc

Why the negativity about Nitro? Clubs nor the AMA should never discourage or plan out ban nitro.

Mess? Other then oil, it is safer and easier to clean then gasoline. I work and store in my basement, and no way can I use gasoline.

Cost? I am still getting 10% and 15% for between $12 and $18, and this hasn't changed in 10 years.

Noise? The electric geared .40 size no not less quieter then the glow with a good muffler, so I don't buy that argument.

I have been experimenting with electrics and so far I have spent a hell of a lot more on batteries that are still unreliable and charging systems that are still very pricey. I do love the convenience of electric and I think all three, glow, gas, and electric should be held in equal fashion at clubs.

outdoorhunting

Scottrc. There are a few "doe-does" that think only their way is the right way. If ya fly anything other that what they fly or build, you're not doing it right. How about the " kits vrs. ARFs. Do you build a kit, and assemble an ARF?? I think, what makes the difference. We all enjoy the hobby in one way or another, can't that be good enough ??

carlgrover

To me, flying electric is about as thrilling as kissing your sister. And my sister can't kiss worth a durn.

eddieC

My Feedback: (2)

Now that there's funny!!   

I've seen almost the opposite at our field.  Newbie shows up with his electric for instruction, gets bit by the nitro bug. Electric may be convenient, but there's nothing like a 2-stroke at 20K+ rpm, or a radial, or a gasser. Long live IC !!  [8D]  [8D]

JPMacG

My Feedback: (2)

I would probably quit the hobby if I couldn't fly glow. Electric bores me and gasoline is obnoxious. But these are just my opinions.

Our club is now about evenly split between glow, electric and gasoline. 10 years ago it was 100% glow.

cutaway

TANSTAAFL. You paid for the electricity in increased fuel costs to constantly bring your auto battery back up.

crash1ace

Nitro all the way!baby! electrics are just boring toys to me. I love that nasty smell of the fuel, and the noise they make (at our field,there are some electrics that are just as noisy though-I like that). I have no problem with paying $20 a gallon of nitro, doesn't bother me. It does bother me spending that on a battery that might take up to an hour to charge it to use it.I ain't got that kind of time.

chuckk2

My experience with glow dates back to the 60's and 70's. I was raised in a Midwest state that gets quite cold in the winter. I still remember how cold it got, how glow fuel on hands made it worse, and how difficult trying to start a glow engine can be in cold weather.

Electrics have really gone a long way in the last few years. The Li-Po batteries have really helped. More and more powerful motors are becoming available. Battery prices are slowly dropping.
Still, the drawback is usually a short flight time, unless you are dealing with a powered glider.

eddieC

My Feedback: (2)

Not really. It's why God made lighter fluid. 

topspin

I personally have gone all electric however, I do not think it is appropriate for any club to discourage IC engines of any kind. I am planning to build a 50cc Tiger moth and I saw a beauty at Easy Tiger recently. I love my smaller .40 sized electrics, the performance is awesome without the mess and hassel of glow but I still like the sound of a 180 4 stroker.. I think there is room in the hobby for all forms of propulsion but there will always be a place for glow engines as long as the hobby stores sell it.

SBOT

I started with small electrics, but I could only afford 1 battery for each plane. So it was 1 flight recharge, repeat. When I built my first glow plane a .10 shrike and flew back to back flights as fast as I could refuel, my flying improved quickly and I have never looked back. I have a couple of brushless motors and esc with lipos, but they are rarely in a plane. I love glow. The largest plane I have is a .40; most are .10-.25

Oscar

scale only 4 me

My Feedback: (158)

These threads always crack me up,, you guys think your little niche of the hobby is better than another. I have EP-400 size foamies up to 100cc 1/3 scale gas and nitro in between,, they are all fun i their own ways.

What also cracks me up is when the 100cc and up guys hit the field and think everyone else should land and let them have "air show center"when "they" are ready to fly,,, Dudes the guys with the $300 nitro sport plane paid his $60 to fly at the club field Saturday morning too,,, back off with your delusional superiority attitude already.