Electric to Gow Conversions!
08-21-2007, 07:57 AM
#1
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Electric to Gow Conversions!
It seems like with all the neat lite-weight aircraft now on the market for Electric power...it would be a GREAT time to try a small GLOW engine like a .061 Big Mig or any very small Glow engine!!! Maybe switch power plants back and forth to see which one is most fun! Capt,n P.S. Post here if you tried it!!!
08-21-2007, 09:24 AM
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RE: Electric to Gow Conversions!
The structures on many of these smaller planes are extremely delicate, built light specifically for electric use. Vibrations from a little .061 spinning at 22,000RPM would shake them apart in no time. Coverings and adhesives used to build electric planes are generally not fuelproof, so if the planes don't shake apart, they'll just fall apart as the exhaust soaks in. These planes are also built to balance with a big bulky battery up front, so with a light engine and empty fuel tank, they'll be unflyably tail heavy without lots of lead (don't forget that you can't depend on fuel weight for balance because the fuel gets burned up as the flight goes along).
You would need to beef up the structure of the plane, seal it with something to fuelproof the covering seams, and add weight to the nose about equivalent to the battery to get the plane to balance. By the time all that is said and done, the plane is much heavier than it was in electric trim, and the flying qualities are nowhere near as good.
You would need to beef up the structure of the plane, seal it with something to fuelproof the covering seams, and add weight to the nose about equivalent to the battery to get the plane to balance. By the time all that is said and done, the plane is much heavier than it was in electric trim, and the flying qualities are nowhere near as good.
