jrf

My Feedback: (551)

Lipo batteries that are stored, even for a short time, at full charge will rapidly lose their ability to accept a full charge in the future. Lipos that are stored at somewhere around half charge will accept twice as many full charges before they need to be replaced. To keep your Lipos in good condition, they should not be recharged until you are ready to use them.

See, even electrics require the user to learn the proper techniques.

And yes, I had the prop come loose on an electric just last weekend. I suspect the reason was the same in both your case and mine; not installed tight enough in either case.

Jim

JPMacG

My Feedback: (2)

I gotta say I have found glow to be very reliable, easy and little fuss. I fly mainly Saitos and Enyas. I don't have any personal experience with gas, but it seems that the gas guys at my field are always fighting with their engines. Maybe the guys I know are just not very good. They seem to spend 20 minutes flipping props before they get them started. And sometimes they have to give up and go home. Honestly, I've never seen a gas RC engine start on the first, second or third flip.

speedracerntrixie

My Feedback: (29)

Both the muffler coming loose and you kicking a prop off are sure signs that your engine is running too hot. NOT the engines fault, user induced.

Charlie P.

Two years ago Iwould have said gasoline - hands down.

But lately Iam drifting off to the electrics. Once you get over the initial $400 investment in several chargers and$150 in various adapters it's all down hill.

Ihave seven gallons of glow fuel in the cellar. It will be used.

Ilove my gassers - if for nothing else than doing loops and Cuban eights at 1/4 throttle with the purring engine. But the convenience of electrics, the 15 minutes to sneak in a flight of the little foamies. The junk food of model avaition.

Ijust assembled and programmed my first twin engine - a GP Widgeon (electric). Simple, yet complicated (differential motor steering on the water, diff ailerons, ail-rud mix, expo). Ican fly this at a small private lakeIhave "lucky" permission at because it doesn't bother the other cottages and they actually find electric seaplanes/floatplanes entertaining to watch. Electric does have its advantages.

Still, my current favorite model is a glow powered and Ienjoy all my glow engines - especially the 4-stroke. Iused to keep a speedy glow just for the sheer joy of flying a fast airframe occasionally.

Then Igot an EDF jet. Weeeeeeeee! Ihave flown this more in the past year than any of my other models.

And Ihave a pasture beside the house that's 165 ft x 330 ft. Too small for a gasser or glow, but a little foamie Ican fly a couple times after work. That's finest kind.

It's like choosing your favorite wine or beer. Depends on the meal or circumstances.

But if forced? *gulp* I'd now have to say electric.

Thank God Idon't have to choose. It's like "would you rather have bacon, lettuce ORtomato in your sandwich?" Well, that would be bacon so Iguess it's harder than that.

lopflyers

My Feedback: (12)

Oh no, I couldn't fly today. The LS needle got mixed with the HS needle, the glow ignitor didn't work and the ignition battery wasn't fully charged on my Hacker AL 50.

JPMacG

My Feedback: (2)

Rubber band power! No ESCs to burn out, no batteries to go bad, no carbs to adjust, no oil residue, no field box. Just fly.

swify

Electric planes seem too appliance like to me. Guess if you'retoo challenged to figure the nuances of a glow engine it's best to stick with something uncomplicated like a dullelectric powered plane.

lopflyers

My Feedback: (12)

So I guess electric full scale cars for you are like refrigerators.

Im not challenged at all just too smart to use my time flying and not messing with glow engines

Luchnia

My Feedback: (21)

I pretty much repeat myself, however gas all the way! I used to be so hard core glow and I have some electrics, yet nothing like a gasser. I am not sure why folks at certain clubs have so many problems with the gas planes. I hardly fly my glow planes anymore. I got rid of most of them and have a case of glow fuel setting - I am thinking I will use it again some time.

I have not had one issue with my gas planes except for a 4 year old battery going bad the other day and that was only because I was lazy and did not check it in the last couple years except to top it off each charge. I was just way too lazy

You can set your gas planes and that is pretty much it. Starting is amazingly easy, choke flip prop a couple times, set choke off, flip prop a couple times and vroooommm your off. After the first start and run of the day, about 90% of the time it is first flip after that for the rest of the day.

So easy and gas is so cheap for the flying time you get. A gallon will last quite a long time and I really enjoy the sound and raw low end power you get.

lopflyers

My Feedback: (12)

I guess Luchnia has a point. Batteries are not cheap, 6S are in the $200 ball park, and for a 7-8 min flight.

But it is so easy, have at least 3 charged from the night before, go to the field attach the wings and go, when you land put that battery in the charger and fly the other one.

I had bad luck with my only gas engine. It is a DLE 30 and it took the gas gurus at my club several tries to make it run well, still to this day it runs well but with a weird sputtering sound. But you cant beat gas prices and they only sip gas so your neck gets tired before you run out of gas.

speedracerntrixie

My Feedback: (29)

With my current gasser I could easily fly, fuel and fly until my TX battery runs down. Last trip out I was there 3 hrs and went through the gallon of gas I mixed up that morning. Getting back into a 150cc airplane and will start mixing up 5 gallons at a time. My last electric sat in the garage more then anything, 7 min flights just wasn't cutting it. With my gassers I carry enough fuel for 20+ min flights. Once properly set up and the learning curve over any power plants are reliable. It boils down to the personality I guess. My generation built our own airplanes and learned how to tune engines. Too much instant gratification these days, the younger crowd get discouraged if they don't get immediate success. I spend lots of time with my kids encouraging them in their hobbies and teaching them that to be profeicent at anything takes time and effort.

swify

I don't see what the connection is between an electric RCplane and a full size electric car. Full size electric cars are little more than overpriced golf carts in my opinion. They have zero practicality.

If you like electric planes fine but don't try and convince me that theyare the way to go.

lopflyers

My Feedback: (12)

Opinions are like belly buttons, everybody has one, the tittle of this thread is to get everybody's opinion.

speedracerntrixie

My Feedback: (29)

Lop, his and my opinion of you is based on you wanting to blame your lack of success with glow and gasoline power plants on the equipment. All highly educated people I know would rather find solutions to their failures then blame things they do not understand. They also are smart enough to know that experience is a valuable thing and tend to accept others experience so they can learn from it. It's sad that a few guys here have offered you their experience and your reaction to the offers was to react in a defensive manner.

skyraider71

I'm a glow fan for life. I love the smell of nitro and bean oil
in the morning. An O.S. two stoke at full song is sweet music
to me ears.

speedracerntrixie

My Feedback: (29)

To be honest I have never owned any engine that I could not get running well. IMO you just need to read what the engine needs. I too have had great experiences with OS engines but my favorite 2 stroke is Rossi and YS being top dog in 4 cycle. Obviously very different power plants with their own feeding and care needs.

lopflyers

My Feedback: (12)

The reason for my post was to ask about preferences. What do you like better?

wrlwnd

After flying an electric e-flite Apprentice all spring I got a Big Stik 40 with an OS .46 AX II glow engine.

Haven't flown glow in 30 years but after 15 flights it has been running great. Needed a bit of idle adjustment before the first flight but that's about it. Running it rich but slowly leaning it out now after a gallon of fuel has been run through it. Starts no problem every time.

Running a glow engine gives me the power and sound that electrics just can't match. My apprentice is fun but the glow rocks. Not having that engine sound takes so much out of the experience. So fly electric for the "convenience", but you just won't have the full flying experience, IMO.

You keep mentioning all these issues you have that many others dodn't seem to be having. Why do you think that is?

kaczonion

Gas and glow will give you some serious flight time, fuel up, fly, land, fuel up etc. With electric the charge time will limit your flight time.

speedracerntrixie

My Feedback: (29)

Agreed providing you know how to operate them. If you read through the entire thread it's obvious the OP has made the correct decision to stick with electric.

Minnreefer

For me it is budget right now, I can get good used glow engines for under $100 and same goes with the air-frame that glow uses. I have yet to see in person an electric that flies as fast and sounds as sexy as a good glow, or maybe gasser. I Electric is a pain for me to find the best combos, on one plane that I had, I thought I bought the right combo, not near enough power, so I had to buy a whole new setup. If I had a choice, only large moki engines for me, with a cash tree in the back yard.

swify

Some people always like to take the easy way.

lopflyers

My Feedback: (12)

Only some people, others like to take the HARD way.

speedracerntrixie

My Feedback: (29)

I just hate when a battery burns after minor usage. LOL. 42 min of flying time is 2 tanks with my gasser, I usually go through. Gallon each trip to the field. What charger and at what rate were you charging that battery?

lopflyers

My Feedback: (12)

I'm using a 4x Dubro charger. Charging that battery at 0.1 mAh. I'm going to try to trickle charge it overnight.