Jared

My Feedback: (1)

Has anyone ever clocked electric pylon racers with a radar? I've often wondered how fast they actually go, since their small size often makes them harder to guess.

PylonWorld

There are some people on E-Zone that have. The speed varies between 75-100 straight and level depending on the plane, motor and batteries. That is for the reasonably competitive glass planes.

The Stinger with a properly timed Rocket 400 is generally considered to be the fastest legal Speed 400 plane. It has a small wing at 75 square inches and is supposedly a handful. I can believe it.

The speed perception is greatly affected by the plane's size. If you fly one on a 300 x 60 course, you will be turning laps at almost the same rate as a 428 plane, assuming you are flying a tight course. Not flying a tight course will greatly affect your perceived speed, because lap times go up at a faster rate. This is because the distance traveled goes up at a faster rate for the same size errors made on a long course.

The great thing about the Speed 400's is that you can set up a race course at a lot of fields that can't accommodate 422/428/424. Plus noise is not a problem.

HitecRedneck

Don or Jared where can I buy a properly timed speed 400 motor from. I'm going to the Nats this year and want to go ready. Thanks.

PylonWorld

Is this Larry?

I don't know that you can buy them. You might be able to get Troy Peterson to do some for you.

The best thing to do is to build yourself a test stand. Hobby Lobby sells a profile Speed 400 mount for about $8. Mount it to a piece of 3/16 to 1/4" plywood. Make sure you can clamp it down securely and that the airflow won't cause any problems. You can also use the square plywood motor mount by Tim McDonough. Hobby Lobby sells those as well, but you have to brace it, etc.

Buy some Rocket 400's. I do the initial break-in on 3 volts, then switch to 6 volts. This is done in water for 30 seconds, each direction, each voltage. Spray the engine completely with motor cleaner, lube the bearings, and let it dry. I actually put mine back on the test stand, and run it at 3V with a Graupner 5x2 prop. The airflow dries it out quickly. Plus I can see how close I came on the break-in. The sparks give it away. Plus you can use a magnifying glass to see how the brushes look.

On the Rocket, you have to bend the end bell tabs out. Hold the end bell in place, and hook up some voltage. 3V is ok to start with, but you really need to go to 6V or even a flight pack to get the full picture. Rotate the end bell until the sparks are at their least. This is also probably the highest RPM the motor will turn. Don't be afraid to use a tach, if you are doing it with a prop on the motor, but be very careful ... you're doing a couple of things simultaneously, and it's easy to make a mistake. When you have the motor the way you want it, CA the end bell in place, assuming that the tabs no longer line up with the notches.

Hobby Loby sells a tools that will change the timing on the Graupner motors.

Now go fly it and feel the difference. Just remember that the Rocket's have a very limited life with the stress we put on them.

Of course, there are all different ways and formulas for doing the break-in, but this is what I've read and it works for me.

BTW, I occasionally use Comm drops after the water break-in, but I completely wash them out after running the motor on the test stand at 3V.

jetfght

My Feedback: (2)

Hello PylonWorld,

Who makes the Stinger, and do you have their website...i'm thinking of purchasing one..

Thanks..

PylonWorld

The Stinger is available from F3X.com and Northeast Sailplanes. I think they both charge $150 for it. It comes with its own carbon spinner.

You need really radio small gear for one.

See the RC Electric Pylon, Speed 400 section on PylonWorld.com for more info and accessories.

I'm going to get one when I get brave enough, or when I splat my VIP.

jetfght

My Feedback: (2)

In your opinion and experience...which of these are rank in the best speed performance and handling? Switchblade S400 by cavazos, Skat, Stinger....
Thank You Again
Michael.

PylonWorld

I haven't flown any of the ones on your list yet. I've flown the VIP and the Sokol. Of those two, the VIP is the easiest to get ready to fly and handles the easiest. The Sokol is smaller and is faster. It is stable, but not as stable as the VIP.

Of the three you asked about, I can only tell you the general opinions I've heard.

Slowest to Fastest VIP, SwitchBlade, Skat or Sokol, Stinger
Most stable to least stable: VIP, SwitchBlade, Skat or Sokol, Stinger

If this is your first Speed 400 racer, and immediate hard core competition is not the objective, I highly recommend the VIP. It comes in two pieces and the engine mount is in place. There is no fiddling with the radio linkage. It is very straightforward to get together and into the air. It is as ARF as you can get.

Fo any of these planes, you must have a computer radio. You need dual rates and exponential, or you will have a hard time getting them set up properly.

jetfght

My Feedback: (2)

Thanks for your great info...i'll look into it...Love the speed..but sometimes..i just want to fly fast without the hassle of bringing the field tote and fuel to the field...one last question is can a electric pylon racer fly in the park(when none is around) since i only been flying in the r/c area club.......

Michael.

PylonWorld

I don't recommend flying one of these at a park unless it is a big wide open park and people aren't around.

They're fast. If you loose it, it's a 1 pound or so, 70-110 mph bullet. (110 in a dive for the Stinger)

They don't slow down easily, you have to fly a flat, big, circling approach or a big approach. I typically fly a 600 ft straight in approach, that starts at about 50-75 ft of altitude.

When I bought mine I thought I would be able to fly it in my back yard. Its 325 wide at the back, with open areas to the left and right, and a sometimes corn field behind it. I've flown my .46 Ugly Stick there with very little cramped feeling. I wouldn't even start to fly the 400 pylon planes in my yard. A highly experienced pilot might be able to pull it off.

You need a realitively flat area at least 300 ft long to land one in.

jetfght

My Feedback: (2)

To be safe...i won't race in the park at all...i guess...only gliders can be flown at park right?

PylonWorld

There are some sport Speed 400 planes that would do fine in a park. You just need a flying field sized park for the pylon planes.

You might want to check out Northeast Sailplane for some sport type planes. There's always the Great Planes Fundango and similar fun fly planes, too.

HitecRedneck

Hi Don, where can I get the Rocket motors? I'd like to try timing one to see the difference between it and a Graupner speed 400.

PylonWorld

I get mine from Hobby-Lobby.com.

The page they are on is SPEED 280, 300, 400, 480 Motors page.

It is the HLH780 ROCKET 400 4.8-6V MOTOR and they cost $9. Buy a few. You don't get many flights out of them. 10 before they start to go max. Don't use anything over a 4.7 x 4.7 or the current drain will burn it up even quicker.

The test stand I use has a HLAN2096 motor mount from this page.

I also use the GR605323 Prop Shaft Adapter for 2.3mm Motor Shaft from this page, so I don't have to mess with a spinner. It's easy to change the prop, and it has dual set screws, so you don't have to worry about the spinner coming off.

Troy-RCU

My Feedback: (1)

Timing a 6.0V motor is actually quite easy. Because the rear endbell is only held on by a couple of crimps, it'll slide if you apply a twisting force to it. The accepted amount of advanced timing is about 4-5mm in the OPPOSITE direction of armature rotation. So, looking at the back of the motor the endbell must twist counter clockwise. This can be done by using a pair of channel locks or large pliers to grip the case (though, I have just held it by hand before), and another pair of pliers (needlenose work well) to grab the bushing housing and twist. Make a starting scratch mark so you know how far you've turned it. The optimal way to time is using an amp-meter and a tach. Works nice if you have a power supply that feeds constant voltage...wish I had one.
-Troy

Ken Manuel

Hello folks. Nice to meet birds of the same feather so to speak. Don Stegall somehow found a needle in a haystack and suggested to post a picture of it to see the response.

This is my version of a quick built scale P-51 pylon racer kit. It uses stock speed-400 equipment like in a Zagi but faster and much more agile.

Any comments?

Regards,

logan6700

my first speed electric is the wattage hawk it comes with a speed 380. what do you guys think about that plane, they say its a micro glider but it trucks.
I am new to this class of flyer's my cg was off on the hawk and it went vertical for 6 seconds before it stalled out. i am thinking of getting a true pylon plane with out the words fun and sport attached to it i want speed i hate fun and i hate sport and i hate to pay more than 90 bux for a arf electric

phat742

the wattage hawk is a great plane. extremely fast and easy to fly. wonderfully responsive as well. if you really want a fast plane, you should put a super cobalt 400 or an astroflight 020 brushless in it and see it climb forever at a 45 degree angle. with the brushless and the right prop, it gets in to the 90 to 100 mph range easily. but because of the size it gets out of sight really quick at those speeds. the stock setup is really fun as well with the direct drive 380 and a 5 X 2.5 prop. a buddy of mine has an inline 480 motor with a 5:1 ball bearing gearbox turning a 8 x 8 prop in his and it's really fun to watch. not as fast but very nice vertical.