daveysapp

I'm new to electric flight. I have experience with the cub trainer and can fly it without difficulty. I've purchased a gaul li p51 mustang and cannot keep it in the air. It looks under powered. Do I need to upgrade to a brushless motor? how do I select the correct components....mounting, compatibility etc....I've attached a picture. any help would be appreciated.

Dorsal

My Feedback: (17)

If that is actually a photo of your plane, I think the prop is on backwards. The markings on the prop should face forwards, in the direction of flight. That alone will make a tremendous difference in performance.
As far as changing to brushless, the one to pick depends on the method the current motor is attached. Post a photo of the motor with the cowl removed, so maybe we could help you choose. Also remember you'll need to change the ESC to one made for brushless motors, so you need to know where the existing ESC is located and if you can easily swap it out.
Next, what kind and size (amp-hour rating, "C" rating, etc) of battery do you currently have in the plane? You don't want a motor that will demand more than the battery can provide, unless you plan to get a larger battery also.

rob737

My Feedback: (3)

there is some information on these guanlis on some of the threads here on the forum. if yours has the brushed motor set up it most likely won't fly (based on what i have read). it might be better to put this plane on the shelf for a while and chose something that you will be happier with and won't have to fuss with. rob

crazychris46dividedby2

i might be way off base here but ive read some thing on the helicopters and where you live(alltitude) can also have a big effect on flight performance. just my 2 cents trying to help. chris

daveysapp

guys, thanks for the help. I've decided to modify the plane and go to a brushless motor system. I almost have it installed. I'll let you know how it comes out.

daveysapp

I've upgraded to a tower pro bp2408 (i think) with a 9x6 prop. I'm still using the niCD battery. Will a Lipo battery run it faster?

jdetray

It depends on the voltage of the battery. I higher voltage battery will spin the prop faster than a lower voltage battery, regardless of the type of battery. However, for the same capacity (mAh), a lipo will be much lighter than a NiCd, so the plane may perform better with a lipo just because of its lower weight.

In fact, you could probably use a lipo with twice the capacity of the NiCd and still save weight. This would give you better performance and longer flight times as well.

The downside is that lipos are going to be more expensive, require a lipo charger, and need to be treated with more care than a typical NiCd.

- Jeff