CorsairJock

My Feedback: (90)

Completely un-related to any close to being intelligent conversation.
I own a Harley, NO I would not buy an electric one, Yes I own and fly fuel powered model aircraft, Yes I own and fly electric powered aircraft.
So I guess that makes me: .......... a very confused 'kid'?
If you truely believe that what determines whether or not we use electric power is the size and/ or expense of our 'toys', then you are completely missing the point(s). I suggest you go back and re-read some of the posts. In most, if not all cases: the reason we choose to use electric power has to do with just about everything BUT size, or the desire to make noise.

I chose electric power for my Top Flite Mustang for one reason: I did not want to desecrate the streamlined Mustang cowl.I have several fuel engines which could have been installed, but that would have required me to chop holes in that cowl.

As far as being 'green": that is highly debateable, since rechargeable batteries are not exactly "green"
and I thought grown men got .50 cal these days.

RoyR

Reading over what has been said so far, I would like to point out an observation.
Some things should not be a part of this conversation and some things that should.
Also, I want to make it clear I am not trying to add another side to the arguments. I don’t intend this as an argument at all. I just want to emphasize some things to consider.

First is cost: That is a non-issue and shouldn’t even be brought up, as people are going to pay for what they want. I mentioned earlier that I have gas, electric and glow. But I don’t have a turbine and never will. Please don’t take this next as an argument for or against turbines, but I don’t plan on spending big bucks to worry every time I take off and fly in fast circles. (but I love to watch other people fly that are into turbines) I also will probably not spend money on anything larger than a 30cc gas. Mostly because they won’t fit in my car. However, I will spend the same amount over time buying 3 or four smaller airplanes (probably composed of electric and Gas)
So again, people can buy cheap or expensive whether it’s gas or electric. So money doesn’t matter. (don’t bring up that PC crap about not being able to afford a or b, and going into debt, etc. People can spend more than they should on anything, that’s not the problem here.)

Second: All except my last electric are ARF foamies that either came with the motor and esc, or gave a recommendation which I followed. I am old school in that I like to buy a plane with a recommended engine size and go with that.
Yet there is so much to electrics that I haven’t even looked into yet. I’m talking about getting into the watts, volts, amps, and knowing what all that is going to do for you. That is another aspect that you don’t have to worry about with combustion engines. However if you are getting deep into electrics that can also be a great part of the sport. Learning what it all means and how to tweek things to your benefit. I really don’t plan to go deep into electrics, but if I did I would learn what I could about it.
When I bought my first Gas this year, I learned what I could about the difference between running a model gas as opposed to glow. Anything from different fuel lines to the ignition, to differences in vibration. It was something I enjoyed doing.

My profession was a helicopter pilot. As a professional, pilots are required to know as much about the mechanics of their aircraft as they do about flying.
As a modler, I spent years slowly learning how the planes were built, how the engines worked, a basic understanding of the radios. It was just another side of the hobby that I liked.
So I can see learning all about the workings of electric would also be a welcome challenge.

These are the things we should be looking at about this hobby. What does it offer us as far as enjoyment in getting it.

Then reading some posts again, I seem to be repeating what is being said over and over. OH well.

PSJDBF

There is nothing PC about being able to afford this or that, it's a fact of life, I would have thought that given the current economic situation that would be a given, it's also being mature spending what you can afford & thinking of other's namely family....I dont think I would be the only one on this forum who has not purchased something because they are in a bind & settled on a cheaper alternative.

tony0707

hi
thanks to all for some very good info on this thread about flying electric
always good to learn about a part of the hobby i know just a bit about
i fly only two cycle glo 40 to quarter scale for 23 years
mostly as it keeps the expense of flying down to a minimum-,yes the fuel is always getting more expensive all the time-,but we all know the ground will eat your plane at some point in time-,mostly these days due to a mechanical failure of some kind that will happen no matter what your source of power up front might be
no matter how small or big the plane might be i just do some basic flying,big just flies much smoother-,but always more dollars
when electrics are flying it make me very uncomfortable because they are so quite-i really do like to hear a plane that might be about to hit me in the head-,i am funny that way
i like the roar of any engine that is high performance as a rule and always loved the smell of glo fuel all my life
very hard to beat a 40 or 60 size Stik with a ST 51 or an OS 75 AX on its nose for great performance and little expense- compared to what else you can do and i have flown all size aircraft-but only glo
i get all the kicks i need from those very basic often second planes for many new pilots
so many spend so much money to do what they need to do in the hobby only to return to that same conclusion
so do fly what ever you enjoy , when it stops being FUN ,you are doing something wrong
just my .02 cents
A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY SEASON TO YOU AND YOURS
VERY BEST REGARDS TONY LENTINI

jeffk464

http://www.zeromotorcycles.com/

electric harley, no.

I've been thinking about switching to electric but my field is surrounded by water. Although, no dead sticks means i'm less likely to put it in the water.

jeffk464

Real men hunt grizzlies with a butter knife.

Ron101

My Feedback: (22)

It really just comes down to what you enjoy. One thing I never understand is why when these conversations start why guys flying gas feel the need to take digs at electric?
As I said many times I'm not trying to convert anyone, the title to the thread is gas or eletric... I gave the original poster the reasons I like electric.
But with that comes digs at what I love. I don't mind intelligent conversation but it's the one liner digs that are lame.

Eletrics are like blow up doll, batteries are for flashlights.... I mean really? When it comes down to it we are all grown men playing with toy planes.

I have learned so much about electric power setups... I really enjoy the challange and believe me doing large scale electric warbirds and jets is a challange.
I'd say it's the number one reason I do this. I learn more everyday. I love hooking my laptop to my plane to check the data log and mess with programming in the ESC. I like the fact that I can check my amps and watts on the ground and know the plane will fly well. I love day dreaming about trying new setups, the combinations are endless. It just so hitech and cutting edge.... I love it

I've learned more math and science than I ever would have with gas or glow..... it's just been an awesome adventure.
I know the future is even brighter for electric powered planes with nano tube high capicity packs so close to becoming reality... we are on the verge of having packs with 10 times the capacity in the same weight and size.

This means we will be able to drop down to smaller lighter packs giving us even a better power to weight ratio... I think we will see these in the next five years. They have them now, but they are not ready for production.

It's just very exciting times to be doing electric powered planes.... I'm sorry for any digs I took at your power plant of choice. I truly don't care what you fly and hope you enjoy it to the fullest.
I know I don't have to convince myself about electric power, I'm excited more than I ever have been about the possibilities. The sky truly is the limit.

hope you all get many flights this coming season! it's the greatest hobby on earth and gives me a reason to be excited about life everyday
Have a Merry Christmas
God Bless
Ron

91zulu

My Feedback: (2)

A merry Christmas to all.

hugger-4641

My Feedback: (6)

I'll go ahead and repeat some of what's been said also. I fly glow,gas, and electric. Each has its pro's and con's and I am a versatile person myself, so I have reasons for having each.

For my larger "scale" planes, anything larger than .60 sized, I think gas and/or 4 stroke glow engines are the only realistic power options, besides the fact that electric becomes much more expensive in these sizes.

Most of my .40 to .60 sized planes have two stroke glow engines. Partially because I am a gear head and I just like glow engines, and partially because I like the ability to move engines from plane to plane, fly them when I want, or hang them up for a couple months if want to.

I also have several electric planes both brushed and brushless. These are all .40 sized or smaller. They have the advantage of no mess, pull from the trunk and chunk into the air . I do a lot of teaching with electric Super Cubs, and I almost always have a Parkzone T-28 in my trunk or back seat to fly at what ever park or vacant parking lot I might find myself waiting around at.

No one of these power options is the BEST or Most Advanced. Each has its purpose, advantages, and disadvantages. It comes down to what you like. And personally, I'm glad I like all of them.

jessiej

BB gun= all time classic. starting place and everyday entertainment for champions. Quiet and useful in urban settings. Stepping stone to megabuck airguns like the Feinwerkbau.

.22= Most developed and successful cartridge in history. Supremely accurate as well as economical it is the standard for international competition from free pistol through Biathlon. Small game cartridge supreme and, sadly, often the choice of professional assassins.

.30-06= US military round from 1903 through most of the 50s. Extremely successful as a hunting round has taken every species on the planet. Remains very popular despite many newer cartridges.

Which is best?

jess

RoyR

I guess what I was trying to say didn't come out right. I have been on some threads where someone will say I shouldn't talk about some expensive airplane because some people "May Not" be able to afford an airplane at all and we don't want to hurt their feelings by talking about what we have and they don't have.

I agree with what you said, and until I was in my 50s I had to save for months just to buy a 35 size engine or something like that. However, I never objected to someone being able to buy something I couldn't afford. Now that I have a little reserve cash and can buy pretty much the type plane I want, I don't want someone telling me I shouldn't sound like I'm bragging about it, because someone else "May" be offended. That's what I meant by getting PC.
And that if someone can afford a mid size airplane, the difference in cost between glow and electric won't matter if they already have a preference. Buying one over the other isn't going to send someone to the poorhouse.


I think we are saying the same thing, I certainly understand that many people can't afford to get what they want these days and know exactly how that feels. I also know I was very happy with what I could get back when things were tight. For years I rarely had more than one airplane at a time. When they broke I kept repairing them until they were too far gone to repair. I enjoyed that part of it too.

Ron101

My Feedback: (22)

Well said RoyR

Garyav16

My Feedback: (6)

Thanks for all the comments. However, I think the answers were for Jado 6 who asked the question. I simply gave my .02 worth.

Merry Christmas and Happy Festivus

CorsairJock

My Feedback: (90)

Choose the wrong one and, ..................YOU'LL SHOOT YOUR EYE OUT!!!!
Merry Christmas to ALL.

Johnnysplits

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Ron101

My Feedback: (22)

Ha... I'm watching that with the kids now. Classic
Merry Christmas bud

hope you all have a great night!

Tommygun

My Feedback: (2)

Like it or not, electric IS the future, and WILL replace internal combustion engines in R/C models for the majority of folks. I can see why many resist this change- they are engine enthusiasts as well as model aircraft enthusiasts. Consider this analogy with model railroads- OS, yes the same company that makes glow engines, also makes these garden scale, live steam locomotives. While they could easily produce the same locomotive (for much less money) to run on an easy to maintain/operate electric motor, the "magic" just wouldn't be there. So I get it, but at the same time, I'm happily moving on to electric power for MY models.

da Rock

Many are not resisting the change, they're simply having so much fun doing what they really enjoy they have no reason to change.

da Rock

Hey guys,

there is no rule that says if you enjoy one thing that it's a requirement you dislike (or even care about) the other.


Hey, Merry Christmas and GOOD WILL toward the other side.

Johnnysplits

Sorry, that will n-e-v-e-r happen...no way

Tommygun

My Feedback: (2)

Yes way, it's already started. Give it some time, especially if batteries get even better than they are now. Look how many have already converted.

hugger-4641

My Feedback: (6)

Electrics are improving, but they will never replace the aspects of the hobby that cause most people to fly glow /gas. Those who are too inept to understand I/C engines will naturally go electric.

Just like most people don't drive cars or even trucks with manual transmissions these days, but true car enthusiasts and people who really use a truck as a truck will always own something with a manual transmission. While not the norm anymore, you can still and most likely always will be able to buy cars and trucks with manual transmissions. Same goes with planes and helicopters.

GerKonig

Really? If you really mean what you clearly said: "Those who are too inept to understand I/C engines will naturally go electric."

A lot of us that also currently fly big electrics and gas flew nitro for decades, w/o problems. Yet, we switched.

You need to grow up. The good news: Being a free country, you really do not have to...

Gerry

hugger-4641

My Feedback: (6)

I didn't say ALL people who fly electric are too inept to for glow/gas engines, but if it applies and the truth hurts, I'm sorry.

The fact around here is that many people choose electrics because they do not want to invest the time and effort into understanding I/C. I didn't say ALL, I said many. There are many people who fly large electrics just for the power / weight benefits.

But I'll stick to the jist my statement, the majority of electric pilots who have only been flying a couple years or so choose electrics because they find them simple to operate and maintain compared to glow / gas.

Boomerang1

What a hillarious statement!

What I have seen is about 50% of I/C flyers are too inept to go electric!

Many, many times I've seen guys who are very skilled with I/C engines try to
'go electric' with amusing & usually spectacular results. Usually older guys who
just can't seem to get their heads around what's necessary to get a model flying.

What's plug & play for many of us is plug & frustration for others.

One thing in common, most of these guys who fail go on to say electric flight is
rubbish, the technology is too complicated, the equipment was 'faulty', it was
the work of the devil, etc, etc, etc ..................................