Windwalker

My Feedback: (2)

Maybe it's just a trend at the fields I fly, but there seems to be a lot of people buying small electrics-only to find the performance anemic...then converting the plane to glow

If RCU has a glow-to-electric forum, wouldn't it be logical to have a electric-to-glow forum also?

SHAFT "Can you dig it?"

WW[8D]

Larry Eddy

My Feedback: (24)

good idea, but we already have it. It is in the Electric Universe.

[link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/Glow_to_Electric_Conversions/forumid_132/tt.htm]Here's the link![/link] :-)

Windwalker

My Feedback: (2)

Thanks for the response Larry...
But I'm not sure you read my question closely
I wasn't asking about a glow to electric conversion forum
I was suggesting that there be an electric to glow conversion forum
Not trying to say that I've read every post in the G to E section, but all the titles for the threads seem to be So-and-So model X Glow to Electric

Again-I'm saying RCU should have a forum in the glow powered plane section titled ELECTRIC to GLOW conversions

Greg Covey

I agree that it appears Larry mis-read your request. The reason is likely because it is an unusual one.

I have not heard of anyone converting an electric plane to glow before. Typically, the smaller electric planes are built lighter because they are not subjected to the vibrations of a glow engine. Also, some of the materials used in electric planes would not stand up to a coating of glow fuel.

Today's electric planes are no longer anemic. There have been vast improvements in electric flight technology from small brushless motors to battery cell technology.

Although the trend is for electric flight to someday overcome glow or gas engine flight, the two technologies will continue to live in harmony for many years to come. In general, planes smaller than .25-size are almost always electric powered. The .25-.60 size, and sometimes .90-.120 size, are now a mixed bag where the larger percentage is still glow or gas powered.

I don't see this trend reversing but that doesn't mean we shouldn't add your electric-to-glow forum.

mvigod

Interesting idea. I wonder how often users go from electric to glow?

heli001

My Feedback: (5)

The two main reasons for going electric is noise and the mess associated with glow, not to mention the field equipment needed to support it.

I would imagine that there are very few conversions to glow other than some tinkering and experimentation to see if "it will fly"....if it's a Foamy, you can forget the glow power......[X(]

Once you have flown a powerful electric, and with the newer LiPo's that are now available, it would be hard to go back to an IC engine. Greg is right, we all will be flying electric in the not to distant future, if for no other reason than the noise pollution, which is such a hot topic with the big gassers.

Windwalker

My Feedback: (2)

Speak for yourself Heli-

The day electric motors and their batteries last longer than a glow motor I will convert to all electric...Don't get me wrong I have nothing against E power and agree they are improving daily-but in Texas as in much of the country we still have plenty of 'wide open spaces' where the sound (notice I do not refer to it as noise) of our engines bothers no one.

And what a sound it is! You can't tell me people in this hobby would listen to a 4-stroke twin or multi-cyl. without wanting one. And don't discount the gearhead/hotrodder/tinkerer aspect of our wonderful pastime-some of our fellow modelers have most of their fun rebuilding, modifying, tweaking and dreaming up unusual combinations...(fun fly with a heli motor, ducted fan on a quickie, etc.)

I've seen at least four people recently convert weak electrics into respectable flying glow models--not to say all electrics are weak-they're not-these guys just felt their planes weren't up to snuff as electrics and so switched to glow, and I simply suggested an Electric to Glow Conversion Forum.

If RCU is more interested in discussing semantics than finding out if their members would like a new forum to add to the site, fine-I got time-but I believe a better use of everyone's time would be to just put it to a vote on all glow-based forums and see what happens-Jeeez, we've already spent more time than it would take to do that haven't we?

For every electric flyer there's ten glow flyers--Doesn't RCU owe it to their members to decide?

Or does RCU decide what's best for their members?

heli001

My Feedback: (5)

Windwalker,

You are more than welcome to post in the glow section and see what the response is, no one's stopping you at all......

The "Day" you are talking about is already here...Jason Shulman placed 7th in the FAI F3A Pattern World Championships with an electric........and don't get ME wrong, I have quite a few hours on "Glow" myself. Got a Saito 300 that I dearly love.....!

NO one is discussing semantics at all, just stating facts. The interest in converting from an electric model to glow may not warrant an additional forum.

Give it a shot, if there is enough interest, it will be added........

Windwalker

My Feedback: (2)

'Scuse me while I kiss the sky!

Well while were talking about semantics, maybe you could tell me how Jason Shulman placing 7th in F3A (Congratulations Jason by the way) relates to the day-in, day-out, couldn't kill it if I wanted to, my grandson will probably be flying it longevity of glow motors. You don't really believe you'll be able to go on RCU marketplace or Ebay 20 YEARS from now and buy Jasons used E-motor do you?

We're clearly talking about 2 different "Days" Heli

1. Any day in the future I (you, or anybody) might pull a 20 or even 30 year old engine out of storage, clean it up, pop a plug in it and crank it over KNOWING it will run just as good as the day you put it away.

2. One guy placing 7th in one event with an electric motor that probably wouldn't qualify as a decent paperweight a year later

Just stating facts? Here's a few...

pound for pound, dollar for dollar, glow is the clear choice for modelers who want the most bang for the buck, and will be for years to come

Nowhere in my post did I refer to competitive pilots or events who obviously have the dollars/sponsors to obtain the latest cutting edge equipment for their planes, and represent a small percentage of active modelers; I was speaking on behalf of the general sport modelers who represent the vast majority involved in this hobby

You state in one post "Once you have flown a powerful electric, etc...etc... It would be hard to go back" THEN your NEXT post relates your "love" for a Saito you seem to have no plans to get rid of

The conversions you so blithely dismiss as tinkering and experimentation doesn't exist
Every E to G switch I've seen flies with more authority than the original setup

Every moderator including yourself, with the exception of Larry, who misunderstood the nature of the question, admits the forum may have merit

My interest in posing this question in the Suggestions forum stemmed not only from what I have personally witnessed, but also from the logical assumption that conversions, like assertions, are inherently diverse, and don't necessarily flow in any one direction

Thank You Heli, for so graciously offering to be my foil and prove my point

Off to rattle more cages...WW

Matt Kirsch

My Feedback: (21)

I'm not sure where you get the idea that electric motors don't have the longevity. Brushless motors are virtually maintenance free, and last virtually forever. There are only two parts that can wear out, the front bearing and the rear bearing. How many moving parts are there on a glow engine that can wear out? Will parts be available for that long-discontinued glow engine 20-30 years down the road when you pull it out for your grandson to use? Then there's the rusting. You need to carefully drain all the fuel from the plane, run the engine dry, and drizzle special oil into the crankcase. Even then, the engine still rusts inside. An electric motor will never rust, and unless science comes up with something truly revolutionary, AND invents a new standard of measurement better than the metric system, ball bearings will always be available.

Dollar for dollar, glow still holds the lead, but that wasn't your original argument. You added that later when it was pointed out that the power-to-weight and flight duration issues you originally used as ammunition are no longer valid: "The day electric motors and their batteries last longer than a glow motor I will convert to all electric..." I also read the word "anemic" several times in reference to the performance of some electric planes.

Frankly, you're getting worked up and offended for no reason. heli001 is simply voicing his opinion, as are you. You asked for opinions. Were you expecting them to all be to your liking? If you can't handle a couple of contrary opinions in a small thread like this, you may not want to start a poll.

Live and let live. There's room for both, and there will be for years to come.

RCU has a process for adding new forums. Follow it; don't expect the management to foist a new forum on everyone because one member thinks its a good idea. RCU gives the members what they want. You're expecting them to tell the members what they want. If the membership wants an Electric to Glow conversion forum, a poll will tell the tale, and you will get one.

suzonka

My Feedback: (7)

In My opinion a smaller elctric planes converted to glow may be ok but not really needed with the newer electric set ups but when you get into the larger fat fuse planes glo and gas are more effective for stunts .

cliffclof

Yeah I'm not sure if an entire forum would be the best solution, but I was interested in the possibility of converting a small electric into a 40 size glow because of spare things laying around that might make a good (okay) 3D flyer to tinker with. I usually find things have already been talked about somewhere on the forum, so maybe a faster better search tool would help a bit?

please don't yell at me.. heh heh

Flight Risk

My Feedback: (1)

Personally, I have been wanting to do an electric to glow conversion. Specifically I would like to take an Aerobird type plane and put on a small .10 to .15 glow engine on it with a pusher prop, as I have a few of these sitting around. The bodies of these planes are plastic, so fuel shouldn't be a problem, but how will fuel affect a foam wing? If I need to make wings out of balsa or coroplast I would try that, In which case I would take out most or all dihedral, so that the plane would be more acrobatic. In fact I would probably change to coro for the tail feathers and get rid of the rubberband-return controls and change to pull-pull or push-pull. I notice the sell the bodies only for about $60 for the larger birds. Here is a link to something like I want only in gas.
http://www.soy.on.ca/pushycat.html
By the way, who sells these type of park flier without the transmitter and reciever? I would like to fly on 72mhz. Seems like whenever someone wants a new plane, they need to get a new transmitter.
Was a new thread for foam to gas ever started?

FR

suzonka

My Feedback: (7)

this wasp is hot as an electric, if you put a 10 glow on it it would be a rocket'

GLOWFAST

Hi,

I am one of those guys who prefers glow to electric. There are two reasons.

1. Love the smell of burnt nitomethane and the associated noise of a small IC engine turning at 25000 rpm.

2. I can go must faster in a Nitro plane since it is so much lighter than an electric, plus I find the cost of getting started in electric too expensive. I already have all the Nitro items.


I know, there are many of you who have exotic expensive setups that will not agree with me that nitro is faster. That is why I listed this as reason number 2. Once you are setup for Nitro, switching to electric is expensive. Once you are setup with electric, switching over ot nitro is epensive, plus you have to learn how to start and tune the carb. Electric is nice because it is quiet. But I have a private field out in the country with no one to offend.

For $40. US I can pick up an Norvel that can scream all day and use a Hitec 81 mini servo to run the throttle. At 16 ounces these planes are fast, cheap and easy to fly.

So I vote for a Electric to Glow forum. I would volunteer info on running nitro engines if anyone has any questons at all. have been running those for about 25 years.

suzonka

My Feedback: (7)

SAUSEACH HIS OWN IN ITALION