ORIGINAL: SeamusG
ORIGINAL: RCKen
With the power options of electric components there is no reason in the world you can't electrify a LT-40. In fact, I think it would be a great combo. The HUGE wing on this trainer will give you ample lift to get the battery in the air. Converting the mount to an electric motor should not present any problems either. The only downside I can think of will the initial expense of the batteries and a charger. If you want to get a decent amount of flights in on a training session you will need a minimum of 2 battery packs and a good charger that can use 12V DC power so you can recharge at the field. But even this will be a bit limiting as each battery pack is going to take an hour to charge. 3 packs and a charger would be whatI would go with if it were me.
Ken
I haven't ventured into electric (yet). Most of the guys at the field who do fly green need to set their timers to maybe 7 minutes to make sure that they have something left for landing. I can take my LT-40 with an OS46 FXand fly for 30 minutes and use 3/4 tank (12 oz or whatever is recommended by SIG). Does this "characteristic" of electric power effect your choice on power? Is 7 minutes enough for trainer flying?
This is what Iwas hinting at in my post above. Iguess I was tired when Ityped it out as Ishould have expanded on what Isaid. Yes, a plane can be converted to electric. But as Isaid above, the cost can get prohibitive to newer pilots. In order to get equal flight times they will need bigger batteries, and bigger batteries are more expensive. Also, to get more than just one or two flights per day they will need to buy multiple battery packs.
For flight times for beginners Ihave found that 10 minutes is pretty much the target Ishoot for. Any longer and students start getting tired and making mistakes. They may tell you they are fine, but Ican see them starting to make mistakes in longer flights. So Iwill usually tell students it's time to land at 10 minutes. This isn't an out of reach goal for electric power by any means.
Now with all this said, Imyself still prefer glow powered trainers for many reasons when teaching students. But I was simply answering the question posted here about doing an LT-40 with electric power.
Ken