duncker, I was thinking of using 28 of the Elite 1500 2/3 cells. they seem to have very good discharge rates compared to the 2000 and 2100 AAs. The winning teams used those last year so I think it would be a safe bet. What configuration do you think will give me the least amount of resistance?

jester, thanks for the model suggestions, will definitely look into those. I tend to use very practical designs, here is the plane from last year: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rY-3xUZWBM0. We could get only about 2 lbs of thrust compared to 6-7lbs that other teams were getting. We couldn't take off in the 20x20 square unless there was a moderate headwind.