One of the major hurdles that glow flyers have in trying to transition to electric is finding any data that allows them to compare the performance of their glow engines to electric systems. It is a wall I still run into. It seems that no such data has ever been presented.
Today I ran some tests with my tach on the $9.29 GWS direct drive brushed EDP 400B motor:
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXHHN1&P=0
I installed an APC 5.7x3 Glow prop which is the most commonly used prop on Cox .049s. I used two different batteries: a Great Planes 8.4v 650mah NiNH and a GP 9.6v 650mah NiMH.
I was totally surprised at the results. The little motor turned the APC 5.7x3 right at 15,750 rpm with the 9.6v pack. This is a glow prop.
This is actually better than a Cox Golden Bee and many Babe Bees, but not as good as a Black Widow. I think it's about the same as the AP Wasp .061.
So, anyone wanting to have quiet, throttled flying with a model designed around the Cox reed valve .049s - of which there are literally hundreds - could successfully use this inexpensive setup. Granted it's going to weigh more than an .049, but take into account all the models that were designed for use with old, standard size radio gear (such a s my Randy Randolph Bee-Tween) and with todays micro gear you can pretty much gain back the weight savings.
I thought some might appreciate knowing that there is an electric equivalent to the Cox .049 reed valve engine. And that it actually costs
less than a glow setup! The Wasp is $40.