ORIGINAL: Kmot
Re: Rascal Forty and Extra Weight
Ed, I have a home made glow driver in my Rascal Forty, It includes a micro switch, wiring, an external off/on toggle switch, a battery holder, and a sub-c cell. I have never flow the plane without it, so I don't know what difference it made in the way it flies.
However, I have also flown this plane with a camcorder, 3 feet of coax cable, and an additional external camera lens housed in a rubber housing with a mount attached to it. That extra amount of weight in my Rascal Forty was unnoticeable in the way it flew.
I only say this to suggest to Keith that he need no worry much about the weight of a glow driver system in his Rascal Forty. Other planes may have other situations.
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Wow, you didn't notice the camcorder's weight? That must be one heck of a good model. I ordered one a couple of weeks ago. It's probably sitting in the basement/garage/workshop awaiting assembly. I wish I had one of those Saito R3 .90 sized radials for the nose. That would be neat. I guess I'll have to settle for one of my four-stroke singles. Life is good.
I just don't like people relying on crutches, that's all. These engines can be adjusted to run well without idle heat. And we all know that any model flies better the less it weighs. It was not my intention to cause worry. As my one brother says, "Take it easy - like a woodpecker with a headache".
Ed Cregger