I'm fairly new to R/C in general, and have only been flying electric for about 6 months. There's just something missing, and that's the noise of an engine! I've always liked Cox engines and I plan on converting an electric ARF to a Cox driven one. I really don't care if it's .010, .020, .049, etc., I just want it to be 1/2a .051 and under. Are there any general guidelines as to what weight aircraft each engine can handle?
Thanks,
Cal
Answer from BMatthews-
There's a fairly wide range of model sizes and weights that you can fly with a Reedie .049. The popular DNU Ugly Stik variaiton that is popular here is a real hotrod with a reedie at 32 inch span and around 14 to 16 oz. More common are the 36 inch span models with around 250 sq inches of wing area and weighing from 14 to 24 oz. The lighter options being higher performance and the heavier ones flying faster, climbing slower and landing faster. At the other end are the "powered gliders". The SAM old timer Texaco 1/2A event models are full sized or scaled down copies of the old prewar free flight models and run up from 260 to 300 sq inches, are required to weigh a minimum of 8oz/sq ft of wing area and typically come in around 16 to 20 oz. Finally there's real gliders from 60 ot 78 inch span that use an 049 to climb at best and "glide uphill" at worst. These powered gliders can range from 24 to 36'ish oz and still get up high enough to catch thermals.