Hi folks I am getting started in R/C again after building
a Goldburg Eagle 63 back in 1984 but never flew it.

I just got a Tower Hobbies Trainer 40 ARF and a OS 46AX.

I will be getting a Futaba 6ex 2.4 radio next week.

Its about to get cold around here (NW In)
so wont be doing much till spring.

Jimmy

Get some simulator time in, you will be a zen master come spring thaw !

Welcome back and welcome to RCU JimmyZ. Good choices and the usual join a club yadda dadda.

Welcome to RCU Jimmy. Please don't hesitate to ask any questions you might have. That's what we're here for!!!

Welcome back to the greatest hobby in the world!!!

Ken

Thanks for the welcome fella's.

Ill probably have alot of questions for you soon.

Like how long does a batt last in the plane?

Jimmy

What I want to know is how are you going to be able to stand looking at all that shiny new stuff all winter and not get the urge to take it out and fly regardless of how cold it is or how deep the snow is?

How long a battery lasts depends on factors like the battery capacity (mAh rating), type of airplane, number and type of servos, etc. You can ususally count on at least 4-5, 10-15 minute flights for an average receiver battery in a typical .40 size trainer though, possibly even more. A good tool to have is a volt meter that puts a small load on the battery so you can check it after a few flights.

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...LXWDZ5&P=7

Cool, thanks Chuck.

I have meters, my other hobby is building guitar amps.

I like this forum allready, Ive been on others and its seems hard to ask a beginer question
on some of the guitar and amp forums.

Jimmy

You can use a regular analog or digital meter but just keep in mind that they may only tell you the open-circuit voltage. Sometimes a battery will look fine at rest but fall on its face under a load. With your trainer though, just make sure the battery is fully charged before a day of flying and you will likley be just fine with a reasonable amount of flights.

Think you missed a small detail in Chucks post. The expanded scale voltmeter he posted a link to puts a "load" on the battery so you have a better idea of the real voltage of the battery. A "expanded" scale voltmeter is a must, and cheap. Get one.

Oh ya, welcome back!

Ask away, most here will gladly give you all the help you need.

Welcome back and you made some good choices in gear.

Typically, you can trust a battery to last about one season, flying twice a week total 8-9 flights weekly. Whatever performance you get beyond that is a bonus. We usually lose batteries in the off-season due to not cycling them, so you should invest in a cycle charger or alteast charge and discharge your NiCd or NiMh batteries every two-three weeks. While I do like the idea of keeping a watch on the battery, its drifting from the point. For a glow plane, all you need to be sure of is that the battery is in condition good enough to perform when required. Put a voltwatch on the airplane (paste it to the fuselage side) and make sure it doesnt go to yellow with all sticks deflected to their max extents. Stop flying and recharge as soon as it goes into yellow. Think that is about enough for a glow airplane in the beginning. Also get yourself a 5cell (6V) NiMh atleast 1200mah or more for safety sake. You can go on to a LiPo or LiFe or that sort later when you want to make things more complex. Till then enjoy your trainer

Ameyam

Wow! Im impressed by your informational generosity! Thanks.

I got a couple more questions, typically how long does a glow plug last and
whats a good safe ratio fuel nitro and lube wise.

The OS 46ax comes with a #6 glo plug. Reliability is my main concern.

Jimmy

Some will tell you to put in a F-type four-stroke plug but dont do that unless you have severe reliability issues. The #6 plug is not the hottest, the #8 is the hottest as far as I know. But you should be ok with the #6.

For fuel, you need fuel with 20% lube. Plain castor will do if you want to brew it yourself. Just ensure that the % of lube in the final mix is no less than 18%. Nitromethane is not really necessary in your 46AX. It will give you a more reliable idle but, being a oxidiser, it will cause bearing rust if you dont empty all the fuel out at the end of the season, so I would suggest not to use it unless you have to or atleast use no more than 5%. You can also look at the more expensive synthetic fuel. Ensure whatever mix you buy should have some amount of castor. For example, Klotz 100 available of Tower has 20% castor in the Lube and you can use it to brew your own fuel. This will ensure lubrication even when no fuel has reached the carb at the start of the day.

The 46AX is a very strong performer just as long as you run it in properly

Ameyam

Wow, 20% Lube?? I have been using Wildcat Premium 15% for 3 years and it has a 16% oil content (80% syn 20% racing castor).. I have ALWAYSgriped about how its way too much oil and it could be a little less and still do the job..

The OS manual asks for 18% lube. You can look that up. 20% is a little on the safe side. For the larger engines you can drop the percentage but not on the 46AX

Ameyam

Hey Jimmy............welcome! Well you and I have something(s) in common already. I started RC in 1979 and in 1984 I built a Midwest Sweet Stik that I still have with the original OS45FSR and I'm still a novice. Been in and out of the hobby so many times I've lost count but I still build and fly. I also have two Fender guitars, a Fender bass, a Gibson Les Paul and 3 Fender amps of which 1 is a vintage and numerous pedals.

Cheers,
Andy

I was wondering if Id find a guitar player here, thats cool.

I have a 2009 Gibson historic 58' ri Les Paul and a couple 100w Super Leads 1 Marshall 1 Metro Amp a JTM45 and a 1x12 JTM50
and a couple of Echoplex's

Jimmy

Run a fuel with Castor oil and Synthetic oil (Power Master, Omega). I wouldn't recommend using a full synthetic fuel like Cool Power to break in a new motor. Synthetic fuel is clean burning, but the oil breaks down at a lower temp than castor oil. If you run your engine lean by accident, the small amount of castor in your fuel will withstand a higher temp than the synthetic.

General rule of thumb:
High nitro fuels need a colder plug and,
Lower nitro fuels need a hotter plug.

The instructions will tell you what OS wants you to run in there engines with both nitro and oil %. Sense Power Master is no longer around we have been running Wild Cat and it does only have 16% oil. Due to the engines I run I gave the oil percentage a lot of thought and started adding 2oz. of Klotz oil to the Wild Cat. The debate of Castor or no Castor has been ongoing for years. I have tried it all and not noticed a nickles worth of difference. If I ever run an engine so lean that I'm going to do any harm that Castor is going to save it then I have really messed something up. If you look on the label it will state {Usually} if it's a blended oil and most blends have some Castor in it. The Klotz oil I add has 20% Castor added to it's blend and the Wild Cat is also a blended oil. I like a blend with the Castor in it but not for lean run protection, more for cooling and the way Castor leaves a bit of a varnish coat to the inside of the cylinder and how well it leaves that extra rust inhibitor behind.
Batteries, I get about 4 years or better out of all my packs. Not having any real off season my planes get used all year long. I do cycle but for the most part it's to check the condition of the packs to see if they do need replacing. the instructions will tell you all you need to know, just follow them.

Each guy has his methods to madness i suppose. Iknow from previous use of a 55 FX with Wildcat 15% and the 16% oil, it still slobbered like mad and was way more than adequate..I think the manufacturer recommends those higher oil contents as a safety factor.. those engines can run fine on less oil than that.. you just have to be careful and know what you are doing.. I certainly hate the oily, nasty mess but not so much yet to justify blending my own fuel..

Kirby, 16% oil is the lowest anyone would comfortably go... and that's being on the rich side which also runs it cooler.

If your engine is 'slobbering' oil, I would investigate your NV, low and high.

Hey Gray Beard.............Power Master is back after a brief hiatus.........just bought a new can the other day at the LHS. They were bought up by somebody but the can still says Power Master. Also just saw a new ad in one of the hobby rags that they are "back with a vengence".............hooray!!!!

**Double post** oops

I would use whatever fuel is easily available to you locally and commonly used at your field. Your engine will run fine on 5%-15% nitro but I would probably start with 10%. it is a good all around fuel that will work in a variety of engines. I personally buy strictly 15% though since I fly a lot of 4-stroke engines but it still works fine in 2-strokes too. I run Coolpower that ha 18% (I think) synthetic oil. I have no problems running it in a brand new engines. There are a lot of arguments for using castor and that's fine but I do not abuse my engines and I have zero problems. Like I said, find something that is readily available in your area and stick with it; you will be fine.

A quality glow plug will last a surprisingly long time if you run good clean fuel and the engine is tuned properly. In 4-strokes, I easily have them last well over a year. In fact I only end up changing them sometimes because i want to play it safe, not because they are actually bad yet. A plug won't last quite as long in a 2-stroke but I still can't imagine changing it more than 1-2 times in a season. Regardless, keep a few extra on hand because they can go bad unexpectedly and you don't want to ruin your flying day by not having a spare.

OS has a good glow plug chart here:
http://www.osengines.com/accys/glowplugs.html

The #6 is a hot plug. I generally like a #8 since it is the middle of the heat range and it seems to work well in most 2-strokes. You can always go up or down in heat from there to tune the engine to your particular climate, fuel, etc. Since it comes with the #6 already though, I would screw it in and use it. I generally stick to OS brand plugs because they have good consistent quality. I have done well with plugs from Fox and others though.<br type="_moz" />

What Chuck said

Ameyam