azimiut

I flew planes many years ago, got into rc cars, then racing real cars. Done with the real thing. I moved out to an area with lots of land and want to get back into aircraft. I had gas and done with that now that electric is so much better than it was years ago.

Since I have my electric car stuff I was looking for a trainer that would use the same batteries. Everything else is different and still want to drive my cars. They are the 3s 35c 5500mah 140mm 50mm x 30mm. However in my car I run them in a series for 6s. But since I have 2 dozen of these batteries it would be best to find a plane that matches.

The other plane I want to fly is my old 2m motor glider which I built but never flown. Just been hanging in my office. Gotta do a little fixing on it. Just need a new cowl and battery cover. Down the road do a brushless on it but might fly it as is. If I crash well I hope not but it is what it is.

My only issue is that I don't have a super smooth runway. I have a paved road out front but very long packed gravel driveway. Road is ok for a trainer but tear up the glider since it doesn't have gear.

Arf is ok I don't have a problem building a kit but I like wood over foam. Would a 40 or 60 trainer fit the batteries the best?

warhwk

My Feedback: (3)

You could probably use those batteries in this plane. Aviator Trainer 54in .25 Class Size Blasa Airplane ARF | Value Hobby
Any plane larger than this will more than likely require 4s lipo's.
Modify the landing gear to a tail-dragger with some dural landing gear and large tires and it would probably handle rough ground ok.
But the best advice I can give is to find a local AMA field and meet up with other modelers. It's not always just about the flying.

jester_s1

It's probably going to be hard to match a plane to your batteries. Compared to cars, we tend to run more voltage, and weight is a bigger concern than durability. Your car packs are probably hard case, which adds weight. Fitting them into a fuselage could be an issue too.

TomCrump

I've used those hard case batteries. You are correct. They are heavy, and difficult to fit into some air frames.

I feel that the OP would be better served by starting out fresh, with equipment designed for model airplanes.

azimiut

the batteries are soft case. Other than general shape of a battery I do not see if you run the same output 3s 35c 5500mah is the same as any other battery with the same numbers. and I run them in a series so its running 6s.

jester_s1

Sure, if the weight is the same it will be fine. There are plenty of electric planes that fly well on a 6s 5000 battery.

Propworn

My Feedback: (3)

If you go to the Axi site they have a calculator to help you choose a motor. Any .40 to .46 trainer will have plenty of room inside for a 3S battery. The larger trainer will handle the weight of those batteries without any problem. A .40 to .46 will turn a 10X6-8 prop around 10,000 to 11,000 rpm. For instance if you look at this Axi motor https://www.modelmotors.cz/product/detail/221/ you will see it wants a 10X5-6 prop and you can expect 1200 rpm per volt. The three cell is roughly 11 volts so 11 times 1200 would get you over 12,000 rpm more than enough to fly that large trainer all over the sky. It calls for a 40 amp esc I would use a larger one up to 60 as they are not much difference in price. Use large Sulivan Skylite wheels 4 inch diameter you can land and take off just about anywhere.

Telemasters by Hobby Express are my favorite rough gound trainer with flaps in the taildragger configuration.

With the big tires I fly them a lot like the STOL aircraft and love how steep and slow you can bring them in and take off like the full size bush planes.