How long should I be able to fly?
09-10-2006, 07:51 PM
#4
Senior Member
My Feedback: (1)
RE: How long should I be able to fly?
on a normal .40 size trainer with ~10oz tank at mostly half throttle you should be able to fly 20 minutes,,but anyone here will tell you 20 minutes is a looooooong time to fly,,most will go 8 minutes or so and land and refuel, then when your done flying..defuel the tank...Rog
09-10-2006, 08:41 PM
#6
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Calgary,
AB, CANADA
Posts: 2,989
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
RE: How long should I be able to fly?
Rule of thumb that works for me is an 8 oz. tank will last you 10 minutes at full throttle and give a chance to go around a time or 2 if needed to get the landing right. For 46 size engines, make it a 10 oz. tank. For engines larger than this the fuel tank size needed for a 10 minute flight varies widely. [8D]
09-10-2006, 09:51 PM
#7
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Garland, TX
Posts: 6,544
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
RE: How long should I be able to fly?
According to the Horizon web site, the Arrow ARF comes with an 11 ounce tank.
http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products...arts%20Listing
I would think the Arrow RTF would have the same tank but didn’t find that documented anywhere.
With a .46 class two stroke engine you should easily get 10 to 12 minute flight times. As has been mentioned before, that is a long time.
http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products...arts%20Listing
I would think the Arrow RTF would have the same tank but didn’t find that documented anywhere.
With a .46 class two stroke engine you should easily get 10 to 12 minute flight times. As has been mentioned before, that is a long time.
09-11-2006, 12:33 PM
#8
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Harker Heights,
TX
Posts: 204
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
RE: How long should I be able to fly?
I like to use the my rule of thumb ___ one minute/oz. of tank size at full throttle w/ a .40-.46 sized engine__ your results may vary. Rob[sm=72_72.gif]
09-11-2006, 02:13 PM
#9
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Poland,
OH
Posts: 3,204
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
RE: How long should I be able to fly?
There are just too many variables including how you fly.
Most people do not fly at full throttle the entire flight. I seldom am at full throttle.
That said, most people that I know have had enough of flying for any one flight and land long before the tank is empty.
My average flight still leaves me about 1/2 tank when I land.
There are allways exceptions to the rule, I have seen combat planes run out of fuel halfway through the heat when the starter delayed the start too long.(they have small tanks to begin with)
Most people do not fly at full throttle the entire flight. I seldom am at full throttle.
That said, most people that I know have had enough of flying for any one flight and land long before the tank is empty.
My average flight still leaves me about 1/2 tank when I land.
There are allways exceptions to the rule, I have seen combat planes run out of fuel halfway through the heat when the starter delayed the start too long.(they have small tanks to begin with)
09-11-2006, 02:28 PM
#10
RE: How long should I be able to fly?
When I play with my OS .46 AXI powered NextStar just shooting touch-n-go's, I'll get close to 30 minutes and have fuel left over. Of course, I'm also using only 1/2 throttle on the take-off, keep the pattern tight by not flying out more than 150', keeping the altitude to 50' and cutting the throttle to idle when the plane is directly across from me and glide with a very tight pattern and land directly in front of myself. Under normal flying and using it to train people, I'll fly at 1/2 to 2/3 throttle and can get around 20 minutes if the student is doing good. Most likely the student will start to tire in about 10 to 15 minutes, then it's time to land with plenty of fuel remaining.
Hogflyer
Hogflyer
09-11-2006, 02:47 PM
#11
RE: How long should I be able to fly?
ORIGINAL: Missileman
Most people do not fly at full throttle the entire flight.
Most people do not fly at full throttle the entire flight.
Just kidding of course. What I do with a plane is run it on the ground (tied down and secured) to find out how much time I can run it. Fill the tank, start the engine, and run it at full throttle until the tank runs out and time how long it takes. Doing this will give you a good idea of how long you can fly before running out of fuel. Of course when you fly at less than full throttle it will increase the amount of time you can fly. But (isn't there always a but???
) on planes that can go 20+ minutes you'll find that more people won't fly that long. Eye fatigue, arms getting tired, etc... set in when you fly for long periods of time. Most pilots find that shorter flights are much better for them. Myself I usually fly for 11 minutes each flight. I have a countdown timer that I use when flying. I set it for 11 minutes and when the time is up the alarm will go off and I know it's time to land. I like using this system because I don't have to look away from my plane to know when it's time to land.Hope this helps
Ken
09-11-2006, 03:09 PM
#12
RE: How long should I be able to fly?
Another way is to fire the plane up, start the timer and start flying. Climb until its a little itty bitty speck in the sky and note when the engine quites. After a nice lesurely glide back (of course, some planes glide better than others and thermals can help some) to a smooth landing check the time again ..... works every time to let you know how long you can fly on a tank .
Hoglfyer
.Hoglfyer
09-11-2006, 03:21 PM
#13
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Roanoke,
TX
Posts: 302
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
RE: How long should I be able to fly?
All of my engines are put on the test stand with the size tank that will be in the airplane. I fire it up, fine tune it, and sit in a chair with a timer and a cold one and when the engine quits I know what I have to work with. I run the engine at full throttle, set the timer and you will "usually" never run out of fuel, unless you fly at full throttle for the whole flight.
