If I convert a 60 size plane from a nitro engine to electric using a 60 size E-Flite motor what can I expect in the way of performance changes, say with a Dragon Lady. Will the plane be lighter and will I have more power.

Quite honestly I wouldn't go to the expense of converting a Dragon Lady to EP. Get an OS .91 FX - this is the perfect match for it and one of the best flying planes I've flown. The price difference between the EP system and the OS .91 will buy a heck of a lot of fuel. I'm planning on getting a Dragon Lady towards this summer and installing an OS .91 FX in it - just that nice of a set-up.

Hogflyer

Done correctly, an electric power system could have that plane in the same ballpark weightwise (give or take a half pound or so, hard to guess). Depending on the choice of motor and battery, power could well be much better, at least initially.

Depending on the battery you chose, you may or may not be lighter or higher performance. Smaller batteries are lighter, but flight time would be restricted.

From what I've seen, electric planes still struggle to achieve modern glow performance if flight times aren't restricted. The average glow power system is good for 15 minutes of good fun flying, whereas most electrics I've seen need careful throttle management to exceed 10 minutes. Granted, I've only seen so many electrics, and very few larger than .25 size.

So far as I'm concerned though, IC makes a plane, electric makes an APPLIANCE! Kevlar and asbestos suites donned....

J

I find the electric have as much or more power than the gas. I fly a CG Eagle 400 (21oz) with a E Flite Park 450 on a 2000ma battery for 15 minutes or more and that is not treating the plane nicely. I also have GP Super Sportster (3.2 LBS) with a E Flite Power 15 on a 5350ma battery and fly over 15 minutes. I can not say for sure about larger planes but I just finished my converstion on a GP 40 Ultimate with a E Flite Power 60 on it and figure I should get about 15 minutes on it after I get all dialed in.

I'm considering getting the plane which has no engine and doing the conversion so I can fly it near my home in a large open area. I have flown my E-Flite CX helicopter and I know that the noise of a nitro engine would not work there.

I'm just hoping that the 60 size E-Flite motor that I already have will be a good match. As I gain more experience I may move up to an E-Flite 110 motor.

I have the Hangar 9 Pulse XT 40 with an AXi brushless outrunner motor equal to the E-Flite Power 46...(4120/14 )
There is a guy in our club with the Evolution .46 glow engine in his...

The glow version has a little more top end speed, but I can get off the ground (with a little breeze ) in less than 50' T.O. roll
My .46 equivalent electric set-up has the "feel" of a glow engine that's much larger than a .46 as far as low end "grunt"...more like a .70 4 stroke.

The only potential drawback (if you need to call it that ) is that my batteries (4 cell 3200 Kokam's ) cost as much as a whole season's worth of fuel.

If the 60 size E-Flite is enough power is there a problem moving up to the 110 size E-Flite motor?

You'll be putting more and bigger batteries in the plane to handle the 110's voltage requirements.

I'd love to convert to electric and fly down the local park, but money wise it doesn't make a whole lot of sense.
Converting to electric from say a .46 motor, then going to a larger electric setup similar to stepping your .46 to a .60 costs $100's more if you buy decent gear, it just isn't worth it imho.

If the prices for electric gear ever became more realistic, I'd be first in line.
But for now I'd rather drop $35 bucks for a full tank of fuel and fly all day, then $400 bucks for a few batteries and have to wait to charge them AFTER they cool down.

Krener,
Some of the realistic reasons for going electric in the .46 to .90 size planes are, the ease of operation
no deadsticks , no mess. The ease of cleanup. Noise level. Linear throttle response.

Once you get into the 1.20 and larger engines the cost savings becomes more apparent. I run an
OS 1.60 in my 2m pattern plane, my 16 oz tank last for 12 minutes. I burn a case of fuel in a weekend
if I fly both days and I like to go to the field after work at least 1 day a week. Thats 5 gallons of fuel a
week. at $15-20 a gallon I will soon see the cost savings in a $400 lipo pack that will give me 300 flights.
I can't fly gas in pattern as right now no-one makes an engine that will meet the weight and sound
requirements for competition. So for me it's cases of fuel or electric.

in the smaller planes it seems more of a preference between nitro or electric, I will fly both.