longer time in the air
 

Hi -
I want to get the longest time possible in the air. My trainer has an os 61 and I want to get a 15 to 20 minutes flight - how big of a tank should I put in it?


where can I find info of "burned fuel per minute" or something of that nature. YES, I KNOW that it depends on how fast/slow you're flying, etc etc, but I am just looking for ball park figures

thanks

RE: longer time in the air
 

Put a 91 4-stroke on it and you'll stay up twice as long with the same tank.

RE: longer time in the air
 

About 16 oz.

RE: longer time in the air
 

not that this will help you but just as an example. on my trainer with an OS .46 AX and a 10 oz. tank, just cruising around 1/2 throttle and under I had a 23 minute flight( on the flight timer) and after landing I still had 1/4 tank left. but I was ready to land. my average flights now are around 10 minutes, the planes could go longer but I find that long enough to enjoy. without hogging the flight line.

RE: longer time in the air
 

This actually more of a factor than many realize. When you extend to long flights you get fatigued, and then mistakes happen. For this reason I keep my flights to 11-13 minutes.

Ken

RE: longer time in the air
 

Yeah, I agree with that, Ken. I set my timer for 10 minutes. Once it starts to beep, I start working to a landing. Then after landing, I sit down and relax for a few minutes. I normally get 5 to 8 flights a day and have a good time doing it. The rest time becomes a social time when we swap ideas, lies, and jokes.. :D

CGr

RE: longer time in the air
 

I am still too new at this to get fatigued i guess :D

The reason why I am asking is because it wouldn't be regular flying, I will be flying really high and FPV - can't wait :-)

RE: longer time in the air
 

If you are an AMA member, or even if you are not, you should read their guidelines for FPV operations
http://www.modelaircraft.org/files/550.pdf

The 'condensed' version is that a the plane must stay in the visual line of sight of the pilot. Flying beyond that potentially puts you in the UAV category whgich is highly regulated by FAA and probably other government agencies.

RE: longer time in the air
 

well..ok I just put it on and it fits perfect, but now i am worried about the engine performance....i guess I'll find out in 1 hour when I go fly

RE: longer time in the air
 

I usually figure about 1 ounce per mintue but the tired old answer is it depends on how you are flying the plane.

RE: longer time in the air
 

Just for information, there was a flyer in Las Vegas who was doing FPV "Really High". The FAA was taking action against him, and the AMA booted him out.

Brad

RE: longer time in the air
 

what is first person view flying exactly?

RE: longer time in the air
 

It is when you put a camera on the plane looking forward and fly the plane by looking at the video stream instead of watching the plane.

RE: longer time in the air
 

Hello; How much time do you need? My big Taube will do 90 minutes on 18 oz. with it's Laser 100, but it's all at the idle once it's up in the air. I had a Sig Mid star 40 with a Saito 45 that would easily do 20 minutes on 12 oz.

I find my attention span wanders after about 7 minutes, and it has taken quite a bit of training to work up to those long flights. If you watch a new flyer they will visibly tire at about 6 minutes, recover and then again at about 10 minutes, at which point you should land the plane, unless you want to see a crash. The extreme concentration required is costly, and a beginner shouldn't push himself that far.

RE: longer time in the air
 

I get more tired when I'm on the ground:-) -

RE: longer time in the air
 

Take a look at http://jettengineering.com/ and punch up his fuel tanks, specifically the Bladder Tanks. He has 12 0z. bladder tanks available. I have not tried those yet, but I have some to try. Using 40 to 45 engines with 6 oz. tanks I easily go 12 minutes where that was always about 8 minutes before bladder tanks.
IMO, I think it is bacause the bladder tank allows for a more precise fuel setting without going overly lean. The only problem - just my problem - is that it seems that the bladder tank is not all that good for repeated touch and go practice near the end of the fuel supply like about the last several minutes. I think that may just be the mechanics of the system.
Other than that and the need to perform precise fueling procedures using a syringe, they provide the most precise fuel feed going!