I just finished building the GWS E-starter. I cut out extra space in the battery compartment as recomended for optionally batteries. The battery compartment had recesses that looked like it was intended for 6 AA Batts so I cut to that line. I flew it this morning with 6 AA NMh 1800 mah batteries. Ground rool was very long and it did not want to climb out.

Looks like the AA may have been too heavy.

What are people uning on the E-starter.

6x AA, NiCads - NOT NiMh. It will fly better on 6 Nicads, the NiMh are heavy and can't put out the same voltage under load. A better alternative is 7 or 8 cell AAA NiMh, which should give you much better performance. *final* power upgrade is to either re-time the motor or install the just-available EPS-350C.

I'm betting those 1800mAh NiMH cells came from WalMart. The AA NiMH cells, especially the ones from WalMart, are designed for digital cameras and children's toys. These are low-current applications where capacity and duration are the most important factors, so manufacturers stuff as much into the batteries as they'll take. Unfortunately, the more capacity you stuff into a given space, the less current you can draw from the cells.

The AAA (triple-A) NiMH cells are designed for higher-current applications. They work very well in EPS300C powered GWS planes as 7 or 8 cells. They're lighter, and you can get 12-15 minute flights.

My son uses 7 cell 700 mah aaa nihms in his and has plenty of power and gets around 12 minute flights. He also has has a 7 cell 370 mah pack and gets 6 minutes and with the lighter pack can do a little more acrobatics with it.