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Glow or electric?
I am new to the kit building and have been flying foam planes for just over a year. I have inherited a 1997 "FUN SIZE" P-19 ( 59" wing span) that was partially built. This was designed for gas but I have been reading stories about dead sticks due to engine stalls and am curious if I should equip this for electric? Fuselage is only about 30% done at he moment w/no servos or wiring. Thought???
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By gas I assume you mean glow powered. If the fuse is still open then you can make it electric more easily as in creating a battery hatch, etc... Glow engines and the new small gasoline engines run well when properly tuned and maintained. You can still have dead-sticks with electrics ! Glow requires more field equipment than electric however electric has a higher cost initially with the larger batteries. A lot of folks have electric, gasoline, and glow planes while many choose to stick with one type. It really depends what you want.
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Is one more advantageous than the other? Along with the plane, there were 3 glow engines. How are these tuned? Does not look like there is much to them. I like the sound of them but have no experience.
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More advantageous? Again, it depends where and with what you are starting out with. First you said you have a partially built plane , now it's a plane with 3 engines. What else do you have ?
If you have all of the glow engine support equipment like a starter, field box, glowstick, tools, etc..those are things you won't have to buy as opposed to buying electric batteries, a good charger, and a 40 size electric motor and speed control. A 2-stroke glow engine requires some experience to properly tune it and keep it tuned in different flying conditions. It's not overly difficult and it becomes second-nature after you have done it for awhile. Your best bet is to find a local club and/or someone who has flown glow engine planes and have them look at your engines and they will tell you if they can be used or not. |
My personal opinion only: I flew glow since the early '60s. Tried electric about 5 years ago. Traded all my glow and gassers for electric, and never looked back. For me electric has so much less hassle, cleaner, quieter, and way less maintenance. Only downside I have seen with electric, is spending time charging batteries before a flight session, as I prefer to charge at home, and not at the field.
On the other hand, if you have only been flying electric, you might look at this as a chance to explore glow power, and see how you like it. |
I tell people that are just starting out that electric isn't a bad idea but the start up costs can be steeper then glow. I have friends that have never figured out how to set up and tune a glow engine, one friend had gas and glow and sold all his engines and went all electric, even with his giant scale. I have no problems with dead sticks in gas or glow and have all the support equipment so going electric for me would be silly, I do have one small electric.
If you don't know how to tune a glow engine it's best to have someone teach you, even then some people can never figure it out. |
I have all three, gas, glow, and electric.
They're all fun. Just pick one. LOL If you do have desires to move to larger models, in the 100" range, I would suggest that you choose glow or gas, however. The expenses incurred with large electric models may be prohibitive. They sure are for me. LOL |
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