Yea I have flown her a couple dozen times with the brushless setup... And yes I would say I am getting somewhere around 50-60 mile speeds easy now...

The reason I went for this setup is I wanted to trim weight... The Electra jet tends to be tail heavy so I decided to go with a direct drive setup to lighten the tail and the whole plane some... My plane with an 8 cell 2/3 1200 pack weighs in a 17 oz... Yea power to weight ratio is just awesome...

I am running a 6x5e prop on her and vertical is pretty much unlimited other then the size and color I don't let it get to high... You should see my high speed passes they are awesome and the brushless motors have this really unique high pitch sing to them that really makes her sound like a turbine powered plane...

I need to see if I can find someone to capture some video on a high speed pass and I will put it on here...

Anyway all I can to say to anyone with a Electra jet is get a brushless setup and you will be amazed as they have been at my field how a little foam plane can hall some much tail!

Oh BTW my flight times are in the 7 minute range depending on how I handle the throttle... I tend fly fast so I am guessing a moderate throttle would get 10 minute flights easy...

I really thought a whole lot about using a gearbox but I have to thank my motor supplier for suggesting the 16/15/3. I was telling him I wanted a really light gearbox due to weight factors and he told me that a lot of flyers have been going for the 16/15/3 direct drive setups ending up with a 17000rpm at 27amps

Like he was telling me I would get longer run times due to less current requirements with a gearbox but if you do all the calculations with the weight of the plane ETC you are talking few minutes on the end of the pack and if I want speed which I did (HEY it is a Jet Right)
Then the direct drive setup is the way to go...

The only downside I have found on the system is the battery packs get pretty ole warm if you run at full throttle the whole flight with the calculations on that were about 27 amps with the 6x5 it is no wonder. I am thinking of trying a 5x5 so I can get about 20000 RPM at 20 amps..

I need to try some other props but I have been so happy with the performance I just saw no need to but hey you never know I might even be able to go faster!!!

Hi. Maybe you guys can help me with my E-jet. Mine will go around 50 feet after launch and land! It is the stock set- up, except I put a 1600-AA nimh square pack in it. Too heavy maybe? The battery pack states it wieghs 7.6 ozs. I have two of these packs
and it just won't fly! I even tried running the motor about four times to "break" it in.
I oiled the bushings and the gear box. Didn't help! Thanks for any advice!
A1RENCH

I presume this is an 8 cell pack.

I am new with the electrajet.

I would guess that this might be getting a bit heavy for the stock motor. Or, perhaps your CG is too far forward. Have you balanced it? Where do you have the CG set?

I am flying mine on 7 cell 2/3A 900 MAH nimh pack from my Aerobird. It is not a hot performer with 7 cells, but it flies fine. the batteries are about 2/3 of the way forward in the equipment bay.

I also have an 8 cell KAN 1050 mAH nimh flat pack. Haven't tried it yet, but to get the plane to balance I had to move it so that it sat about centered in the equipment bay, a little closer to the back of the plane.

Make sure you are checking the CG. Mine is set about 3/8" forward of the molded CG marks, or about 8 1/2 inch from the point where the wing front meets the fuse.

Hope this helps.

Sounds like it is either tail or nose heavy as aeajr said it needs the CG balanced...

I can tell you this with the stock setup I had two battery packs a 7 cell 2/3 and an 8 cell 2/3 and I couldn't get the Electra Jet to fly with the 7 cell it seemed like it was just simply not enough voltage and current to motor for flight... The 8 cell would fly it but it was hard to control. I started playing with the CG and after I found the correct balance I put the 7 cell back in and she flew with no problem at all pretty slow but she would fly.

So the CG is everything on these birds...

BTW the weight of my 8 cell 2/3 is 6.2 ozs so I really don't think your problem is a weight factor I think it's your CG...

The more I think about this the more I think it is the CG.

Where do you have the plane balanced? Tell me relative to the molded marks, or from the front of the wing where it joins the fuse.

Are the batteries you are using flight batteries or is this a pack that was intended to go in a radio? It is possible that these are low performance batteries and can not sustain the current requirements needed by the motor. You need to provide between 10 and 15 amps.

When you hit he throttle, does the motor sound like it is running at full speed? I tried running a speed 600 on my Aerobird packs. It ran, and the motor sounded OK, but when I put two in parallel so I could get more amperage, the motor really spun up. That needs to run on sub C type cells or perhaps the KHN packs.

So, in order of importance:

Check and double check the CG - Set it about 8 1/2 inches behind the point where the wing meets the fuse. This is about 1/2" forward of the molded marks which seem to be for a very aerobatic rear heavy flight plan, not for stability. Mine would fly there, but I could not control it!

Make sure your battery pack is giving full voltage 9.6V+ After being fully charged and after it has been allowed to cool down. It really should be closer to 9.8-10V.

Make sure it is intended as a flight pack!

Borrow batteries from someone else to try. Don't even fly the plane, just see how the motor sounds.

Check your elevons to see that they are adjusted even with the wing. It is a little hard to judge on this plane. You may have too much down adjusted in.

Have you tried adjusting with the trims on your radio for up elevator on launch?

Does the plane go 50 feet and crash, or does it go 50 feet and just glide into a smooth landing even though the motor is running?

I think it's his CG too....I think he's nose heavy......if it were tail heavy, he would know it right away on that plane!! When that plane is nose heavy, it's stable.....but won't climb....it will just slowly come back to the gound in a powered glide.....

Make sure the prop is on the correct way, if it is backwards.....it will still push air, but you will not have thrust. That would be the easiest and most over looked problem that I can think of. Seen it many times! I have seen it with the Megatec planes big time!

AEAJR......when in NY are you located? I am in northern NJ........are we close? Sometimes I fly in Warwick NY........nice up there!

I had not thought of this. This. This is a VERY real possibility. Mine was not marked. I guess I just got it right.

I am on Long Island. I don't know where Warwick is.

Here is where we fly. We are a sailplane and parkflyer club. No fuel, no fast electrics. The electrajet is about as fast a plane as the club will allow. Aerobirds are common electrics. Many old timer types as well.

www.lisf.org.

Wow...you guys fly some large sail planes there! It looks to be a lot of fun. Long Island is a bit of a trip for me.....who knows......maybe one weekend I will take a ride. I did not see any Clancy Aviation electrics out there!!!!! What gives? I do like that one guy who has the scale Cub......what motor and cells does he use?

If you ever want to come visit our field, just let me know. I usually fly on Saturday from 11-3. Let me know you are coming as the road to the field is locked. I have a key.

The cub is a beautiful plane. He does not fly it here often. 12 or 16 sub C cells I think. Don't know what motor.

Yes there are some big sailplanes here.

If you like sailplanes, then come visit us Sept 20 & 21st. We host the Eastern Soaring League meet here. Typically 30-40 of the best sailplane pilots on the east coast and a few off coast locations. Two days of some pretty awesome flying. I am not ready to compete, but I plan to work the event as a club member. I will probably time for some of the flyers.

Here is a link to some pictures from the last ESL event
http://www.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=...21b3201c3025d4

I fly an 2 meter sailplane, a Great Planes Spirit. Still pretty new to it, but coming along nicely.

Now, this is a thread about the Electrajet. Back on subject please.

Many thanks for all the suggestions! The battery pack indicates it is a high output pack.
I don't know what this means as far as discharge amps, but I would assume it should provide at least 20 amps. I don't have a way to check amp draw. The center of gravity
is exactly 1/2" in front of the molded in C.G. marks. I'm going to go out now and play with the battery position. The plane just glides in to a nice landing when launched. My
initial thought was I had a bad pack, but I switched them out, added some up elevator trim (too much) and it stalled when launched. My packs are made from AA cells. Sorry I forgot to include that! I also wondered if the prop was backwards, so I switched it.
Didn't change much. Thanks again.


A1RENCH

I wish you lived closer to me. That jet should fly! One other thing....make sure the set screw is tight on the adaptor to the motor shaft. If it is slipping....not enough rpms to keep her in the air. Not much else to check on. The stock motor may be a lemon? Have you concidered replaceing the motor? Beleive me......we all want to hear that you got her in the air! It truly is a fun plane to fly! Don't give up....try to debug it. I would start at the battery. A friend of mine had the same problem with his Mega-junk Stelth bomber. He had a bad cell in his pack and he only had one pack for the plane. So he could never trouble shoot it. Until he got another GOOD pack did he realize I was right! But he never admitted it to me. Sometimes...even a new battery may have a dead cell int. Do you have more than one pack? Make sure the connection is a good one. When applying full power...does the plug get hot? If not....that is OK. If it heats up...you are loosing amperage thru a bad connection. May be dirty or corroded. Have you tried changing recievers just for the Hell of it? Do you have and exta 20 amp speed controler laying around to substitute for the stock one? Try to switch things to determine if they are good or not. If all else fails...I would return it with a long letter of explination. They are a very repitable company and will probaly will replace it. Good luck bro....wish there was more I could do for you.

[link=http://home.att.net/~imsofaman/dave_surace_rc_homepage.htm]Dave Surace RC Homepage[/link]

I hit the field at 6:30 this evening with the intention of trying to get the Electrajet to fly successfully without having to come home to epoxy.

There was no wind at all. Good!

I adjusted the CG back a little bit and I put in a little up on the trim adjustment.

I launched the plane and let it climb out more than I have been doing. I had it up around 75 feet before I made the first turn. Still had full power on using the 7 cell Aerobird packs. Boy does this plane lose altitude when you turn. I was warned about this, but I was still surprised. No knife edge flying with this baby!

However as soon as you level it out it starts to climb again. So, it is just a matter of understanding how the plane flies. As a matter of fact I had to take out the up in the trim or she climbed more steeply than I wanted it to, but it never stalled.

After reaching about 150 feet I was circling and crossing the field pretty well. I have to remember to level the plane after a turn. Unlike the Aerobird, when you center the stick, the plane holds the last position, it doesn't go back to level flight. You have to put it there.

I cut it back to 50%, flying on the 7 cell Aerobird packs. She flies nicely at a moderate speed, now that I know how to handle the drop in altitude in the turns. I circled it down and brought it into a landing attitude at about 20% throttle just let it come down, cutting power at the last second. Hurray. I did it! No crash!

Change batteries and up again. Same story only this time on final approach I cut the power completely. She glides in pretty well but is not the floater that the Aerobird is. Unlike the Aerobird, when it gets below a certain speed the nose drops and I can't hold it up. I did manage another soft landing. Hurray! Two and no damage. Best to land with some power still on to support a flare at the end.

Third battery change and up we go. However the sun is getting low and it is now getting hard to tell if the plane is coming or going. When it is coming right at you, the profile is so small that it is hard to see the plane at all. The third landing I held about 20% throttle and flared at the end to a clean landing.

So we came home after three batteries with no need for epoxy. I like that! Now I am working on how I should paint it to enhance the cool look. I really does looks cool in the air.

Also I need colors that will give me better visibility and directional recognition.

Finally we are flying! Now we work on becoming friends!

If I could make a suggestion.....I would go with a higher powerd pack than the Aerobird packs. Eight cells will give the extra rpms that you need. When I started flying my jet, I would go half throttle on the straight aways and full throttle in the turns. Powering into the turns helps to keep the jet in the air. When turning, don't forget to pull up as you turn, this keeps you at a level altitude. Check my page below.....there is a movie of it flying with the stock battery and motor....you will see that I do not loose altitude when turning. It will come to you in time. Keep the two part epoxy thinned down with alcohol so it will not bee thick and HEAVY! Keep her light.



[link=http://home.att.net/~imsofaman/dave_surace_rc_homepage.htm]Dave Surace RC homepage[/link]

I do plan to put 8 cell packs in it. I have 24 loose cells on the workbench waiting for me. However I knew that it was not a power problem that was causing me to crash.

Turned out I needed to tune the CG and get used to the way the plane flies. Now that I have gotten three successful flights, I can work on the finer points. I will build the 8 cell packs.

Thanks for the tips!

hey fellas I got an electrajet and I love it. I want to go brushless/li-poly doyou think the astro flight 020 direct drive would be a good choice? thanks

Man......are you kidding me???? That thing will rip!!!! Sand down the lip off of the trailing edges of the ailerons and the fuselage to keep it from climbing at when you are traveling at higher speeds. The lip adds extra lift to keep it in the air longer with the little 380 geared motor. Once that is done....you will be very happy with your bird!!!!! Post your results!!!!!

Good suggestion... I am running a mega brushless setup and the sanding down the lip off of the trailing edges of the ailerons is a must...

If not the Electrajet will climg with full down when throttled up running a brushless setup... I am running mine direct drive with a 7x5 and well the plane just hauls...

what size prop you think I should use?

Hey Guys. I might get an electrajet but i dont know if a 2-cell 1200 Li-Poly battery will get rected by the 15amp speed controler and if i need to get a 5amp speed controler so that it dosent discharge to quikly causeing the Li-Poly battery to fry?

No experience with Lipos ...sorry. I would like to know the answer myself. I will say this....I have seen guys at my flying field running over 2000 miliamp pack with their speed 400s and doing 3-D. I would check around.....I wish i had more info for you .


Dave

The electrajet has a speed 380/motor with a geat box. It pulls about 9 amps, as I recall. If you put a 5 amp speed control on it you will fry the speed control.

I don't think a two cell series li poly set-up can put out that much amperae, but I could be wrong. You would set up a 2S2P pack which is made of 4 cells. Two packs each with two cells in serial. Then you put those two pack together in parallel.

Now, the Electrajet normally runs on 8 nimh or nicad cells. That is 9.6 volts where a two cell Lithium is only 7.4V, I believe. So, you will be under voltaged. You may not get enough umph to fly the plane well.

I have flown mine on an 8.4 v 7 cell pack but it really wants a 9.6 pack.

The closes step with li would be a 3 cell pack for about 11 V. That might be a little high for the motor, but I think it can handle it. I believe the speed control can take to 10 cells which would be 12 V, so a 3S2P set-up would be optimum, in my estimation.

I have never tried it.

Stock is rubbish and the motor gets way to hot, It was boring to fly after my Zagi and it did nothing better, After a few crashes due to my error thinking it could do more I converted it to a small delta wing, I cut the nose off and shaped it better, Speed 480 syuffed in the rear. Without the big fins it rolls cleaner.


Rick