Hi

Im currently constructing a (glow) GreatPlanes PT-40 and gonna have it done in a few weeks. Never flown before, so you bet im abit nervours for that first flight. Problem is that ive never had any flying practice except for simulators, but I got an idea...

Was thinking of buying a (hopefully )cheap ARF parkflyer that i could get some practice from strait away. I already got the radio (4ch), one (of out two needed) microservo. All i need is the speedocntroller, battery, the parkflyer (obiosly), and perhaps a micro reviever. but i got some questions:

How long does these thing last on one battery charge? Last time i looked into el. flight a few years ago, those things lastet for 3 min max and then it was back to the house for a 4hour battery charge or so. Have el-planes/parkflyers improved greatly in terms of battery life? Or do you guys have to buy a buckedload of batteries that you charge overnight before going to the flying field, and swap then every 5 min? Are there big difference in battery charge life on the different batteries?

brsseb

brsseb,

It depends upon what sort of battery you want to use and what is the Ma/H rating?

What size and type of motor is in the model? Does it have gearbox or is it direct drive? Is it a brushed motor or brushless?

Battery and electric motor developement has come a long way in the last 5 years. There are now electric motors that are big and strong enough to power 2 metre sized Pattern Models and Scale models weighing upwards of 12 kilograms.

One thing if I can offer some advice. Parkflyers etc are not really the way to go to learn to fly your PT40. But they are a great way to expand your skills once you have some experience.

You really need to find youself an instructor who can teach you via a buddy box set up.

An instructor is definately the best way to go. No chance of spending money on something you're gonna crash.
Learning on a parkflyer is also an OK way to do it in my opinion. You will crash and need to do repairs, but it'll probably be cheaper than repairing a glow plane (I don't know much about gas planes, never flown one).
I'd recomend you get the Aerobird, but as you've already got the radio it would seem a waste of money. It flies for about 15mins. Have a look at how much it is and see what you think.
I have a GWS Tiger Moth with Li-Po batteries which can fly for around 45+ minutes. Li-Pos are expensive but I highly recomend them. It's great being able to fly for as long as you like, stopping when your neck gets sore from looking up!
Whatever plane you get, I recomend Li-Po batteries.

Thanks guys

Wow, 45+min, thats crazy. Remember my old Tamiya RC car i had a few years back. It went for max 15min, and the last 5 were spendt in slooooooowww motion while the battery depledet. And then it was an hour++ for charging. Basically killed that hobby, was so anoying. You ran out of juice too fast. My brother got a small eletric foam plane (a cheap toy one, that is). It flies for 2 min, then its all over. I just want to make sure that i get to fly whenever I want and for how long i want, and not be dictated by battery life, charger time and stuff like that.

I was thinking of getting one of those flying wings. Ive seen the video of the GreatPlanes Slinger (althoug it was the "super" version), and it looks damn cool. Flies fast and should give me some tumb and reaction training that i think can be useful for larger-scale fuel aircraft. The stock slinger got an 400-speed engine (no gearbox, the prop is right on the engine shaft i think), and a good battery pack (those Li-Pos sounds nice. Dont bother paying for it if it can serioulsy increase my flying time). Also, the slinger itself is damn cheap. Just need a flight pack for it, battery and charger. Gonna need a mixer too, i guess, since i got a standard 4ch radio (only ATV on it).