suzonka

My Feedback: (7)

I fly electrics and glow and had some big gas planes as well, now that I see whats for sale in walmart stores and other sites electrics are taking over the market, do you think some day its going to be all electric?

acarter

There's nothing like the smell of glow fuel!

dhal22

if electric planes were free i would still reach for the glow powered kit next to it. plug and play takes a lot out of this hobby. the difficulties experienced during construction, preparation and operation of my trainer back in the early 80's made my 1st solo flight a major thrill. even the difficulties of glow power makes it all worth it. buying a plug and play plane is not the way i want to experience this hobby. no thank you, i'll take a real engine with my coffee please.

acarter

Very well said, i feel the exact same way

TLH101

My Feedback: (90)

I have tried to get excited about electric, but I just can't. [&o]

bigchap

5 years ago i swore i would never have an electric model,now i have no glow models!i love the convenience and cleanliness of electric and the fact that i can fly in my local park which is something that would be frowned upon with a glow model,it is most definitely more expensive to fly electric but i think the advantages outweigh the cost.my latest project is a 113" span 4 motor military aircraft and that will be electric too,far simpler to build and set up than it would be if it was glow but very expensive,i'm going to have to hide the cost of this one from my wife!
i don't think that one day all planes will be electric but it's catching on in a big way here in the u.k.,i think a lot of that is due to the fact that a lot of flying fields are near residential areas and noise pollution is becoming a problem,also i think electric is conceived as being safer by the non flying public.

suzonka

My Feedback: (7)

HI I AGREE

GmanBill

My Feedback: (10)

Do you really think that the cost of batteries will come down enough that they are not more expencive as gas motors?

suzonka

My Feedback: (7)

NO. BUT The ARF and RTF electric planes on the market with the radios included are performing better and getting better .
you can find completed planes for less than $100.00 that fly out out of the box and even have Lipo batteries included that fly for as much as 12-15 minutes. including the charger. the only thing is that they are in the 1/2 A class not like a size 40 glow plane.

NikolayTT

With respect to the current PRICE of the batteries and also Motor+Controller, one can calculate
what is the approx.size of the RC plane where flying glow costs as much as flying electric.
Approx. it looks to me it is somewhere aroung .47 cu where those prices are nearby. Still
for .91 cu and going bigger displacements the Electric is getting too expensive.
Would you agree ?[8D]

Emotionally, also one has to add some electronics+loudspeaker on board to generate
the sound; that might not consume more electricity than the El.motor. In fact that sound
equipment could stay on the ground and play from a CD the sound of the real engine
of p51 ........ and in fact connect the audio equipment to the Radio Control to
modulate the pitch and the power of the stereo equipment

In fact that would be simple - connect the Transmitter to the computer where you
have some good simulator and good sounds, and then connect the computer to the
Stereo, pushing-pulling the throtle will make the simulator produce the sound for
the public, while flying the real ARF in the sky ... surely I am getting "a bit nasty"
to the Battery Makers and shop-keepers - the prices for those batteries are too
outraged ...

KI8FR

I picked up a arf in 1994 It was a GP spitfire. The plane was made so cheep. It was made out of foam and had some sticks in it for strenth. (ya right). That plane was $199 buck. but I did not have to bild that thing. now for $119 buck I can get a hanger 9 p-51 with all wood and monakot on it. That is just one make of ARFs that is in the market to day. the list goes on and on. The planes are being made better and the price is coming down.

The price will come down for electric in time. but just like ARF People that do not want to work with gas or glow engines will have a way to fly and get in to the hobby. I would rather run gas or glow engines and I do not think that I will mess with electric. but I thought I would never get a ARF. Sure I love my kits but a ARF from time to time is nice too.

I do not think that electric will take over. but it will be a big part of the hobby. for me it will be gas and glow, but if it will take electric to get people in to the hobby then I say let it come. The more people flying the beter.

Paul

dhal22

i agree with the electrics in one area. if noise or field size restrictions would prevent you from using a gas engine, then by all means go with electric.

Charlie P.

As long as there are gas chainsaws someone will be tearing them down and building airplanes with the motors. I see electrics becoming the majority - just as inline muzzleloaders and compound bows have far outstripped flintlocks and stickbows for "primative" hunting seasons, but there will always be a representation that prefers and uses internal combustion engines. They are cranky and mystical and wonderful when they work. A low idle and a smooth transition is a very satisfying thing.

Maybe by the time real planes use electric the models all will, too.

bigchap

charlie p,here's a real one that's electric powered.

suzonka

My Feedback: (7)

[&:]
whats the name of that plane

Scar

My Feedback: (3)

I think it's safe to say that for a LARGE segment of the general population, any flying model airplane is a curiosity. We are a tiny niche market.

I might rephrase your question, "Do you think someday IC engine powered model planes will be a curiosity?" My answer is, they are a curiosity now. Only within our little model flying community would that question be asked.

I think model airplanes will remain a curiosity to the general population. Electric, glow, gasoline, even CO2 power will be curiosities, they are already. I don't think any of them will be disappearing soon.

Just my 2¢ worth,
Dave Olson

bigchap

charlie p,it's made by a company called sonex,thats a 200 amp motor running on 270 volts.

NikolayTT

If you want to read and see more pictures here is a source:

http://aeroconversions.com/e-flight/

Surely it is possible, and it is done nowadays also for big gliders too.
But those are EXOTIC examples, as popular as 1:1000000 and all it
goes that way because of the cost and confort and power etc...

Prior we shut down the gas/glow RC engines someone has to shut down
all public and private cars which are non-electric... it will get very quite
on the roads ... and then the people might notice that we make some
funny noise in the sky with our small RCs.

Guys, please do not get over-exited, just look arround and see again how many
electric cars and motorbikes (in USA especially Chopers and Nascars) and
all kind of Formula cars you see going electric ... Surely it is comming but
maybe not even in 5-10 years.

And I really do not think that in RCU we are any driving force toward the
technical revolution in the Big Industry which is going to do the changes
when that is possible. We got LiPoly because of the Mobile Phone Industry
and LapTops while the Car Industry is still trying NiMH on Hybrid cars, isn't it ?

If we need power we better stay Gas/Glow - because the Batteries are very
ex*****ive "fuel".

Mode One

Who can predict the future? When I got back into R/C a few years ago, I thought Electric!!, why, it's too expensive! However, the lack of fuel seeping through your airplane's inerds, destroying the finish you worked so hard on, easy quick clean-up (none), the lack of constant and harsh vibrations from the engine makes it easy for me to see electric airplanes having a new; but, sustaining place in my aircraft inventory. I'm not ready to give up on glow and am working on a 1/4 scale Balsa USA Nieuport 28 which will be my first gasoline powered airplane. I look upon it as another facet of this hobby. I'm fine with it not being attractive to everyone!

I'm more concerned about the dwindling kit suppliers than anything! Building is the most fun, to me!

dhal22

i was thinking today about this thread, my little OS .55 ax flip started the on the 2nd flip right out of the box and continues to flip start on the 1st or 2nd flip. This is every time i fly the backup plane it is on. there is tremendous power in that little engine. as i said earlier, glow engine difficulties make this hobby that much more rewarding when things go right, but my .55 ax has had zero difficulties. some aspects of glow power are not always difficult.

ampeater

My Feedback: (1)

I agree with Scar, as a whole, gas/nitro/electric, we're just a small niche, so why try and break us down even further. With the price of electrics coming down, I think the break even point is getting closer to 1/5 scale. I'm finishing up an electric 80 FW-190 that I spent about $575 for the motor/ESC/batts. I plan to do a 80" Bearcat next, and really wanted to go gas. I can buy a ZDZ50 and can muffler for $850 and take a chance meeting the club noise requirement, or I can spend $175 for an e-motor and be sure to meet it. I can spend another $350 for the Bearcat's own ESC and batteries, or I can swap them between my FW-190 really easily. So even though I really want to go gas (for the sound), I'll probably have to go E. Even so, I still have my batch of nitro that I fly regularly too.

KitBuilder

I grew up with windex and paper towels as part of my field box as a teen... and now that I'm back in it... that is where I'll stay... I tried electric, albeit the smaller planes.. 30 - 40" but they seemed like toys. no real weight in your hands to speak of.. for obvious reasons.. but I think this lightness added to effect that didnt fly like they should... I guess I just like the tinkering with motors though there's not as much tinkering as most people think and the more realistic flight envelope 5 lb trainer or sport plane offers.
Mik