SAAF40Sqd

i'm looking at changing my gas TOP FLITE gold edition 1/7th scale spitefire to electric. im thinking about the EFLITE power 60 for a motor. i this a good choice and does it have enough power for this scale?

BobH

My Feedback: (2)

You can convert the watts to hp in your electric motor and then compare it to engine you have been using. That will tell you if it's enough power.
One hp is about 745 watts.
So if you have a 1.5 hp engine you could use an electric motor that uses about 1130 watts of eletricity.

Sparkie-RCU

My Feedback: (10)

Sounds like a good idea . . . .right?

I have been there and know the truth about large electric models.
Today I wouldn't go electric with a plane beyond a 4 ft wing span unless it was a multi engine model.
I still like electric modeling but there are things to consider.
Go to the pit area of any one that fly's large electric models, it will look like back stage at a rock concert.
wires running all over and a guy standing over them managing them.

I go to the field to fly but I found myself going to the field to charge batteries.

If you fully charge large batteries (2100 mah or higher) the day before, you can ruin them.
I did three packs ; 3200 mah and the next day they was puffed.
I checked with the manufacture and they all say do not store at full capacity.

But let's say you got away with it.
You are looking at a 7 min flight time but let's call it 14.
Charge time can be 45 min on large packs and big ,models want two packs.

You have landed and the packs have to cool before charging them .
So you put the second pair in and go again , not you have a pair that is warm and one cool.
You are not flying again for 45 min. 90 if you only have one charger.
this ratio only gets better with more chargers but not by much.

In short if you want to go to the field with 4 chargers or 2 expensive ones that can do several you will still need a crate of batteries.

Just my two cents.

rcfighterjock

WOW! Sparkie, hold on a minute. I feel bad for you and your experiences and won't say you're wrong, but let's get another viewpoint. I've been in the process of building and converting from glow to electric for the last four years. I've been flying for 26 years. to each his own, but I've been flying giant scale electric Warbirds now quite successfully. Flew a giant scale PT-19 (the old Great Planes version, now discontinued) at Warbirds and Classics over the Midwest last year. Got quite a nice reception as well. I don't want to debate you point by point, but let's just say that I take LESS support equipment to the field (no starter/battery, fuel cans, pumps, etc.) and fly just as often as I always have during the day. My personal endurance states that ten minutes in the air is enough at one time and I have never had a problem achieving that. I have numbers of lipo battery packs and have in the last four years only managed to cook one, when I hooked it up to the charger wrong. I keep lipo motor batteries fully charged for weeks at a time during the flying season and reduce the voltage for storage over the winter.
The best way to convert Warbirds is to weigh the plane all-up with battery and all the gear and shoot for close to 100 watts per pound of aircraft. In other words, if your plane weighs 10 pounds, you need an electric motor that will provide at least 1000 watts of output. Motor manufacturers will give you recommendations of props/batteries/and speed controls that they feel works best. Try not to amp a speed control at full throttle much more that 2/3rds of the rated esc capacity. Keeps thing cool. Go to the Electrifly website. They have an AWESOME site that allows you to enter data on your aircraft and will give you a complete recommendation on power systems. Don't fear lipo batteries either. Get a quality charger with safety features and use common sense. I'm an old glow-flyer that has discovered the fun of blowing people's minds when my 82 inch wing CMP AT-6 leaves the ground under electric power. Warbirds forever, power them however you like! Dave