[NSRCA-discussion] cost of electric - it's not all about price...

[DaveL322 at comcast.net]

Keith,

Yes, the initial cost of electric is high, especially for someone that already has all the glow stuff, but the cost is coming down, and given the capital to get all the electric stuff up front, the maintenance cost (time and money) is much lower.

Airtime - 15-18 minutes of airtime is quite a bit (IMO), and more shorter flights (with some recuperation time in between) might be more productive.  Most of us have a point of diminishing return when it comes to how long we can concentrate.  Certainly this will vary quite a bit between individuals, and depending on what the goal of a practice session is.  Another consideration, if enough fuel is onboard for an 18 minute flight, the plane is carrying 2x the fuel load needed to get through a competition sequence - and that added weight can effect/compromise the performance or value of the practice beyond the first 9 minutes.

Really just a matter of setting priorities, and then picking the route that matches the best.  For me, I find that flying about 10-12 minutes every 20 minutes is about the right pace for effective practice - and I can do that glow or electric (4 sets of lipos and field charging gear if I do more than 4 flights).  Difference is that I've spent minimal time maintaining the electric setup at the field or at home (~250 outrunner flights now with not much more than a loose wheelpant).

Regards,

Dave Lockhart
DaveL322 at comcast.net


-------------- Original message -------------- 
From: "Keith Black" <tkeithb at comcast.net> 

> There are two costs associated with electric pattern IMHO, this is coming 
> from someone who has gone electric and is still comfortable with that 
> decision. 
> 
> The first price is obviously the dollar price tag. Electric is pretty high 
> relative to glow options and I'm still concerned about battery life, but 
> this has been discussed ad nauseam so I will leave it at that. 
> 
> The other cost is reduced flight time. This is something that isn't 
> discussed much but in my opinion is very important, especially for newer 
> pattern pilots. The fact is that the most important thing for new pattern 
> pilots (especially Sportsman and Intermediate) is practice, practice, 
> practice. In my first three pattern planes I went with 2-cycle glow engines 
> because I knew I could fly the fool out of them without a lot of cost or 
> maintenance. The reality is that the first three or so years the weak link 
> is normally the pilot's fingers, not the characteristics of the power plant. 
> 
> I think flight time is still a factor for Masters and FAI guys, but not as 
> much because the upper levels pilots are mostly working on polish and not 
> learning the basics like geometry and which way to push the rudder when 
> inverted. Keep in mind too that several of the top FAI guys also fly IMAC 
> which gives them a lot of precision stick time outside of pattern. 
> 
> With my 2-cycle pattern planes I could go to the field and fly four 15 to 18 
> minute flights back to back if there weren't other guys around to share 
> flight time with. This is huge in my opinion because I could get a load of 
> practice in a short time (as much as my little brain could handle). 
> 
> I now have one electric and one glow pattern plane (working on a second 
> electric). 2006 was my second year of Advanced so the 9 minute limit wasn't 
> that big of a deal because I knew the pattern very well and was working on 
> making what already looked pretty good as perfect as I could. After NATS I 
> moved to Masters where I think the electric plane is more advantageous than 
> in Advanced from a capabilities standpoint, but I really could use the extra 
> flight time. When we move to the new Masters pattern next year I may get 
> the glow plane out and burn some serious fuel until I get to a certain point 
> then start working with the electric again. 
> 
> For me I think the flight characteristics and other benefits of electric are 
> now worth the trade-off. However, for new pilots I think 2-cycle glow is the 
> way to go. If I were starting over again I'd go with the OS 1.40RX, next 
> choice would be the OS 1.60FX. 
> 
> Keith Black 
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Kelly Regan" 
> To: 
> Sent: Saturday, September 16, 2006 5:40 PM 
> Subject: [NSRCA-discussion] cost of electric 
> 
> 
> > Can someone post the cost of a 2 meter electric setup. 
> > 
> > Motor 
> > 
> > Speed Control 
> > 
> > Battery size and cost 
> > 
> > Also how long does it take to charge one battery pack at a 
> > reasonable rate, something that won't kill the battery life. 
> > 
> > Thank you for the help. 
> > 
> > 
> > -- 
> > Kelly Regan 
> > Visit the Georgetown Branch: http://mysite.verizon.net/vze6uror/ 
> > Freestate Aeromodelers: http://www.freestateaeromodelers.org/ 
> > 
> > _______________________________________________ 
> > NSRCA-discussion mailing list 
> > NSRCA-discussion at lists.nsrca.org 
> > http://lists.nsrca.org/mailman/listinfo/nsrca-discussion 
> 
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