<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
<META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2802" name=GENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The E info on the list has been scant. Probably
some are reluctant to hype / criticize products because of their involvement
with suppliers. Some of us are just blindly exploring options, gathering data /
information, and forming opinions without experience to back up our conclusions.
</FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2>Certainly information offered by those with
experience is very welcome and appreciated. Those who are qualified experts in
the various fields that can correct / clarify information gained through the
school of hard knocks are not only welcome, but I suspect somewhat obligated to
protect the rest of us. As this entire topic expands there will be conflicting
opinions which in themselves provide info - that's what this list is for and no
one should take offense that some prefer other views.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>After teasing the E guys at the Nats I recognized
that the E powered airplanes flew better (I'll admit to being obstinate - but
not totally dumb). There were also differences that seemed related more to E
equipment choices than differences in pilot skills. The info published by Jason,
Frack, Adam, Chad, and others (in RCU forums) provided an insight to the various
equipment choices (and passionate defense of same in some cases). Interestingly,
a lot of the discussions revolve around equipment type rather than the effect on
flight characteristics.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>So - I set about trying to determine if E flies
better and why. So far the answer is yes and I'm not sure. While differences in
dynamics can be identified, it's hard to quantify the effects. For example, the
lighter / slower rotating E prop generates a lower gyroscopic precession force
during looping maneuvers than glow - this also suggests the lower rotating mass
of a geared motor might be better. The lighter motor (compared to glow engine)
up front can result in a lower pitch moment of inertia if the
tail is light enough to allow the battery mass to be close to the CG. Airplane
smoothness in rough air is markedly better with E. (I did most of my comparisons
with twin Partners - one glow and one E - at about the same flight
weight.) This may be an effect of the large diameter prop or lack of
vibration effect on the servos. As others have noted, thrust application is very
good with E as the slower prop is efficient and the motor is instantly
responsive and very linear. E can be flown slower than or as fast as
glow, the airplane is more stable with E when slow - again probably
the large prop effect. Overall, it's easier to fly well with E but E won't fix
sloppy flying.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>As with most things in model aviation - there are
learning curves. Some suppliers are better than others, some equipment is better
than others, some choices will be revisited after experience is gained. The
hardest thing to get used to is the metrification of cost - kilo dollars. Not
that E is that much more expensive than glow - just that very little from glow
is useable with E. That means one must acquire motors, controllers, batteries,
chargers, power supplies, meters, connectors, wire, props, etc. pretty much
from scratch.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>If there's interest in this becoming a thread I'll
discuss the reasons for some of my choices of equipment and the data I've
generated / will generate with the full understanding that I might be operating
under false assumptions and some of this stuff will change - I'm still
learning.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Earl</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV></BODY></HTML>