Transitioning from Electric to Glow/Nitro Planes: Intro to Glow RC Planes
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ธ.ค. 2024
- I won a glow-powered RC plane in a raffle this summer. Before that, all I ever flew was electric RC aircraft. I thought it might be interesting to talk about the transition, so if you only fly electric, you can understand what's different with glow-powered engines and figure out if it's something you'd like to try.
I also cover what else is needed to work with a read-to-fly (RTF) plane and what the engine start procedure is.
Check out my article on FliteTest here: www.flitetest.c...
Please feel free to comment on your experience for glow/nitro planes.
My son and I flew control line then RC nitro for years and my son passed in 2014 and left enough stuff to supply a hobby shop which I have in the shop (50+ new engines) ect. I stopped flying in 2016 due to health problems. We sure had lots of good times.
Love that you have good memories and thanks for sharing the love here with us too
Me and my dad fly modern planes we love it. Know what u mean love yall
As an ABSOLUTE beginner to RC planes, who has been gifted a number of engines and planes this video was brilliant. I was given a box of extra "things" also and now I know what a quite a few are for thanks to this video :-)
Had to comment: I began my life long love affair with Aviation, way back in 1966, in college, and loving to fly my control line planes. By 1975, I bought my 1st radio for RC flying. Built an RCM Trainer by Bridi, and was smart enough to have an instructor from our club in Richardson, Texas, We were R2C2, pronounced, "R square C square". That name came from Texas Instruments where most of the club members worked at the time. Everyone learned to fly RC, at that time, by transferring the transmitter back and forth with the instructor to avoid any crashes. Worked for me, and I was off and running.
Fast forward to today, 08/2020, I'm in Florida today with my wife. Retired and still flying RC. Pattern is my choice of flying, with a touch of aerobatics. No 3D for me, I just love the pure joy of flight. During my hiatus from 1975 to 2020, I had bought 2 real aircraft, a Beech Musketeer, and a Grumman Yankee, while still flying my 1st love, RC! Now retired from Medical Engineering, I'm still flying Pattern. I switched from fuel to electric several years ago, and have been sorry I ever left fuel. Oh, I never liked all the clean up, but compared to electrics, I came back to fuel, and recently installed an OS 120AX in my 10+ pound, 73" plane. Big difference, and now I'm back home where I belong.
The newbies of today think they love RC, but have no idea what the real joy of RC is, or even means. When something breaks, it's, "Oh my gosh, what do I do now"? They have no idea how to fix anything. They should try to build something from scratch, having only plans. Buy the balsa, ply, coverings, everything. They have no idea what they are missing. I built my favorite plane of all times, back in 2000, by the name of "der jager", all lower case. Means, "The Hunter"! A beautiful German looking bi-plane that was designed and built in 1968. Yes, 1968 as an experimental aircraft, then scaled down to an RC model. The feature article in RC Modeler in 1972. Wish I could send a picture of my plane. Finished it and have flown it 7 times. I have so much emotion in the plane, I don't want to spoil it from it's pristine condition today.
Best wind this up for now. I know electric is the thing today, but even though it does get those into the hobby quicker, and a bit cheaper, it's not the real thing. To be an RC modeler, one needs to be able to build from an ARF, at least, then finish it out by mounting the power plant, balance the plane fore & aft, double check all connections, fuel it up, and do the maiden flight YOURSELF! Now, that's what we old timers do, and have done many times. Buying a new foam airplane is not what the hobby is all about, bUT it is a beginning of a life's love affaire with Aviation! Good Luck To All!
Yes, my wife knows how I feel, and encourages me every day. What a Sweetheart she is! Married 24 years!
You sir have hit it right on the head! And I agree with you. I started scratch building airplanes in the very late 1970s for Radio Control. Before that it was dope and tissue rubber band propelled planes. I have not scratch built in about ten years, but I do enjoy buying old used balsa airplanes from Used online web sites. I almost always have to do something to them in the way of repair before they are ready to fly once more. And yes you just can’t beat the look feel smell and sound of IC glow engines. I fly all four stoke for glow and some electrics too 50/50 mix.
I got into the hobby when I was 12 in 2013. Since then I have designed, built from complete scratch, 5 different airplanes, wood, foam, jet and prop. First scratch build when I was 15 and first gas plane just after that. I agree the modern eager rc flyer is spoiled by the sad phasing out of kits and overall patience, but some of us still exist! Not all hope is lost!
Started flying these “glow plug” fifty years ago. I always loved them. Yes they cause a bit of a mess with the oil in the fuel, but they are easier to handle in the wind and the engine sound is great. They are just an all around great power source. I do not fly anymore but still have a couple “OS Max” down in the barn. A 40 and a 60 as I recall.
Good man ya cant beat em i still fly diesal ,and nitro here in Ireland electic planes no from me i still build by balsa wood it my take 2- 4- 6 months but its worth it in the end 😊
If you would like to sell the size .60 let me know .
There's, of course, the smell of the nitro exhaust which as you briefly mentioned gets everywhere. I recall having a set of flying clothes since I could never fully wash out the smell, but man I loved that smell and I miss it.
as one that use to fly nitro I can tell you there are advantages to both. nitro does deliver a little more power but you have a greater chance of a dead stick . the fuel is messy and fuel is expensive . you also need alot more support ie: NI starter , battery charger, electric starter or stick or a new nickname (stumpy ). fuel pump ect... and spend some time tuning and returning you motor for that days flying.
electric : airplane , battery , radio , battery charger.
more flight time less hassel , no clean up.
battery's can be expensive but compared to fuel I believe cheaper in the long haul. average life from a lipo is 50 to 100 charges . assuming you don't abuse the batteries.
downside shorter flight times.
For me I prefer electric , call me lazy if you must but isn't the point to have fun flying? how is spending part of your flight time getting the plane ready to fly fun?
some guys may like it , I don't .
I have to admit I love the smell of nitro methanol in the morning !
well I used to fly only electric, 2 weekends ago I bought my first nitro...just got my second yesterday :) Granted, it's not for everyone but if you like to tinker with things, taking apart cleaning and tuning your nitro or gas engine is a lot of fun in itself. And yes I think gas fly better than electric but electric is for when all you want to do that day is fly around. Both have their uses.
I like the fact that an engine gives out a constant power level as long as there’s fuel in the tank - with electrics I find myself wondering whether there’s enough in reserve for a go-around. In addition, I’m very wary of lithium batteries’ potential fire risks - I never worry about my glow engines burning the garage down :) It’s a personal choice - I love tinkering with engines, but I see the advantages of electric also.
Interesting article, as it brought back memories. I began my model aviation way back in 1960, flying control line. By 1964, began researching radio control, and bought my 1st radio, an EK Logictrol from Texas Instruments. Many of the flyers were engineers from TI, and the club was the Richardson Radio Control Club. With so many TI flyers in the club, they changed the name of the club to R2C2, meaning Richardson Radio Control Club. I always liked that. I began with an instructor, and a high wing trainer called an RCM Trainer 60. Today, after over 40 years flying RC, from sport, to scale, to Pattern, I'm considering a rebuild for that old RCM Trainer.
Referencing these foamies, I have tried 1-2, and can't stand them. Too quiet. This is not the RC flying I grew up with. I want to hear the sound of a perfectly tuned 2 stroke engine, not the pathetic buzz of an electric motor. I flew Pattern with an electric, and all seemed okay, but the hastle of charging the batteries the night before, and the other dangers of the immediate activation of the throttle control, with a razor edged 17" prop, just waiting to cut off a finger or two. Not for me. I've gone back to what I know and have always loved, Glow. Yes, the fuel is expensive. I used to pay $4/gallon, back in the early 70's, now at $30 +, and add to that Hazmat charges to get it delivered to your front door, it is still worth the price. It all breaks down to a cost per flight with my 1.20AX nitro monster at $5.20 for a 16oz. flight. Not cheap, but then what do you want? You want the pride of flying a plane you built, or even assembled from an ARF kit, weighing 10-11 lbs, or a 10-30 ounce foam looking plane that is, well let me say, there is no comparison. If you want to be a true RC hobbiest, build your planes from a kit, or from scratch. These foam, look alike planes are cute, but they just don't do it for me, and from what I read, from many others as well.
My RC history took me from my college days, to getting my "Private License" in 1978. What a thrill that was, flying at 3000' and above, going to Oshkosh 3 times, and loving aviation even more than I had ever thought one could. I'm retired now from medical engineering, which brought me the money needed to keep in model aviation, and eventually owning 2, full sized aircraft. A Beech Musketeer was my first, which I never really likes until I bought my pride and joy, a Grumman Yankee, 2 seater. Today, I still fly RC, and enjoy what I found in the 1960's. Looking back, it was radio control that started my life's love affair with flying, and it has proven to be my sanity in todays screwed up world of millennials and miss information from all the news networks. God Bless America!
The sound, smell and balkiness of glow engines brings back memories.
Absolutely Fantastic and extremely helpful video mate, this tutorial was exactly what I was looking for. Every stage
of the process was explained in detail and for someone like me who wants to transition to nitro power, it makes
things very clear now. Keep it up mate, that was excellent.
Here at the field they put the plane vertically with the engine on full throttle to see if it runs good in any condition... They also always remember me to not dive in full throttle because the engine will stop, and to listen carefully to the noise in flight... Your video is perfect for me! Thanks!!!
having a oldschool look on it i love GLoW ......BUT there is no denying electric is so easy so i would say for a newbie to get electric but down the road mess with glow
Absolutely. The reason I fell in love with the hobby was the sound of a nitro plane
I would sooner start a newbie out on a Saito powered SIG KAdet LT-40 and let them go fly their foamies after they've solo'd. The flight times and flight skills they develop learning on a balsa glow bird will benefit them on the foamies and those foamies would never teach them those skills.
@@heavenscanwait For me it was seeing a 40-size glow trainer hanging off the cieling of a Hobbytown USA when I was 8 or 9 years old. IT took me 20 years but I finally got one in the air and I've only gone further down the rabbit hole ever since.
Good job. Learned to fly RC on old glow engines years ago. Noise and smoke is fun, but you have to clean the oil off the fuselage and your hands after your flying session.
Nitro for 55 years. Only way for me
Love the sound of power from nitro engine. Now i go gas as well. Foam never heard of a foam aircraft. Next will be rubber. To each his own. Have fun.
Soooo true! Nitro for 15 years. Don't care about the 'clean' advantages of electric power, it doesn't come close to the realism of nitro...let alone the sound, flight time, and lovely smell. Electric is for vegans :p
Me too. But I don't know how to tune them after so many years. I don't have the ear for it. I'm thinking off trying electric.. wi'll see!
Thanks so much, this is EXACTLY what I was looking for
Great video. I currently have an electric Bixler 2 but want to join my local club and learn to fly Nitro. This was very helpful in letting me know what to expect.
I fly both electric motors and 4 stroke glow engines, mostly on balsa airplanes. I do have several foam planes but much prefer the balsa airplanes over the foam. I like both electric and glow. But really enjoy flying the glow the most at this point in time. I like the sound the smell and the feel of the glow four stroke engines. Down side is the cost of fuel and the oily mess. Upside is the longer run times of a glow 0ver electric, for my planes anyways. The electric are easier to get up in the air and are clean, but flight times are not as long as the glow.
Electrics take time to recharge the battery so you either have to have a bunch of Lipo battery packs fully charged on hand or you will be waiting to fly again. With glow you just refill and your off flying again. I take a mix of electric and glow to the field when I fly.
@Sun n Tan yes the sportsters and sky walkers are nice. I have both in.40 size and also 1/3 scale Space Walker
Just going to transition over to glow power this week. I am fortunate that an old timer form my club has a Piper Cherokee .46 he is donating to me lol I found your video quite informative thank you very much Sir!.. Cheers from Calgary Canada.
Thank you so much. You don't know how much this helped me. I found this at the best possible time. Was just thinking of switching to ic engines after 2 years of electric flight.
Subscribed and also shared in my club page.
Nothing like the smell of nitro, early in the morning!!!! I have done both, and have a fondness for glow or gas.
You can also use a squeeze bottle for filling the tank. It's a handy bottle that also allows you to squirt a little fuel directly into the carburetor before starting your engine.
When it comes to RC planes my favorite is the pylons because I love the higher pitch sound and they are easy to pickup on once you get familiar with the foam electrics and dead stick landings.
I have been flying electric for 7 years, including giant scale. A buddy made me a deal on a 40 size arf of his so I bought it. I am now in the process of converting my 1800mm beaver to glow. I will keep my electrics but I won't' be buying any more of them. The heavier glow planes really handle the wind much better. You do need more take off and landing area. Nice video! There sure aren't too many vids on electric to glow! ;)
Awesome! Now I am actually wanting to try a nitro plane for the first time
I have tried both over many years , starting with glow and then the mistake of trying electric
there is no comparison , an internal combustion engine can't be beat , I went straight back to glow and wished I had never made the mistake of trying electric , I had a really nice model catch fire due to electric and never eve had that with glow, not only that, electric models sound like a dremel power tool LOL
alan manning I love glow engines myself, nothing sounds and looks better than an actual engine on a wooden aircraft frame. I suppose it's the realism of an actual airplane on a smaller scale. I like electrics as well, but unfortunately, it doesn't sound like an airplane/helicopter. Yes, I said HELICOPTER! Anyone remember the helicopters. They were the rage before all these want to be "helicopters" (drones) became popular!😁 Oh, talk about the good times when one heard ENGINES flying everywhere!👉👍✌
SolarReturn what set up would you recommend for nitro beginner? I've flown electric and would like to get into nitro
electric is quicker than nitro gas diesel etc
I have flown electric for over 5 years and it has been great, so far ive never had any problems that you have encountered, the technology has gotten better over the years and electric has been getting more popular than glow, that being said, ive also had my fair share with glow aswell. The problem with that is that the glow engines dont last forever, unlike electric motors which last forever. (Ive had the same brushless motor for over 5 years, and it has flown constantly) I hope you will or already considered going back to electric, it is the most fun ive had in this hobby minus all the fuss with glow engines.
@@rcaviator8408 I must admit I have been swayed particularly with the noise factor of IC engines being an issue more and more , Electric has moved on immensly and is now cheap , Clean , Powerful and quiet
One thing I don't miss is the oily mess so yes my comment is now nonsense
One of the best things about electric is telemetry , seeing the battery state is far better than timing when your fuel is likely to run out ! And the motor dosen't need running in and setting up to keep running , another factor now is that I am finding it difficult to get glow fuel , The fuel I use now comes out of a plug socket , Yes my friend you are right
Good presentation. However, you forgot some important information. Batteries for an electric equivalent to a .40, will be about $60 apiece. If you fly like I do, you may need 5 or 6 of them to fly out the day along with a 4 port charger, as recharge times are fairly long. Also, with an electric, power starts to decrease as soon as you open the throttle with weight remaining the same. This leads to loss of performance as the flight progresses. With gas or glow, performance will increase as fuel is burned off.
Batteries require diligent maintenance to keep in peak shape and are expensive to replace when not stored properly. I have a mix of electric, glow and gas, and find the gas engines to be the most economical for flight costs. Nicad batteries are easier and longer lasting than li-pos, but the cost of nitro fuel is high. $20 per gallon at the hobby shop, if you have one close by. Gas, can be found everywhere, for less than $3 per gallon. Having a mix of all three, means I am fairly tired at the end of the day, and if I leave the field with all planes (16 in my motor-home) still intact, it is a GREAT day!
I pay $38 CDN for a gallon of glow fuel in Ontario.
I have only flown an electric 3s trainer. I bought 2 nitro planes at a garage sale I am excited to try. Thanks for the video.
I just bought that plane today. Thanks for the vid.
Thank you! This is very informative.
I just acquired a nitro plane, and I had no idea what to do until now.
I've been flying electric so far
have a nice time up there and cleaning hehe
I still havent gotten mine up yet. I had mine given to me two years ago now. I first flew nitro in 1978 and HATED it. I started back into flying with an Apprentice and loved it. Now I am ready to get back into flying nitro again. I have the Cadet LT-40. It should be a fun plane to relearn Nitro on. I had to replace the engine that was on it. The old engine had rusted up corroded bearings. I rebuilt it myself but havent tested it yet. I dont have much faith in it as the bearings were really bad and the piston rod bushing was siezed up. I finally got it to move again but it may end up failing. Thats why I bought a replacement engine. Brand new. I need to break it in.
Find your local club and talk to some nitro plane guys they will be able to help you start it, and tune it and set everything up
Andy Weese, How do I go about finding my local RC club?
There is so much used glow plane field gear on the used market, there is no need to buy any of it new.
@Rich Jake Some of the most fun I've ever had at the flying field was with cheap ancient third-hand glow planes that I've restored. Spent less on my 20-size Bridi Warlord all told than just the PnP foamie rough equivalent would cost and I love it to death. And the engine on it is so old it predates schneurle porting! But it's an OS so it runs mint.
Old does not mean bad. Just means inspect. Those old clevises might still be good might not be good you won't know if you don't inspect them. REplace the bad ones, leave the good ones alone.
New batteries and receivers are a given though, since these old planes usually have obsolete AM receivers and crappy nickel batteries in them. I usually put a 2s LiFE battery and a Futaba R2006GS in mine.
I just ordered a .46 trainer ...good video thanks
thanks , i've been looking for that unplugging from muffler part for a while now .
thanks to you , i know how to fuel the tank properly now.
muchas gracias
I have been flying model aeroplanes eversince 1986. I started out with an MFA Yamamota 40 size high wing trainer. it was fitted with an OS 40 two stroke glow engine. That's what I learned to fly on. Right up until 2002, all I ever flew was glow engines, both two and four stroke. I just love the sound, and I love the smoke trails. then that same year I bought my first electric plane, a multiplex easystar, followed by a multiplex twinstar. they were both good planes. However, I still prefer my glow planes better. Theres nothing to beat the sound of an engine, plus the extra weight is a help in the wind. the only advantage an electric plane would have in my opinion is when it comes to flying off water. an electric motor wont die out in the middle of a lake, but if a glow engine does then u need a boat to retrieve it. Anyway, I still prefer glow overall. By the way your video was great and I give u top marks for the way u explained everything. I also and still have the hangar 9 alpha 40 that I bought in 2011. The same one as yours. The bright orange colour scheme stands out great against any sky background. p.s I would just like to add that I had a fire in my house in 2007. This was caused when a lipo battery exploded while charging. You have to be extra careful with those. Many thanks for sharing this great video with everyone and it was so great to see the Alpha 40 in action. It really is a great flying plane.
I'm venturing into glow from electric - still prefer electric for most excursions because it is cleaner and can be quicker depending on the plane. That said, there's still nothing like the roar your glow plane makes doing a low and fast pass! ;-) Also, you asked about differences from glow vs. gas - the big difference the guys at my club say is that gas does not have nearly the oily emissions out of the exhaust. So the cleanup is virtually none. I'd go gas if I had big enough planes. ;-)
I´ve watched a few videos on this subject, and I must say this is by far the best! Super film quality, and well explained, Thanks.
Glad to see you release another video finally! Keep up the good work!
One thing that’s very different between electric and glow is center of gravity. While we are use to positioning the battery in an electric plane for the CofG that we want, a nitro plane is trimmed with all flight equipment in place but empty of fuel. The CofG and stability margin become much more important. While some larger aerobatic and scale aircraft will have the fuel tank positioned near the CofG to minimize it shifting, most trainers and sport airplanes have the tank in the nose. It’s important to balance the plane so that as fuel is consumed in flight and the CG shifts aft you don’t get too far into the stability margin and end up with a tail heavy airplane that’s difficult to control. I balance my planes so they are level when empty knowing they will be slightly nose heavy when full. I do this so that even if I end up out of fuel the plane will still have a neutral balance and maintain its normal flight characteristics. The other thing is depending on the size of the tank and it’s location in the plane, it’s not uncommon to have to trim the airplane continuously through the flight. Another thing to think about is that balsa is not dimensionally stable and the film covering can warp things like the wing and tail throughout the day. A plane that has spent hours sitting in the sun after it’s first flight may be completely out of trim if flown after seeing significant sun or temperature changes.
Excellent point.
Hi there, i really enjoyed watching your video. Very well presented and very well explained. Im flying 32 years and up until recently all ive ever flown were glow planes. The sound of a four stroke engine is music to my ears and i do like the smell of glow fuel also. In the last couple of years ive started to fly a few electric planes such as the Multiplex Twinstar and the Multiplex Mentor which i have on floats and i love flying those planes also. I especially prefer my float planes to be electric rather than ic as they are more reliable on the water. But overall i still prefer my glow planes mainly for the sound and realism and the smoke trail they leave behind. Ive just recently purchased an electric B-17 flying fortress with a wingspan of 74 inches and i have to say that it flys really well, just like a big trainer. PS. I still have my Alpha 40 trainer, the same one as featured in the video and i still fly it.
great presentation!!! I too started with electrics and am now learning if not transitioning to gas just because I want to try bigger and scale kit building. I didn't want to go with glow because they seem like too much of a headache to deal with the cleaning and tweaking....ugghh. I see some guys spending more time tweaking engines than flying. Beside the point, I have realized that with anything other than smaller foamies I would have to begin buying new and larger batteries and didn't want to even go down that road again after seeing how so many of my lipos have puffed or are beginning to after only a few flights. Thanks this was very informative.
Good info in video. Everything is much more clear for me now. thanks for that.
I fly only glow now.I used to fly electric 3 years ago,it was my trainer plane.I recommend glow to fly with.
Awesome video.... you answered so many of the questions I had! Thank you! I fly electric but had curiosity for nitro/gas. Recently bought an airplane with the engine taken apart due to varnish build-up (OS Max 40). I cleaned it all up and was in the process of reassembling it, but I have some questions, including about lubrication and possible gaskets and other parts that I might be missing (??). Your video was very helpful. :-)
This is very surreal for me. I began flying 37 years ago before electrics were even mentioned mainstream. Technology then just didn't allow it. Planes were all built piece by piece with ZAP and blue print plans with precut balsa parts and T pins. Pushrods were individually installed and cut to length, nylons hinges were installed by hand. THEN! You got out the monocoat and the iron and covered each plane by hand, which was a bit of an art to itself but quickly learned. Custom graphics were just that, cut by the builder by hand and applied with the iron. After all was said and done you had to check and ensure the CG was proper. Granted, all this was much more expensive to get started that it is today with everything prebuilt and radio equipment was archaic/prehistoric and overpriced by todays standards. Training was done with 2 transmitters and a connecting cable. When the student got in over their head the teacher would release a toggle ad take over. 5th channels were for retracts, 6th channel meant flaps. Only sophisticated planes and heli's had 7 channels. No gyro's (except helis), no electronic assists. Getting back into the hobby after 25 years I'll be buying my first electric but still have my .40 plane and .30 heli. Makes me smile to see tings coming full circle, as I'm getting into electrics just now!!! :)
Always try to start it by hand first. Use a rubber finger protector or just some stick. An electric starter will put alot of stress on the engine and cause extra wear. For re-fueling you can also use those bottles that you can squeeze.
I just bought an older sig sky bolt rc nitro plane how do I identify the different parts of the plane to use and
perform maintenance on them
i love the sound of a four stroke.
Great video but you really don`t want to leave your glow plug igniter on the engine for very long, as this will cause the glow plug to fail quicker over time. sometimes at the worst times.
Nice explain and presentations. Appreciate it 👍
While electric planes are cheaper and easier to operate, glow/gas tends to be more scale and offers better power options as well. One big difference between electric and glow is that you must be extremely careful about how you handle yourself around glow engines. They both have their pros and cons and I fly both. Fly safe!, James
Great video. Where do it get plan for this type of plane ? Thnx
I started with slope, gliders, no engines or motors. Then I moved onto Nitro, which I absolutely love. I’ve flown lots of electric foamies 3D.
I collect nitro kits and engines now and slowly build models but it’s hard to find time to fly. This video inspired me to get back out there though. 🤠☀️
I fly both. The thing that scares me about combustion engines are those spinning blades of death when you're removing the glow driver or adjusting the carb.
Where you buy it
So i have had some RC planes I got as a kid and now Im trying to get back into the hobbies, but I've been told a glow engine can run on 2 stroke gasoline. I don't want to kill it but i was curious on what I can use?
Seth Downey Stewart just use nitro fuel (nitro,methanol,oil mixture). Gas has different properties to it and modifications will have to be made to the engine for that.
P.s use at least 18% to 20% oil mixture in your nitro fuel.
3:39 Just bought an rc airboat from the flea market. Has that exact engine. Where is the high speed fuel screw?
Hi, I'm Glenn from upstate NY, a lifetime buddy of mine Flys Electrics, including jets, and loves them. He recently bought two used glow planes, decided it was his thing so he sold them to me. So I'll be starting out with Nitro glow engine planes. I'm excited to get in the air, but am doing a butt-ton of research. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!!
Biggest difference that mattered to me is flight time, my .60 equivalent electric ugly stick has half the flight time as my .60 glow.
Wish they still made this plane, this is the plane that taught me to fly, i still got the engine , flew the hell outta that thing
A lot of planes I wish were still available too. At least with glow, you can always have full throttle capability.
very helpful! been flying electric my whole life, now in tech class me and a friend are about to get a Nirto plane flying..
That Alpha 40, formerly known as The Easy 40, is probably the best trainer ever. If equipped with a good ball-bearing motor and servos, that bird can fly better than any feathered bird can fly and it can straighten itself out on any nosedive. I WOULD NOT stick with that Evolution motor...Try something like OS 55AX or Thunder Tiger PRO 46.
As always great info. I always recommend this Video!! old post but very relevant.
I have an 45 Evolution engine, facing the propeller (same as in the video), which direction must I spin the properller on order to start the engine? Clockwise 🔃 (right 👉) or anticlockwise 🔄 (left 👈)?
Anti.counter clockwise for a normal propeller.
Why were you primeing the engine counter clockwise ???
'lectric is for newbies. Great video, thanks.
I use to fly with glo engines but switched to electric. I have a glow engine to go on a 72' wing span Telemaster but decided to but an electric engine on it. The engine is strong enough to carry the weight.
Decided on electric for my large scale Kyosho P40. Sounds awesome especially on flybys. The larger electric motor/prop the less it will sound like a whiner. Don’t like foam, balsa and electric for me.
That's really neat. How long can one of those stay aloft?
Depends on the size of the tank and how much throttle you use but 15-20 minutes. On equivalent Lipo battery about 5-12 minutes approx.
What’s nice about electric is you can fly them at parks. Most flying fields require an AMA membership and become a member of the club the field belongs to. This is not a bad thing because most clubs have support and even instructors for new pilots. You will normally have to do a check flight with a club member to be able to solo at the field. This is to make sure you can get around a pattern safely. Glow and electric have their advantages and disadvantages.
How many electric real airplanes do you know? The sound of piston engines is music to my ears. Real reciprocating engines, of course...Cheers.
I love this as I am going to build a rc PT-17 Stearman Bi-plane, but when It comes to the engine, I was given a 22+ yr old nitro engine in practically new condition never ran, how would I know when to lean and when not to lean the engine, as well as what should I buy such as fuel tanks etc.?
wait a second when you used tge stick ro rurn the engine over didnt you turn it the wrong way?
( i know that this doesnt really matter for 2 stroke engines um just wondering why)
hello how can i assembly RC plane from scratch please ? any helpful videos ?
Just been given an ARC Jupiter. Has nothing with it other than itself. Obviously a controller but what do I need to fly it?
Wow!! That was really a good video
I wish I can find one of these NIB somewhere.
Rotate your muffler end cap so the exhaust tube points down and outwards, and not directly at your wing leading edge. Your wing will last much longer
Great Job !!! This helped a lot. Thanks
Can you remove that big muffler from the side without effect the engine significantly
Nice intro by WV.
I've flown nitro all my life as there were no electrics.With the introduction of electric planes I built a few electrics too. Boring...to be blunt. Switched back to nitro. I like the noise and the methanol exhaust smell.
That smell you like is not healthy for the brain.
6 years later it's still useful information. Just bought a homemade plane with a glow engine off of Facebook marketplace for 40 bucks. I figured it was a cheap way to get into nitro because I already have tx, rx, battery, BEC (used for a glider). Now I'm probably going to have to spend around double the cost of the plane just to get the field gear lol. Might go with a chicken stick over a starter because I'm cheap haha
It can be expensive to get all the stuff you need for your field box. You know if you can find a used RC sale in your area you can find that stuff really cheap, like 25% of the cost. You can usually find the sales are held by RC clubs, estate auctions or just yard sales.
@@WVRetreat unfortunately i live kind of "out there" and theres not much rc that goes on. theres a club a few towns over but its mostly dead and not running right now anyways, plus they do electric mostly. i was looking on facebook markeplace and could find anything for planes, just nitro cars and trucks. i ended up getting everything off of amazon. a hangar 9 hand crank fuel pump and a gallon of 20% methanol nitro fuel. also got a cheap 13 dollar glow plug igniter that runs off a C alkaline battery. all of them had great reviews. total was under 70 bucks and 40 of that was the fuel. the only thing i still need is a starter. i didnt get one because i didnt have enough spending money at the time. if it comes down to it i can use a chicken stick i guess.
thanks again for the info!
dead stick means stopped prop?, what if prop falls of, how you call that
Cool video, what is the simulator we see at the end of the video ?
Were can I buy one
I've also been told that gasoline is cheaper than glow fuel, has longer flight times and lasts longer in a fuel container.
Great job!!!! Love the videos!!!!
What a great video! Very detailed, thanks for sharing, earned a sub
I was given a glow plane that sat in a basement for years and am trying to find out about it
Same
Yeah... the guys at the field with gassers almost never pull out rags to wipe their planes down. Very appealing - all the awesome roar without the mess afterwards ;-).
I have to say the same that Cameron Gregg said :) Thanks for the video :)
Yeah, it probably is cheaper considering a gallon jug of the fuel I have was about $25 here (Canada). :) Longer flight times and storage I can't speak to as I haven't heard about either yet. Thanks. J
How do you shut off your engine if you can’t hold down on the throttle
In that situation, most people will program a switch on their transmitter to bring the throttle very low and kill the engine.
Hi guys, I am starting Nitro planes, i fly electric... does anyone have a link to get this plane? Thanks
How to connect nitro engine with receiver and all cercuit plz guide me sir
I always liked gas I still have electric planes but to me the runtime of gas vs electric and not having to wait for batteries to charge to fly again always made me like gas more. But I’ll still have my electrics when I want a fun beater plane.
I'm fairly new to the hobby but my instructor told me that the electric starter is not a good way to start an engine and hes a very good instructor I've only had three flights and I'm lading and starting the plane without the electric starter its not hard if you have someone that knows how to start a glow plane.
Tuning the engine is missing, wish it was part of the video
Excellent video. IMO learning with electric motor is the best, simpler it works fine all the time. It takes a while to trouble shoot and correctly tune especially nitro type engines. IMO the biggest advantage of combustion engines is that you can make flight after flight after flight, as long as you get fuel :)
Simpler, except when the ESC takes a crap, and they do. Tuning, once the carb is set, there should be almost no need to touch the needles again. might take two minutes to get it right the first time. Nitro is a constituent of glo fuel, not a description of the type of engine. Nicads don't last forever, rule of thumb is one hundred minutes of total time, then change them if you have another pack.
When I begin in 1977, 4.8volt nicad 500 mah receiver battery pack was common. This was good for 4-5 flights max. Now with 2000mah battery packs you can fly most of the day.
Very informative, thank you.
Why were you turning the motor backwards for priming? I have never seen that before. Did it work?
Scot Caraway it works fine.
I start my engines per hand because with a electric Starter you can damage the engine
Yup, and if tuned correct, with good technic first time every time. I've an 18 year old ASP91FS mounted inverted, prone on wheels, flip upside down to start, back on wheels to run
Do glow engines require a break in? If so, did you perform a break in on your engine or did it come broken in from the factory?
Most do. The Evolution engines (As included in this trainer) are sold as broken in from the factory and are supposed to be able to be run out of the box with no break in. Most take that with a grain of salt