New Subscriber - Need new elec aircraft

Progress has marched, and your power system is getting pretty long in the tooth. You may find it's less expensive to scrap it and start over -- but that needs to be your decision.

The biggest improvement that you can make, and the one that makes those speed 400 motors come alive, is to use a gearbox and a bigger prop. Direct drive brushed motors, unless they're in something tiny and fast, are just sick things.

By the time you do anything real you'll find that your battery pack has bit the dust -- six years of use OR sitting on the shelf will do one of those in, so you're due for new. Lithium Polymer batteries are way cool from a weight/capacity standpoint, but you'd need to buy a charger which isn't cheap. A geared speed 400 with a nicad pack and the right plane is still a nice combo, although _very_ dated.

I'd look around for a high-wing 3-channel ARF that weighs around 12-16 ounces and has around a 40-45 inch wingspan. With that motor, geared, and the right prop you should be fine.

If you go into a hobby shop they'll try to sell you a brushless outrunner motor and LiPo batteries. This is definitely a higher performance combination, and not too much more expensive if you're starting from nothing -- but you'll need new motor, ESC, batteries, and charger. That set of kit is about 1/2 the cost of a new airplane (thank goodness your radio is still good, eh?). If you have the $$ though, it's worth it.

If you're cost-constrained, then just get a gearbox for the motor (or a geared motor) an 8-4 or 8-6 (200-100 or 200-150) prop, and a 7-cell NiCd flight pack. That'll run you a lot less than the new cool stuff, and it'll fly just fine.

And get on the AMA web site

I taught myself how to fly R/C, and the only thing that kept it from being the dumbest thing in the world was the fact that I was 15, didn't have a driver's license, and lived miles from any fields. Once I could drive out to flying fields I learned buckets just from hanging out and listening to conversations, never mind what I learned from having questions answered.

GWS Slow Stick. Will use your current servos and radio system. Most come with their own geared motor. One of the easiest planes to assemble, I assembled one up at Chilao Campground so I could take aerial photos of our campsite. I have had two wingos and multiple Slow Sticks and the Slow Stick is a better flier and MUCH more rugged and repairable. Everybody at my field flies one tho I think we are all flying with brushless motors. That's my recommendation.

Dan

On Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:00:01 -0500, Byron Lane wrote: (top posting fixed)

I'm not sure what you think you need to do -- normally one determines the motor/prop combination one wants. That in turn sets the voltage and current requirements on the pack. Voltage and current set the power output ('wattage'), but you buy the battery pack by voltage, current, and capacity, not really by power output.

Check the kit -- it should say what battery you need, or (better) what voltage and current you want to run with. Basically you need to supply the right voltage at the right current for six minutes or more (this is where a LiPo battery is cool -- it supplies about the same current/weight as a NiMH, but for lots longer).