Which Electric Plane is Most Powerful?

Is it helpful to add that the only thing I need to remotely control is on and off?

I think I want an aircraft motor because I think they are designed to be the fastest and most powerful that I could buy today. I'll probably keep the propeller and wings, but maybe not.

Tony

My local hobby shop said that more voltage generally means more power. I thought it was amperes that made a certain propeller spin faster. Are we both right? Either adds more weight. So, now we're starting to get to the trade-offs that are really at the heart of this issue. Comparing specs alone doesn't seem to help.

silly question. Get a brushless motor some lithium polymer batteries and a sleek airframe. Some of the gliders can do ove 80mph, so how fast is fats enough?

Its a stupid question. Almost any medieum sized electric motor will get you up to the 70mph plus region in the correct airframe and with the correct battery pack and prop.

ah. a Race. WHAT race?

neither of those are fast. Try a multiplex twinjet. That should get you over 50mph at least.

| My local hobby shop said that more voltage generally means more power.

They were right ...

| I thought it was amperes that made a certain propeller spin faster.

Power = Amps * Volts. Doubling either one will double your power.

| Are we both right? Either adds more weight. So, now we're starting | to get to the trade-offs that are really at the heart of this issue.

Sure. What's the issue? :)

| Comparing specs | alone doesn't seem to help.

It does, but there's a lot more than just two specs. Motocalc

more volts (battery), more speed. More amps (battery) , longer running time.

| It's hard to compare electric motors online.

Not really, especially once you learn about Motocalc.

| 1. Which RC electric plane is the most powerful?

Perhaps the giant solar powered one that NASA crashed into the ocean a year or so ago?

| I want one that goes fast and could, perhaps, carry a few ounce payload. | | I don't care about anything else, except availability. Please do not tell | me about price, ease, construction, maneuvering or ... just power and speed.

Then you probably want some sort of pylon racer with a large brushless motor and a direct drive prop. 200 mph ought to be possible if you throw enough money at it. (Oops, I mentioned price, sort of.)

Though I suspect you really don't understand what you're asking. | Depending on what I buy (today or tomorrow) I will probably take it apart | and re-build it.

Um, why?

| My local hobby shop offered me a Parkzone J-3 Cub (340 motor) or a Hobbyzone | AeroBird Extreme (540 motor) but couldn't say which had more power.

Then they're idiots. The 540 has more power. The 540 is a much larger motor than the 340.

| (Motor size does not necessarily determine power.

No, but it's a large factor. The Aerobird Extreme is a lot larger than the J-3 cub, so it needs more power. They both probably fly at similar speeds, however, though the Aerobird might be a bit faster. Neither one is very fast in the grand scheme of things.

They may not be idiots. Ignorance and idiocy are not the same. We're all ignorant, just about different things. Few are idiots.

Tony - I've combined your posts to respond; it sounds like you're planning to use the power system from a plane to power something else? Please tell me this is the case, since you only need "on and off" control :^)

If that's the case, you'll want to skip the purchase of the plane entirely and concentrate solely on the motor, prop, and battery pack. Any "stock" configuration offered with a ready-to-fly plane will almost certainly underperform what you can put together yourself.

If you want to go faster, bigger is better! The most powerful motor I have used to date is an AXI 2420/12 (brushless outrunner) on a 10 cell (12 volt) NiMH pack with a Graupner 11x6 prop. And it SCREAMS in the air! There are bigger motors if you feel so inclined to use them...

Yes, more volts means more power. Add cells to your battery pack to increase voltage, and make sure that the motor is large enough to handle the volts delivered to it. Different props will draw more or fewer amps. Choose a prop that pulls about as many amps as the motor, battery, and speed control (if there is one) will handle. Choose battery cells that can deliver amps at the rate you intend to consume them.

Dan.