Now more than ever it seems that we are entering an era that
needs to depend less on fuel burning engines. That even includes
radio control airplanes with their nitro-methane gas engines.
How can you ease the burden on gas burning rc engines? Simple,
convert your balsa kit, RTF or ARF to an electric engine. In fact,
in a lot of areas of the United States it is almost impossible to
find a place to fly anything but electric airplanes anymore.
Noise abatement and encroachment on rural areas have really
affected the number of places left where you can fly gas engine rc
planes. It's simple, as the population grows, there are fewer places
left to fly rc airplanes safely. In fact, most rc clubs are
abandoning gas powered model airplanes, and trading in their gas
engines for electric power plants. Why? because their "new" neighbors
do not want loud gas powered aircraft flying past their homes (even
though
they were not there first). Instead of closing the club, they are
encouraging their members to convert their aircraft to electric
powered aircraft. This eliminates most of the noise and allows them
to keep flying.
I have given in to the electric era and have been converting most
of my rc airplanes to electric motors. This is not to say that I
still enjoy the power and thrill of rc gas engines, but it is
getting harder to find a place to fly it and not be bothered by
residents that think you are encroaching on their peace and quiet.
This is not to say that converting rc gas engines to electric is as
simple as switching out motors. In fact there is a lot to consider
when doing a rc gas engine conversion to rc electric motors.
You have to consider all of the following...
- C.G. - The center of gravity for your model aircraft has
just been greatly changed. All that weight of the metal gas
engine needs to be balanced somehow.
- Flying time - Gone are the days of just filling up the tank
and going up again. Now you need to manage battery packs and
keep them on a charging cycle and make sure not to over use
them.
- Chargers - Be prepared to learn a lot about chargers (DC for
your car), different types of battery packs NiCad, NiMh, Li-ion
and Lithium Polymer (the newest and most challenging to charge).
- Battery Monitoring Devices - Things like ESC (electronic
speed control), LVC (low voltage cutoff), Battery Model numbers
lingo.
- Gearbox - Do I need one, how will it effect my battery life.
Will it cause my battery to overheat?
There is lots more to consider when it comes to electric airplane
motors, but in the long run it will be worth it to at least convert
one of your current models to electric from the old rc gas burning
engine.
One Final Thought: Electric radio control airplanes are not
completely free from fuel dependency, after all we need to charge
those batteries, and to do this, where does the power come from? it
comes from coal burning power plants (a few nuclear, hydro-electric,
solar, wind and natural gas power plants too). So the question is,
what is the lesser of two evils? Well, when you consider the
refinery that has to also power to create the nitro methane fuel for
your gas rc engines, it does seem a better choice to select an
electric engine.
If you are really concerned about the environmental impact, there
are some ways to offset the production of your energy and gas usage.
You can purchase carbon credits, or even ask your local power
company to offset your power consumption with wind power. Both of
these alternatives are a good way to balance your use of power and
gas for your electric radio controlled aircraft and nitro-methane
gas use.
If you have any comments or need more help, I
would be glad to answer any question you have.
Please post a question at our
HTMRCA
Blog for the quickest response to your questions. Or
you can leave a comment about this article. You can also write
just to say hi:). This is one big community and it's
great to get to know other electric radio controlled plane pilots.
Good Luck, and Happy Buying and Flying,
Carl Baer
