eletric v gas

[bandicoot]

Hi everyone..

I'm new to the whole RC thing let alone helicopters. I have a simple dragonfly4 as a Christmas present and as a cheap way to see if I liked it as a hobby and a way to get started. On the whole im not doing bad for a big kid with a new toy. I'm spending time on the SIM that it came with and on the odd day im outside with the training gear, and im happy with this (even though load of people seem to put mini heli's down).

My question is regarding the next step..

I know that my next heli will not be fixed pitch, but my problem is with the gas/electric debate.

Why do people seem to dismiss the electric helicopters? surly the larger ones are good for flying outside and with good batteries flight times should also be ok and they seem a little cheaper as well.

can anyone shed some light on this? or am I missing the point ?

thanks

[Ade_Law]

There are 2 parts to this storey. The initial problem really is Big Vs Small

Bigger models fly nicer. The mechanics generally have less slop, and the dynamics just work better at larger sizes.

Now with electric the performance is definitely there these days with brushless motors and li-poly batteries. there is no doubt about it. But as you go up in size the cost of these components gets incredible.

there is a cross over in size where glow becomes at least comparable in long term cost. Its difficult to calculate exactly when this.

This cross over seems to be around the Eolo/logo 10 size.

A lot of people say they want to fly in parks but to fly out doors in anything but total calm you need to be flying a t-rex or bigger. Once you get that size the headspeed is high and will do damage if you hit somebody. So I dont recomend it.

Once your at a proper flyig field there is no reason to fly the small stuff so that gets you into larger helis so just get a 30 or 50 size glow heli.

Trex are nice helis but to fly them properly you need plenty of space which we just dont get indoors in the UK and out doors you need somewhere well out of the way to fly them safely.

Thats my take on it.

Ade

[bandicoot]

Do flying clubs that have their own field etc take this members with this size heli? .. i say this as this would be the general direction im heading and would like to join a club when i go up in size...after all they are the place to learn..

[phil485]

The quote I like best is that you need to remember you need to buy all your fuel up front. Big lipo's, chargers and Brushless motors don't come cheap.

[Sao]

Depends what you want, personally I can't stand nitro engines, the noise, the smell, the mess, the setting up.

I like electric, quiet, no mess, plug and play.

Only problem with electrics like Ade pointed out is the large cost of batteries and motor's but if you got the cash then there is no reason to not choose an electric heli these days.

I don't fly at a club but i do fly on a sanctioned BMFA site and also on some private farm land. One of the major problems with the BMFA site is local complaining about noise... my heli is quiet compared to the nitro's. The one thing I had to comply with on the farm land was to be quiet so electric was the ideal choice for me, it has been expensive to get all the batteries and chargers etc but for me more than worth it to not have a headache at the end of every flight :P

[Butuz]

I am like Sao - i hate the noise, smell and mess of Nitro Heli's. Personally i think little glow engines sound absoloutly horrid.

The only thing that would part from electric would be a gas turbine one. But that is a long time in the future for me anyway

Butuz

[Ade_Law]

the noise isnt *THAT* with todays engines and mufflers. Certainly when you compare it with the noise of an equal size heli. say 3dmp with a 50 size glow a lot of the noise does come from blades and drive train.

As for the mess, again modern high quality fuels like magnum, wildcat and Cool power are fully synthetic so yes, they do still get oily but its easy to clean up and makes you inspect the model properly, its amazing what you pick up when cleaning them. Its not the horribly gooey smeg we used to have.

Finally and its a big big but, for 50 size electrics your flying with the equiverlent of over 130 flights worth of 30% fuel dangling off the skids which will take at least some of the force from a crash.

Ade

[chappers]

now this IS worrying! I agree with Ade!!!

I must be ill?

[Disc]

Hi
er you could go Gasser (petrol)....

But they cost a bit more....

[G-DAVE]

I don't know to many flyer's that have given up there 90 ic's totally to play with micro heli's -- They all have one but it plays second fiddle to gas guzzlers --
Once you've tasted an IC 90 size 3D machine (properly silenced !) there is nothing else going to float your boat.

[Symon]

Here's my penny's worth...

I have a trex and yes it is dangerous and expensive up front ( I reckon all helis are though). But it's great fun and if you want a cheap sport get a footie . I fly it in a car park and it's a buzz (I'm a newbie though). Parts are cheap and initial investment will turn to low costs as time goes on. Can't wait till I'm proficiant.

However, I totally want a large IC some day soon and can see the arguement for them. I have a soft spot for scale as my uncle many years ago had one which always stuck in my memory and is why I'm here now

[chappers]

whats your uncles name?

[Symon]

Colin. It was about 15 odd years ago but it was awesome as a young'n to see.

However I can only remember it being stuck on the ground being tweaked.

Funny how things stick in the mind.

ps. I know just 'Colin' won't help that much but don't really wanna say surnames

[chappers]

if he flew helis in the north east we will know him! pm me his name

[antsis]

A lot of people say they want to fly in parks

Just to add my 2p. People go into electrics because they think they can just pop down to the local park with it and this isn't restricted to heli's. This is not necessarily the case and unfortunately most LHS's do not emphasis this point. (No dig at you Ade). The majority of prospective pilots don't know that they should have insurance, and some of those that do don't realise that they may not be covered if they fly in a public area. Joe public generally regards rc flying as toys and does not understand the dangers. My club rents a field from the local council and we have big warning signs around the perimeter. This doesn't stop people walking their dogs or riding bikes across the flight line.

Ok, back to the subject. One of the misconceptions with electrics are the fact that the majority of them are small and hard to fly. However there are 90 size electrics out there, but as mentioned, they are extremely expensive. Given the choice, I'd still go with nitro.