What size motor ?

[Roger.Roger!]

The build on my 10-12 year old kit (Galaxy Models Fox Jet) is progressing and very soon I have to consider the power plant. When the kit was produced, it was intended for an .049 glow plug engine, however I feel it is time for the 'silent approach' and want to fit an electric motor instead. Any suggestions please for a suitable electric motor (the model's wingspan is 36 ins).

[Alistair Taylor]

Norman

try the Bell brushless and 7x5 prop - I've been using this setup on the 30" Hawes Tucano and it's excellent.

AlistairT

[Roger.Roger!]

Thanks Alistair. I have to admit that the different motor sizes and power consumption leave me a bit in the dark. I know that I will eventually understand it but for beginners it must be even worse. Why can they not classify them according to performance, say based on a scale of one to ten? Should make choosing a motor a lot easier. (I take it that Bell makes just the one then)!

[Alistair Taylor]

Roger.Roger

we modellers have been spoiled/manipulated by the engine and kit/artf manufacturers and balsa merchants for decades.

When balsa came in 36" lengths, you built planes of up to 36" span for 15 - 25 engines and over 36" span (ooh that's going to require some tricky spl/icing!) for 35 - 40 engines, and around 72" for 60+ sized engines. Resulting in a proliferation of designs around these sizes of engines.

If you had anything as rare as a 17 or 32 sized engine, you didn't go looking for a 17 or 32 sized plane - you bought a 15 sized plane and overpowered it, or 40 sized plane and invested in micro gear (eee them were the days) :o)

With the huge number of electric power trains now available and the ease of producing planes at all manner of sizes using EPP/Depron/Foam/glassfibre, all that stuff has gone out the window.

As electric motors don't really have convenient "sizes", deciding on one that works is either down to laborious testing or (as above) relying on what has been shown to work for others.

This would not be a problem, were it not for the fact that whereas if you put the wrong prop on the 40 glow in your Wot 4 it might not fly quite as well; if you put the wrong prop on a brushless motor you could burn it out, along with the speed controller, the plane will most likely go uncontrollable in flight, and if the lipos haven't had their second cup of coffee that day they may incinerate what's left! Magic

At least with the "bell" brushless motor (it's called bell cos it looks like a bicycle bell - it's made in china by The Lordnozoo) the components are cheap and easily relpaceable if you do get it wrong.


AlistairT