Chris Collins Posted May 31, 2007 Share Posted May 31, 2007 Maybe RCM&E should publish a plan for a solar powered plane/glider? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alistair Taylor Posted May 31, 2007 Share Posted May 31, 2007 ChrisRobbe or graupner sold an electric glider with solar panels across the wings some time back (early 90s), but I don't believe that the solar cells gave any more than moderately extended flight times.Now if we could get a collective license to produce bio-ethanol for model plane fuel....Hic!AlistairT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLY ELECTRIC Posted May 31, 2007 Share Posted May 31, 2007 Somone has also developed a solar powered torch which apparrently works extremely well in brilliant sunlight... I think we have a long way to go before natural energy is of much use in Electric Flight but given the research progress in this area, who knows! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alistair Taylor Posted May 31, 2007 Share Posted May 31, 2007 I already use a couple of maplin-supplied solar panels to top up the 12v gel cell batteries I use for my flight box and field charger.I'm not sure it saves me anything more than pennies, but they do make attractive window-sill ornaments durnig the week....ahem.Now if I can set up a windmill-driven dynamo on the shed....AlistairTPS - Graupner Solar UHU - that was the one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Collins Posted May 31, 2007 Share Posted May 31, 2007 Alistair,Wasn't the solar powered torch one of those old jokes, like the water proof sponge?I do have a vague memory of the glider you're talking about. I just wondered if, with all of the advanced in battery power, motors and solar power, how fay away we are to having 'truely' solar powered model planes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Miller Posted May 31, 2007 Share Posted May 31, 2007 Forget Solar power. All the pollutants in the atmosphere will stop the sunlight getting through.Now hot air engines do seem to have great potential from what I see around here.Who can I wind up to morrow? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Meredith Posted May 31, 2007 Share Posted May 31, 2007 Hmmm??? solar powered torch eh,,about as much use as an ashtray on a motorbike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Fisher Posted May 31, 2007 Share Posted May 31, 2007 I DO have a solar powered torch - left in the sun the photo voltaic panel charges up a nicad in the torch body and gives several hours of light when it's needed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLY ELECTRIC Posted May 31, 2007 Share Posted May 31, 2007 ...and ashtrays are perfectly practical in a sidecar! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dead-stick Posted May 31, 2007 Share Posted May 31, 2007 There is one unarguable enviromental advantage to leccy powered aircraft, and it is that they are generally very quiet (EDF excepted!), this is especially useful at noise sensitive sites. Noise pollution is proberbly more of an important issue than the minute amounts of gaseous pollutants produced by the average club oiler. The only way a glow/petrol motor can compete in this case is with the dreaded cry,......... DEAD-STICK!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myron Beaumont Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 Bet no-one has seen one of my 24 hr sundials I use instead of a battery powered (poisonous) watch !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Ashby - Moderator Posted June 1, 2007 Author Share Posted June 1, 2007 Right ho chaps, I've been away a few days and got back to see the fur flying! ;-) But good to see humour used very well in places, gold stars to a few of you. What we meant by the thread originally wasn't so much the old i.c. v electric chestnut - rather the fact that at our club the electric models seemed to have crept up in numbers to the extent that now they're a noticeable chunk of the flightline on any given sunday... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Howcroft Posted June 3, 2007 Share Posted June 3, 2007 I agree with David A.Last time I was at a club site there was about a 60/40 split (i.c / elec). A few years ago there would have been only one or 2 elecs there. Easy to see why though. there quiet, always start and you dont need to clean loads of gunk off em after. RTF electric models have made it REAL easy for people to get into flying. I know I used to sell loads more elec beginners models than i.c. when I worked in a local model shop, (now sadly closed). Most customers liked the idea of charge and fly kits. Like the electosport to name but one.Me .. well I fly electric only at the moment, but thats due to moise problems not a dislike of i.c.If you,ve never tried it have a go at control line ... its fun !! ... and noisy ... lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Miller Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 Now you are talking! Control liners don't have to be any noisier than R/C and the noise footprint is much, much lower because the models are close to the ground and trees act as sound baffles. The other big advantage is that you only have to walk 60 feet to the crash site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Howcroft Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 PeterYep control liners are fun ... but hard to land .... when your so dizzy you can hardly sand ... lol. I tried them at Barton(manchester) with a friend who used to do it as a kid !!. The club members are really great. Very helpfull to newcomers. Picked up a nice .10 size os engine second hand for a tenner off a club member. Me and my mate had a few good months with 2 or 3 of our own designs before he became too ill with the cancer. It finally got him last year ... I've not been to the Barton club since .. but must make the trip again sometime soon.Carrier deck is something to behold as well ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Miller Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 You soon stop getting dizzy. Longer lines on bigger models are much better. Also if you can stunt you can stop turning for a bit.We used to dread seing people turn up after Chruistmas with a KK Huricane, That thing wizzing round on 20 ft lines could make the most experienced pilot dizzy.A club mmeber recently bought one to recreate his first model. It was hilarious when he staggered out of the circle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Howcroft Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 I know the feeling ...The first control liner I ever flew was my mates own design. He neglected to tell me it was a speed model .. and he put a smaller prop on it to get the revs up .... staggered all over the place and fell over after 3 minutes of flying, but had managed to land it. Do they do electric control liners these days ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLY ELECTRIC Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 Of course they do!Anything i.c. has more or less been done with Electric these days, although the "3rd wire" throttle control took a bit of mastering, the most popular method being a servo tester linked to the ESC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Miller Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 Hi GlenYou did very well, I wrecked five control liners before I managed a lap. I did have two dissadvantages, I was trying to teach myself and they were small models on short lines (see above)Now I always recommend a big model. I have taught people to fly easily with a big 35 powered stunter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alistair Taylor Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 Oooooh bunniesThere was me hoping to learn with a Paw100 powered 1/4 sheet flying wing on short lines....Is there something you can drink to excess in advance that puts an opposite spin on the old cerebellum?Surely the coriolis effect means that spirits made on opposite sides of the equator make your head spin in opposite directions?If only I'd paid more attention in physics...AlistairT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Howcroft Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 Lol ...Anything to help would have been nice. Can't imagine what a brushless powered 600 size spit would go like on control lines ... bet it would be fun !!I did fly a PAW powered c/l my mate had made .. was very cool. The PAW was a lovely engine. Brand new as well .... are they still in production ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Rolls Posted June 7, 2007 Share Posted June 7, 2007 GlennYes, PAW are stll on production, although Gig Eifflander died a little while back tony is still turning them out. Great maotors - I must have about 30 over the years from 0.55 cc to 5cc.Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Mackey Posted June 7, 2007 Share Posted June 7, 2007 I remember MANY years ago as a wee lad, buying and building my first model aeroplane ( after airfix of course ) Keil Kraft "Ranger" - made a damn good job of it too, all smelly dope and tissue and the like :) :) me and my dad goes off to the Great Orme in Llandudno, he singles out a likely looking place for its maiden, but I say "dad there is a telgraph pole and wires over there" Dont worry he says, thats a hudred yards off, you will be fine.We fire up the PAW, get the lines sorted, young Timbo stands nervously in the centre of the circle, still eying up those blinkin wires, and dad releases. The little blue devil goes off like a bat out of hell YIKES! Little Timbo manages to fly it around a good few times with the motor rasping away merrily, and of course, un-be-known to me, I have started wandering off the spot, towards - you know where !!Well it all ends in tears as Timmys pride and Joy blasts itself to smithereens on the aforementioned pole and wires. Little Timmy cries all the way home in the back of the Austin A30.Never did forgive my Dad for that error of judgement Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Rolls Posted June 8, 2007 Share Posted June 8, 2007 TimboThe Ranger - that was my first C/L model in 1952. Which version was yours? There were two. Mine was the first one with a planked fus. The planking was 1/4 3/32 and the brilliant KK people provided the 1/4x3/32 in the form of rock hard 1/4 sheet grooved about 5/32 deep every 3/32 from whihc you had to cut the strips and sand each and every strip down to get it to a rectangular cross section. Idiotic idea and you can imgine the results of 13 year old impatience.Worse to comed. The firwall was 1/16 ply and the engine bearers threaded through it andinto an 1/8 balsa former, so strong it wasn't. Painted the fus yellow. It lasted 1/4 lap before hitting the ground and the yellow planks all split apart, leaving it lying there like a multi-segmented banana.Up until then I had been quite fond of KK kits......Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLY ELECTRIC Posted June 8, 2007 Share Posted June 8, 2007 Funny how threads can wander isn't it Dave! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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