| Why Choose A Radio Controlled Electric | | | | |
| Airplane?: | | | | Electric motors when supplied with a set |
| | | | amount of electric current will produce very |
| Radio controlled airplanes are a unique and | | | | stable output results. Air pressure, air |
| fun hobby enjoyed by all types of people. If | | | | temperature and relative humidity have more |
| you have an RC airplane, there are many local | | | | effect on (IC) engine settings. |
| RC flight clubs you can join, filled with | | | | |
| friendly, helpful people. Electric radio | | | | 3. Reliability. |
| controlled airplanes are an easy and | | | | |
| affordable way to learn to fly, and can be | | | | This attribute relates to most of the other |
| much less expensive than comparable gas | | | | advantages listed here. Simply put, it means |
| airplanes. | | | | if you apply an electric current to an |
| | | | electric motor 10,000 different times, it |
| How Do Airplanes Fly?: | | | | will, with great probability, operate each |
| | | | time. |
| An airplane relies on the airfoil properties | | | | |
| of its wing to create lift when moving | | | | 4. Maintenance. |
| forward. Thrust is required to move the | | | | |
| airplane through the air, overcoming drag. | | | | Electric motors have very few moving parts. |
| When lift and thrust are greater than gravity | | | | There are only minimal contact points to |
| and drag, the airplane will fly. | | | | produce friction so lubrication is not a |
| | | | major concern. An (IC) engine must be |
| What Is RTF and ARF?: | | | | lubricated at all times of operation. The |
| | | | lubricant for model (IC) engines is mixed |
| RTF stands for Ready To Fly and means the | | | | into the fuel and expelled after the fuel is |
| airplane is complete. Typically, this type of | | | | burned which can cause an oily mess. |
| airplane will require no tools or glue, and | | | | |
| all you will need to do is plug a few parts | | | | 5. Vibration. |
| together and charge the battery. ARF stands | | | | |
| for Almost Ready to Fly, and means the | | | | Because electric motors have only a few |
| airplane can be completed with very little | | | | moving parts and rotate along the same axis |
| work. This would include things like mounting | | | | as the direction of flight very little |
| the electronics and gluing parts together. | | | | vibration is produced. Internal combustion |
| | | | engines use a piston pushed by explosions, |
| Spare Parts: | | | | which changes direction (180 degrees) every |
| | | | rotation of the crankshaft and at a 90-degree |
| For beginners, it is important to choose an | | | | angle to the direction of flight. These |
| airplane with replaceable parts that are | | | | forces create vibrations as a by-product. |
| readily available. Learning to fly may entail | | | | Models have to be constructed to withstand |
| crashing once in a while, and some parts like | | | | the vibrations. This usually means more |
| the main wing, propeller, or tail assembly | | | | designing, building and materials are |
| may need to be replaced. Beginner planes are | | | | required. |
| designed with this in mind, with each part | | | | |
| held on by elastics or screws, so that they | | | | 6. Efficiency. |
| may be removed and replaced when damaged. | | | | |
| | | | If efficiency is measured by how much |
| Technical Information: | | | | potential energy is input into a motor and |
| | | | how much is produced by the motor afterwards, |
| Wing location is one of the factors | | | | then electric motors easily win the contest. |
| determining how a plane handles. An airplane | | | | Internal combustion engines operate at |
| with a high wing design will have more weight | | | | typical efficiencies of 55% the rest of the |
| below the wing, making it stable. A low wing | | | | energy is used to create heat. Electric |
| design will place more weight above the wing, | | | | motors with carbon brushes operate at |
| allowing more rapid changes in direction. | | | | efficiencies of 67% and electric brush-less |
| | | | motors operate at 90% efficiency. |
| Top Reasons To Fly Electric | | | | |
| | | | 7. Versatility. |
| What are the advantages of electrically | | | | |
| powered model aircraft compared to Internal | | | | Without very much modification electric |
| Combustion (IC) engine powered model | | | | motors can be used in different flying model |
| aircraft? | | | | applications such as: sport flying, |
| | | | aerobatics, racing, helicopters, ducted fan |
| 1. Noise. | | | | jets, scale, float planes and micro size |
| | | | aircraft. |
| The leading reason why model flying clubs | | | | |
| lose their flying facilities is complaints | | | | 8. Miscellaneous notes. |
| about noise pollution. Internal combustion | | | | |
| means controlled explosions are rapidly | | | | Electric motors can be easily geared to swing |
| occurring within an engine and muffling the | | | | large propellers. (IC) engines are more |
| explosions is very difficult to achieve | | | | difficult to gear and require more |
| without affecting engine performance. | | | | specialized materials and clutch systems. |
| Electric motors create very little noise even | | | | Because electricity maybe obtained from |
| at maximum revolutions. Small electric model | | | | different sources such as your electric |
| RC aircraft may be flown in urban parks and | | | | utility, gas generators, solar cells, wind |
| in gymnasiums without causing a disturbance | | | | generators and the emerging field of fuel |
| due to noise. The same cannot be said for | | | | cell generators, it is less restricted in |
| (IC) powered models. | | | | distribution and can be generated from |
| | | | renewable sources. |
| 2. Consistency. | | | | |