first flight/electric smoothie

[frank carlisle]

man! --- it's nice to be the first kid on the block with a new toy.

i flew my just completed BARF Electric Smoothie for the first time today.

[minnesotamodeler]

Hey Frank, I thought you had sworn off ARFs forever...

--Ray

[frank carlisle]

hi ray-well i did swear off arfs. actually it was the assembly of this one that drove me to swearing off of them. the last three are heading to las vegas and virginia tomorrow.

sad to say however i have 5 each of barf vector 40s and stregas that will eventually be arriving. i guess arfs are like bad pennies. they just keep coming back.

aren't you curious about how the e-smoothie did or how i liked it?

[minnesotamodeler]

Yeah, I did kinda neglect that aspect of your post...Electrics are mildly interesting to me, but 'way too expensive for me at this point; besides, I'm still learning about IC engines, hate to tackle a new technology yet. 

IMO, electric will not replace IC engines; but will take its own place along with other alternative power--i.e. diesel, ducted fan, jet, rubber power in free flights, hand launch gliders, etc.  Each has its place and its advocates.  Power to all! But I'm kinda zeroed in on controlline glow, and 1/2A at that. 

So how did your first flight with your electric Smoothie go? (he asked politely...)

--Ray

[frank carlisle]

ahhh,ray------i thought you'd never ask how that first flight went......the plane flew just like a glow powered model. about the same speed and pull.
of course i was assured a successful mission because i copied rick sawicki's set up. he already did this last year. in fact he gave me a shopping list and i took pics of his plane. even flew it  so i knew in advance that it would work.

the total investment (plane and e-components) was $700. i have two 3 minute flights on it--------that works out to about $115 per minute in the air. sheesh! i can't afford this.

as per electric--i don't know where it's going to go in the control line community. as for me- i'm going with it. here are a couple advantages that i appreciate.

never a balky start
no cut fingers.
motor always runs the same-every day- every where.
no messy goo to wipe off
whisper quiet-no more neighbors complaining about noise

i think it's the cat's meow. i don't plan on abandoning glow power though.

[RC Storick]

I hope you can set the timer to run a little longer. About 4 minutes longer!

[frank carlisle]

yes the timer allows 8 or 8 1/2 minute runs. i had it set shorter just for first flights.
also i'm flying it this sunday with john paris. i'm making a docu-vid of it. and we'll run a bunch of 3 minute flights. that way we get to take turns flying it several times on one battery.

[Dean Pappas]

Frank,
Congratulations, but I need more info!
Okay, the first flight was 3 minutes, but  how were the lap times?
What pitch did you run?
How much did you put back in the battery?
How was the horsepower?
Was this with the 12-inch diameter prop?

Regards,
Dean Pappas

[frank carlisle]

dean,
   it was 36 degrees and a lite rain was falling so i didn't get real scientific. no stop watch to time laps. i just took 'er out to fly. put two 3 minute flights on the same battery. first flight the pot was set too low. it took a half lap and wind under the wing to get it airborne. second flight i turned the pot to wide open. there was a very satisfying increase in power.
i used 52 foot .015 lines. 12/6 apce prop.
the lap times seemed about regular--actually it was pretty much the same as a glow power smoothie. in the second flight with good power i was able to fly entire pattern, minus laps.
i coppied rick sawicki's electric smoothie set up
that he put together last year so i was pretty much guaranteed that it would work.


i'm taking it out again this weekend and can have a more specific report then.

[frank carlisle]

i'm taking the smoothie out tomorrow. forewcast is for colder and more wind. you couldn't pay me to work out there but i'll fly models for free....

[Greg Howie]

How about some info on  the thing like weight of the motor and batteries . what are they called .weight if the entire set up.entire airplane ect . thank you

hey did you say arf vector 40 ?? I didn't know ,when ?

[frank carlisle]

i'm not sure how much the motor or battery weigh. i'll name the parts though and if you go to hobby lobby they'll have the paticulars on each of the items.
my approach to going electric wasn't very scientific or original. rick sawicki came out one day with a flight streak that he'd made electric. then he had an arf tutor that he electrified. he let me fly it and i liked it. then he converted an arf smoothie to electric and after i flew that plane i got the idea i should do one too. so i asked rick for a shopping list which he gave me and i took a bunch of pictures of his smoothie and basically copied what he did. i already knew it would work and i figured i didn't need to be a rocket scientist or an electrician to carbon copy his plane. and i was right.
the same rule would apply to anyone that wanted to go electric. just get the shopping list, buy the stuff and get started. i'll be happy to furnish my photos to anyone that wants something to look at as they go. the nice thing about the smoothie is the battery will slide in on the hardwood motor rails and slip all the way over the wing to the bulkhead just in front of the canopy and that seems to make a good cg for this model. the plane with the battery in it and ready to fly weighs in at 47 ounces and flies very well. the power provided by the motor is more than enough to give a six minute stunt run.....so-here is the shopping list for my plane.

SHOPPING LIST:

AXI 2826/10 outrunner motor
Castle Creations 45 Electronic Speed Controller
z-tron timer-from Windy Urtnowski
poly-quest 3700 3cell battery ( i bought 2)
r/c on/off switch
Appropriate charger-- mine is a MULTIPlex multi-charger
a Poly-quest charge guard 3s-12.6v

there's a long thread at SSW titled "how to electrify a tutor". i posted pictures of my step by step progress there. it's worth taking a look at.

vector 40-----brodak says that an arf vector 40 is on it's way from china now. there is also an arf strega in the works.