My First Gas Airplane

[TomS]

I’m pretty sure I’m going to get a 3D Hobbies 74†Extra. The more I read the more I convince myself I need one of these and the more I can’t get the thought out of my mind.
I’ve been flying nitro for 5 year now. Typical sport, fun and float flying.
The more I read the more questions I have so I thought I would start a thread.

Which servos?
Looking at the Hitec servos 3DHS suggested I need something with 172-333oz/in.
Can I get by with the (172) lower torque servos?
I don’t think I’ll be doing extreme 3D. Maybe as I learn in a couple of years do an upgrade if needed. Any thought?
What are the pros and cons to analog and digital servos? I don’t understand the “programmableâ term yet.

 

[gyro]

I’m pretty sure I’m going to get a 3D Hobbies 74†Extra. The more I read the more I convince myself I need one of these and the more I can’t get the thought out of my mind.
I’ve been flying nitro for 5 year now. Typical sport, fun and float flying.
The more I read the more questions I have so I thought I would start a thread.

Which servos?
Looking at the Hitec servos 3DHS suggested I need something with 172-333oz/in.
Can I get by with the (172) lower torque servos?
I don’t think I’ll be doing extreme 3D. Maybe as I learn in a couple of years do an upgrade if needed. Any thought?
What are the pros and cons to analog and digital servos? I don’t understand the “programmable†term yet.

The 3dhs 72" Extra is a great choice!
For the servos, the low end of the recommended range (172 oz/in) are just fine.
In addition to the Hitec servos, I also like the Savox 1258tg. They each have their pluses and minuses, with the Hitecs offering the programmability, and the Savox bringing affordable titanium gears that seem to last forever.
The main advantage of a programmable servo in this side, is you can set and adjust the deadbands, and some of them also have overload protection which can save a servo or even your electrical system in the event of a malfunction.

What engine were you thinking?

Good luck with your research, there is plenty of info all over the site about these topics. Let us know if we can help!

-G

 

[TomS]

From reading the threads it seems the OS GT33 is what I'm leaning towards. Sure it's more money and more power then I'll probably need but many of you seem to think it's great and I have 6 OS nitro engines that have never given me trouble unlike others I have.

Being a bit quieter will be a plus at our field. I'm going to even consider a canister exhaust if there's a place to put it. Haven't got that for yet.

Does anyone have any experience with the Syssa engine?

 

[gyro]

From reading the threads it seems the OS GT33 is what I'm leaning towards. Sure it's more money and more power then I'll probably need but many of you seem to think it's great and I have 6 OS nitro engines that have never given me trouble unlike others I have.

Being a bit quieter will be a plus at our field. I'm going to even consider a canister exhaust if there's a place to put it. Haven't got that for yet.

Does anyone have any experience with the Syssa engine?

My personal experience is limited to DLE engines... and valley view RC is running a sale on them right now, up to $40 off depending on size. For a 35cc, you'd save $30 with free shipping.

I think Joe/Jim Smith have some experience with the OS.

 

[TomS]

I read about ignition and receiver batteries today. Mainly ignition shut off. So I have a more than a few questions for you.

Is a regulator needed for the ignition? The OS manual doesn’t say anything about it. It calls for 4.8-7.6V and at least 1000ma. It also says I should use a battery for the receiver & servos and 1 for the ignition. Is this CYA?

I’ve come up with a few options for the shut off but may have read too much and confused myself.
The simplest seems to use 2 NiMH batteries and a RCEXL optic kill switch.
http://milehighrc.com/switch.html
Similarly would a relay and contact from Hansen Hobbies work the same? Or would vibration cause the relay contact to chatter?
http://www.hansenhobbies.com/products/onboardacc/ers/omr/
Smart Fly has a fiber optic solution with or without a regulator but seems pricey. Is it necessary?
As a single battery option the IBEC from Tech Aero seems like a reasonable solution. Or maybe the Wike IBEF (Ignition Battery Elimination Filter) which reads to be about the same and is now a Down and Locked formerly WRC Wike R/C Products Optical Gas Ignition Cutoff. Is there a difference between a IBEC and a IBEF that I’m missing.
http://www.tech-aero.net/ultra-ibec

With the reading I did today l failed to discover info on the type or size of batteries. I know more than I did this morning but I’m still a bit confused.

The simplicity of charging one battery sounds good to me. But if it puts the airplane in jeopardy, 2 is what I’ll do.

I don’t know enough about batteries to decide between Lipo or NiMH in this case. I have a few electric airplanes with Lipos but dealing with batteries seems to be the biggest thorn in my side. I guess that’s why I prefer nitro over electrics.

When do I need a regulator? Is a regulator required for the ignition?
How is a LiPo used as my receiver battery? Do I need a regulator to get the voltage from 7.4v to 6v.
Do I go with 2x 6V NiMH batteries and forget about regulators?
I think I might have confused myself. Sorry for information overload.