Fly Electric!

Art of the Possible

There are differences between IC and electric power, many of which can be used to your advantage. Get these right and you will enjoy outstanding results. See if you like how I ...FLY ELECTRIC...


Click on the links in the middle to find out more, and on the pictures on the right for a larger image.

Bubbles (54") & Free Plans
Everyone needs a decent sport plane and the '40' in glow/IC terms is a good size. The name 'Bubbles' is meant to capture it's fun and 'lighter than air' spirit. At 61oz, it weighs a pound less than my Wot4 dry! It does any number of consecutive loops or bunts at half throttle, as well as rolling circles, snap rolls, spins and the best stall turns ever! It has a reasonable turn of speed when needed and excellent slow flying characteristics. I never tire of flying it, and flight times are usually 9 minutes with extensive aerobatics. It has room for an internal camera (see aerial photography section). PLANS for this model are available free by following this link.


Bubbles
30 kb
Stearman PT-17 (73")
My latest and heaviest. 17 to 18 lbs flying weight depending on batteries; 13 lbs 'dry'. 1/5th scale. Direct drive motor generating 2hp with a 16x8 prop turning 7000 RPM. My own moulded fuselage and dummy motor, scale rib tape and real panel detail. I started with functional flying wires but now have plug-on wings to speed up assembly. Take-offs are very quick and the plane has plenty of power. Benign stall. Snap rolls and consecutive loops are no problem. 6 minute flight times in windy conditions.


Stearman PT-17
40 kb
Fly Baby (108")
Winner of the inaugural Electric Scale series in the UK in 1999 and cover model for a number of RC magazines. Winner also of the BEFA Trophy for "The Model showing the highest level of Technical Excellence" in 1999. My 1/3rd scale 'Fly Baby' is really impressive and a delight to fly. The realistic 22x12 prop makes a great sound and gives ample power (you would normally need 45cc to turn a prop like this!). I can get 9 minute flight times in competitions or strong winds. Not built to F4C standards, but nevertheless accurate without overdoing it. Functional flying wires linked together so that each wing attaches in a couple of minutes with just 4 screws. The plans and cowl are available from EFI magazine (plan number MW2780) with the construction article appearing in the Feb'00 issue.


Fly Baby
29 kb
Optica (108")
Something a little different and winner again of the BEFA Trophy for "The Model showing the highest level of Technical Excellence" in 2000. Thanks, guys. A very ambitious project which required a mould for the canopy and shroud. The centre wing panels are particularly complex as the outer panels, booms, undercarriage, servos, pushrods and receiver all reside here. 1:4.5 scale and fairly accurate. 20 cells for good performance and about 11.5 lb AUW. 7 to 8 minute flight times in wind and up to 11 in good weather.

Optica
22 kb
Dragon Fly (83")
Large and unusual mid-wing vintage/'old timer' aircraft built from the original 1938 plans and converted to electric from an OS48FS. Motor mount, fuel tank, fire wall and nose weight swapped out for batteries to give only slight increase in all up weight (9lb). The plane always was a bit heavy but is nevertheless still nicely powered and flies for 10 minutes.

Dragon Fly
32 kb
Float Flying and Float Plans
Add floats to your plane and enjoy the reliability of an electric, particularly when taxiing. Just open up to full power, it comes onto the step very quickly on its own, and takes off effortlessly with just a touch of elevator. Landings are a doddle; just throttle back, keep the wings level, and let it settle onto the water as the speed bleeds off. See also how they do it Alaska...

E40 at Beale Park
19 kb
Aerial Photography
Mount a camera and try aerial photography. No mess with electrics and its easy to adjust the CG with the battery. It's not very hard to set up but aiming can be a bit tricky! You can even take photos from a float plane as I have done with Bubbles.

Anything is possible!
28 kb
Tiny Treasures
Indoor/Park Models to tempt you. Anyone for a Butterfly?
Take a look too at a 6oz model which flies outdoors in a breeze.

Butterfly model
10 kb
Monster Models
A collection of the LARGEST ELECTRIC models ever made.
Over 300 models listed.
(149kb + Thumbnails 412kb)

Franz Schmid's Klemm 25
34 kb

Top of page
Click on the links below for other pages.

Home ¦ Art of the Possible ¦ Absence of Matter ¦ Links ¦ Updates ¦ Email
SITE MAP