I'm realy enjoying this plane and I was looking forward to taking it up for the third time. As I went to plug the battery into the ESC, the esc beeped a couple times then the prop twitched a little and a bunch of smoke started to bellow out from the ESC. What's the deal with that? The receiver was on, the throttle was off and there was no draw comming from the mottor.

Anyway, I went down to the local hobby shop and picked up a 36amp castle ESC, hooked that up last night and all is well.

Another thing I noticed is when the battery was not hooked up, I feel a little resistance when I spin the prop manualy. When the battery is hooked up and the throttle is cut back, there is very little resistance when spinning the prop manualy. Is this normal?

Welcome to RC Groups Jim,

It isn't all that uncommon for RTF power and radio system components to fail for no apparent reason.

I'm not sure about your second question. However, I must say this:

Always use extreme caution when inspecting, testing, and/or adjusting anything on an electric plane or helicopter while the motor is connected and the system is armed (on).

Never stand (or allow anyone else to stand) in front of an armed electric plane.

Always wear proper eye protection whenever testing, working on, or flying your models.


You may already be aware of the above but, I'd wanted to mention it anyway.

Good luck and good flying!

The resistance you feel is the brake in the ESC. It will continue to work for a little while after the battery is disconnected. Try it first thing before your first flight of the day and you'll feel the difference. It's nothing to worry about.

Thanks for the info guys. It's my first brushless system and I'm still learning the little things.

By the way, there's no wind today so it looks like I might try to get this thing in the air on my lunch break.