After trolling around ezone groups for a while and absorbing as much info as possible, I decided to get wingo from Hobby-Lobby as my first e-powered ‘toy’. As a complete newbie to e-flight I appreciate your help and patience.


I have a few questions for all the e-flight gurus out there…

1) Does gearbox increase flight time vs. direct drive? Also how do you find an optimal gear ratio and prop size/pitch.

2) What Rx could I use with my Tower System 3000 4 ch FM TX? (I believe it’s identical to 4ch Futuba FM radios)

3) Need your recommendations regarding field battery charger system.

That’s about it for now, I’ll keep you posted with all the fun details later…


[This message has been edited by GrindKore (edited 09-10-2001).]

Grindkore:

Welcome to the E Zone!

I'm hardly a guru, but will take a crack at some of your questions.

1) Here's a quote from the FAQ about gear drives.

"Q. What does gearing do?
A. (Jim Bourke, jBourke@ezonemag.com)

Gearing allows a motor to turn a larger prop at a lower rpm. This allows the system to produce more thrust while drawing the same number of amps. The trade-off is that top speed is reduced, which makes gearing suitable mostly for slow-flying aircraft. Sport electric planes are usually run with a direct drive system. See Bob Boucher's book "The Electric Motor Handbook" for a more detailed explanation."

Yes, a gear drive will usually give you more duration, but at the cost of a lower top speed. Several programs like MotoCalc will help you determine the best motor/prop/geardrive combo for a given plane, but I can tell you that the Wingo will do very well with either the Graupner 2.33:1 drive on a 7.2 volt speed 400 with a 9X6 prop or the Graupner 1.85:1 drive on a 6 volt speed 400 with an 8X5 prop.

2) Sorry, don't know anything about this radio.

3) There are many good chargers out there, and you can get info if you search on the forum. I've been very happy with both the Hitec 330 and the Simprop "Battery Manager," both available from Hobby Lobby. The Astro 110 is also very popular.

Have a great time with your Wingo. There are numerous posts in the forum archives that can help you get started. If possible, however, you should try to find someone in your local area who can give you some hands-on help. It will make your first flights a lot more enjoyable!

Neil