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flight time

Posted by Shawn Blake on March 31, 2009 at 1:02am
Does anyone know how to increase the flight time for an electric rc? I was thinking of finding a way to use solar panels to streatch the flight life. I was thinking of using flexible thin film solar modules from jamco electronics. My goal is to increase the flight time to a minamum of one hour. any suggestions would be appriciated thank you.
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  • Moderator
    Gary Mortimer April 2, 2009 at 2:32am
    I am gettign an hour out of my setup, paring weight down is always a good thing and having the least amount of sticking out bits also.
  • 100KM
    crystal garris March 31, 2009 at 10:02am
    ok two rules of thumb when picking an electric motor:
    #1 carry a big stick and speak softly
    #2 high voltage , low amperage
    what i mean by #1 is this, find a motor that can swing a big ,steep prop slowly
    #2 means run your motor at highest voltage allowed and get the highest turn count you can find.
    i can get 1hour 15 min out of my EZG and a 4000mah 3cell lipo. also find an aerodynamically clean airplane.
  • Moderator
    Sgt Ric March 31, 2009 at 8:47am
    Agree about the solar cell setup.

    Someone else will probably join in with ratings and load level figures, etc., but the main thing is even the most efficient and powerful cells barely supply the current needed for very optimized airframes, as pointed out above.

    Efficient use of the throttle also helps stretch out flight times as well as selecting a good brushless motor and large battery.
  • Giles Barton-Owen March 31, 2009 at 8:26am
    It depends on what you are flying, if it is of the assisted glider type then you should be able to get long flight times out of it. If not then bigger batteries could help (1hour is a long time, is it really needed). The solar modules only work well with super efficient setups (think expensive, Carbon Fiber and computer modeled). But it's an interesting question
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