Nitro pros and cons.

[jperkosk]

Got you. Kind of a far trip to join your party, Tom. Will drink some more margaritas for you and try to get Mrs out of her bathing suit, sounds like more fun...

[Luke Warmwater]

Originally Posted by jperkosk

Luke, I disagree with your comparison, Electric locomotives don't make parents jump onto the tracks with their kids in tow to ask the driver how far and fast they can go and how much they cost.

Nor do electric helis....it's Darwinism. If stupid people have managed to breed, the process of natural selection will work to try and ensure that both they and their offspring can't pass the defective gene on. My electric 500 sounds pretty scary.....if people can't hear or see that, then they have a defective self-preservation gene.

I have to confess, I have never owned a nitro-heli....but then neither have I owned a steam engine or a chocolate teapot!

[ChopperNoob]

Haha! Some great replies fellas, looks like nitro may become a thing of the past. It certainly seems more of a hassle and expense but I guess some guys like tinkering with engines etc and the noise and smell may to some seem more realistic maybe?

Reading through some of the posts redbird linked too it seems that electric is the future. Batteries will get cheaper, who remembers the price of microwaves when they first came out! You can pick one up at asda for 20 quid now lol. Im also quite happy with my 5-6 min flight times per pack, the little break in between changing batteries gives me chance to recompose and have a lil smoke

I doubt noise would be an issue where I fly but it would certainly irritate the neighbours if I started to test a nitro out the back, I think I'll stick with my leccy birds for now and the foreseeable future. The only time I reckon I'd fly something with fuel in it would be a) when I can afford a turbine and b) my flying skills can justify such a pricey bird

[copterboy]

One thing I would like to throw in, is Jonny's analogy with contract and pay-as-you go mobile tariff's

Electrics are like contracts. In that your investment in a pack will last you 2-3yrs. Bigger outlay upfront, as others pointed out.

Nitro's are more like pay as you go. You can top up the Nitro as and when you want to fly. Save's having heap's of 6S li-po's lying around, £100's of pounds having to be babysat and cycled if you don't have time to fly frequently.

The reason I went with a 600N, over a 550E was because I didn't have the cash to shell out on a heap of 6S li-po's, and I didn't want to leave them lying around. It was much easier for me to simply top-up when I rarely get chance to drive down to the club and fly the 600.

Secretly, I still want a big E heli because it's cleaner, less messing/tuning etc, I simply just can't afford it. Fly what you can affford

[Tailbender]

I agree w RedBird300 - I was nearly voted off the island when I asked this question https://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=338859 that I had no idea was so political charged.. got the thrundering herd kickin' up some major dust.

[redbird300]

Originally Posted by Tailbender

.. got the thrundering herd kickin' up some major dust.

You might wanna change that in "got the thrundering herd kickin' up some major smoke."

Without saying anything about nitro, please do know that LiPo is only around for RC applications since about 9 years, and by consequence can be considered as a very young and "immature" technology, even if performance is very adequate for our RC helis. It has been progressing very rapidly though, and different chemistry (Co and Mn, but remember LiFe too) and internal structures have been used throughout the years, making them better and better all the time. We now have around 150 Wh/kg at our disposal. Lithium Sulfur, which is not some lab experiment, but a VERY real and relative cheap technology compared to LiPo, increases that to a proven 350 Wh/kg today, and much more in the next years. Commercial products might hit the shelves very soon. 3 to 10 times the power for the same weight, hmm... I'll let you draw your own conclusions. The NiCad guys also didn't believe the LiPo stories ten or fifteen years ago, lol. And if it's not that particular chemistry that would make it, it will be another one. There are billion dollar industries and whole nations out there looking for better batteries at the moment, and our "meaningless electric toys" will benefit of that research one day, as they always did in the past.
There's a very nice future for electric helis, we haven't seen nothing yet, IMO. Amen.

[copterboy]

I would bet my bottom dollar that if/when a new form of battery pack does hit the RC market, that has 3 times the punch or 3 times the flight time, it will be at least twice the price of what were paying now

I'm sure it'll all be E's one day, like our Government's are pushing cars to go the same way!! I certainly prefer E's as a power source, as I have always been a bit of an engine-phobe. I only own a nitro because I can't afford the investment in a really good E setup!! Pay-as-you go for me, for now, but I dream of one day signing up to a BIG E contract

For example, once my current fleet is all FBL, and I have upgraded my TX and charger, I will then be saving up for a house. Once I have the house, I'll probably change my 600N to a 600 or 700E, but that would be talking 5yrs time, minimum!!

Hopefully, just in time to catch some of this new battery technology Raf has talked about It will never end will it

[wulfrun]

Originally Posted by sutty

I know it is a bit nanny state, but having said that, I get seriously cheesed off with the campaign for the correct use of train level crossings. I mean if you deliberately zig zag between the two barriers, then look only one way, then stall your car, etc, etc, in my humble opinion you deserve everything you get.

Although I agree completely with the "deserve what you get" aspect, the real problem lies in the collateral damage - the derailed train and its passengers who don't deserve to die.

Likewise, the model heli that maims some idiot who wasn't bright enough to realise they're dangerous close-up may not be the only casualty, either in terms of blame (in today's culture that's the pilot, like it or not) or in terms of injury from shrapnel.

As for the nitro/electric aspect, I'm not so sure joe-public sees a nitro as more dangerous - after all, it's only a toy with a toy engine, right? :-P

[sutty]

Originally Posted by wulfrun

Although I agree completely with the "deserve what you get" aspect, the real problem lies in the collateral damage - the derailed train and its passengers who don't deserve to die.

True.

Cheers

Sutty

[Luke Warmwater]

Originally Posted by wulfrun

Although I agree completely with the "deserve what you get" aspect, the real problem lies in the collateral damage

Very true....these helis are expensive!