Cost comparison, budget 60cc versus top shelf 30cc

[cwojcik]

Depends on the 60cc airframe.

11.5 lbs on 1000 - 1100 squares for a 3DHS gasser

15-17 lbs on 1426 squares on the Aerobeez

21 lbs on 1650 squares on my buddies EF 91 extra with DA-60/RE2.

30lbs on 1900 squares on my EF 104 extra.

I know my big plane floatier than my 30cc stuff. The wing loading is much higher though. Reynolds number come into play. I need to dig out my aerodynamics text books from college.

This is why cubic loading was invented: http://www.ef-uk.net/data/wcl.htm

This question has different answers depending on what your mission is. If you want to fly hard and practice 3D/XA/precision, go for a good 30cc plane. Invest them time in making it work well. The EF 78 Extra outperforms many 50cc airplanes from cheaper manufacturers. However, the engine choices for 30cc aren't quite as mature as 50/60cc, and the larger sizes can be easier to see and land. So if you are a sport flyer that just wants one of them fancy lookin' 3D errbatic planes, you will likely be satisfied with a cheaper 50cc set-up where you don't mind wing rock and coupling because you won't be doing any low hard 3D or IMAC, and you won't be flying hard enough to blow back servos or notice bad centering. If you have aspirations of being a 3D star then you will be better served by getting a good plane with no vices and spending time and money on a good engine and perfect servos.

 

[3dcarter]

In the long run, you will save time, money, and get much better. Agreed. That's why if you can get top of the line 50... That's what's up

 

[Enterprise]

Hence the question. You have enough money to do a quality 30cc or a budget 50cc, which to pick. I have tried both and I am in the process of revisiting the budget 50cc to some extent.

No doubt a top shelf 60cc is better than either of these choices, but then you are knocking on the door of the budget 120cc plane.

 

[3dcarter]

I would look into a used 50. That way you can get good equipment for a good price

 

[Todd Rollins]

If you want to fly hard and practice 3D/XA/precision, go for a good 30cc plane. Invest them time in making it work well. The EF 78 Extra outperforms many 50cc airplanes from cheaper manufacturers. However, the engine choices for 30cc aren't quite as mature as 50/60cc, and the larger sizes can be easier to see and land. So if you are a sport flyer that just wants one of them fancy lookin' 3D errbatic planes, you will likely be satisfied with a cheaper 50cc set-up where you don't mind wing rock and coupling because you won't be doing any low hard 3D or IMAC, and you won't be flying hard enough to blow back servos or notice bad centering. If you have aspirations of being a 3D star then you will be better served by getting a good plane with no vices and spending time and money on a good engine and perfect servos.

That first line is why I purchased a good used 30cc size airframe with good components to start out with as my first gasser. This thread is similar to this thread I started about 30cc & 60cc size airframes. My plan is to use the 30cc airframe as a stepping stone to build up my confidence in flying gassers, learn as much as I can and invest the time in making my 30cc 3DHS 74" Edge work well. Once I achieve this (my goal this season) my plan is to get another 60cc size airframe that I can fly with the same confidence. I do have a 2.3m CARF Edge 540 that I'm also building. I think I jumped the gun buying the CARF when I did (flying skills not ready for it). I would think with buying a budget 60cc setup you might be setting yourself up for failure. Where would draw the line between what is a budget deal and quality at a good price? I think some people associate budget with being cheap. Eample being buying a DLE-61 or DA60. I guess it would come down to what you're comfortable buying for the best price and best quality. I know when it comes time for me to buy another 60cc size airframe I'll probably cripple myself with trying to make a decision based on the price, shipping, support, replacement parts availability/price and quality. Great thread.

 

[Enterprise]

My idea behind this thread which is that I assume a fixed amount of money is available. The components I speced out are from places that have decent US support, no HK stuff other than servo arms or other things you would not send in for service.

I ordered a couple of budget servos to test. I have all the components to put together my 3DHS 74 Edge, which will be my premium 30cc comparison. 5565s, VVRC40, and I think I will try an experiment with a CC BEC pro running on a 3S lipo like AJ and ghoffman are doing. My previous one had 7955s and if the 5565s don't fly the same I will replace them.

 

[Todd Rollins]

My idea behind this thread which is that I assume a fixed amount of money is available. The components I speced out are from places that have decent US support, no HK stuff other than servo arms or other things you would not send in for service.

I ordered a couple of budget servos to test. I have all the components to put together my 3DHS 74 Edge, which will be my premium 30cc comparison. 5565s, VVRC40, and I think I will try an experiment with a CC BEC pro running on a 3S lipo like AJ and ghoffman are doing. My previous one had 7955s and if the 5565s don't fly the same I will replace them.

Understood! When I first got my used 3DHS 74" Edge the previous owner had 2x 7.4v TBM packs installed running through a CC BEC pro since the servos were HS-985 analog servos and couldn't handle the higher voltage. I removed the CC BEC pro and switched over to 1x 2300mAh A123 pack for the Rx and 1x 1100mAh A123 pack for the ignition. I plan on switching out the HS-985 servos and installing some Align DS615 digital servos that I have.

 

[Enterprise]

I am doing this is maximize the voltage to the servos at all times. I run just straight lipos in all my other gassers. Actually as I was typing this I remembered I need to rewire my 71 slick and it already has the switch I was going to use installed. Same servos too. Yippee.

 

[Todd Rollins]

Same servos too. Yippee.

Same DS615 servos? I had the DS615's installed in a 71" Slick and they were really fast and centered well. Never got the 71" plane in the air before I sold it to see how well they performed in the air. You can get the DS615's on ebay usually for a great price for a set of four. A lot of the heli guys sell off the DS615's when they get them with the Trex 600 kits.

 

[Enterprise]

No, Hitec 5565s. I have the same servos across my current 30cc 3D fleet, and my buddy has 2 sets as well. Now we have had to both send some back for service, but they are super quick for the amount of torque they have. I am not 100% confident in their centering as I was having issues with my 71 slick getting out of trim. I think I traced the issue down the V1 Spot On arms I was using. My Velox and EF 70 Extra were perfect, and everyone seemed to love the feel of that Extra. That plane had a BEC pro set to 8V. This time I will use the 8.5V setting. It will be well below 8.4 by the time it gets to the servo. As I said earlier the Slick needs to be rewired as it is 2 seasons old and I have learned a lot about power distribution since then. It is a single switch, with a reverse Y harness to get 2 paths into the RX. I know, shameful.

I know of others whom use the Align servos. They come in the Trex kits and people seem to part them out from there.