Great Planes Giant P6E Hawk--Electric Conversion

willsonman

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None that I'm aware of but since this is an ARF there are little things to go wrong from the assembly manual. When in doubt ask a question here.
 

Grover54

Member
I did the calculations and made the decision to go with 6S. I pulled the motor and prop from my P-47 that I do not have plans to fly in the near future. Same ESC.

Comparison. The larger motor is for the 6S setup. SK3 5055 320Kv. I looked and it seems that this particular motor is no longer sold. Oh well.
View attachment 67796

18x12 Xoar prop. 3 more inches of spinny blade of death.
View attachment 67797

Josh, The motor mount is ingenious. I may have missed it but what are the dimensions of the two standoffs? You mention somewhere 7.5" but I think that's relative to the space available for the battery. From a perspective of scale I'm guessing it's around 5 - 5.5"?
 

Grover54

Member
I'll have to check on that and get back to you.
Hi Josh,
Another question on your motor mount. Your first design shows you bent the mounting tabs to the box "outward" but the latest design shows you chose to bend them inward. Any particular reason? Any issues with vibration? Looking forward to hearing what the mount dimensions are. Thanks! Jim G
 

willsonman

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Bending direction was to accommodate pre-existing holes from the glow motor mounts and then mate with the X-mount on the brushless outrunner. Working on the Dauntless this weekend, where the motor is mounted with the same mount so I'll get it out and measure it.
 

Grover54

Member
Excellent! Thanks a million, Josh.

BTW, I caught some of your "How-to / Tips" videos. Well done! Making those aren't easy and they take a lots of work. Thanks for sharing. Jim G
 

Grover54

Member
I did the calculations and made the decision to go with 6S. I pulled the motor and prop from my P-47 that I do not have plans to fly in the near future. Same ESC.

Comparison. The larger motor is for the 6S setup. SK3 5055 320Kv. I looked and it seems that this particular motor is no longer sold. Oh well.
View attachment 67796

18x12 Xoar prop. 3 more inches of spinny blade of death.
View attachment 67797
Hi Josh, I'm in the middle of my assembly for my P-6E Hawk and ready to select my motor. Since the 5055 is no longer an option I've found on a couple conversion charts the 5045 720kv (2200 watts) is recommended to replace the .120 however, there are several mfg's our there; Turnigy, GP-RIMFIRE, NEO, Aeolian, EMP etc and their pricing is all over the map from $38 - $75+. Any recommendations?
 

willsonman

Builder Extraordinare
Mentor
https://hobbyking.com/en_us/turnigy-aerodrive-sk3-5055-320kv-brushless-outrunner-motor.html
Same motor I used

http://graysonhobby.com/gh4130-07-outrunner-brushless-motor.html
Been loving the Grayson motor made by Suppo on my Corsair. I would recommend that motor with the 16X10 on 6S for this airplane. The higher kV rating may slightly lower your flight time but not by much. You may pick up a little more speed than my setup with the higher KV but it would be marginal.

Those are the options I would pick from. Couple it with a 80A or 100A YEP ESC and you are golden for a reliable power setup.
 

Grover54

Member
https://hobbyking.com/en_us/turnigy-aerodrive-sk3-5055-320kv-brushless-outrunner-motor.html
Same motor I used

http://graysonhobby.com/gh4130-07-outrunner-brushless-motor.html
Been loving the Grayson motor made by Suppo on my Corsair. I would recommend that motor with the 16X10 on 6S for this airplane. The higher kV rating may slightly lower your flight time but not by much. You may pick up a little more speed than my setup with the higher KV but it would be marginal.

Those are the options I would pick from. Couple it with a 80A or 100A YEP ESC and you are golden for a reliable power setup.
THANK YOU! You're a Scholar and a Gentleman! Stay tuned for photos.
 

Grover54

Member
https://hobbyking.com/en_us/turnigy-aerodrive-sk3-5055-320kv-brushless-outrunner-motor.html
Same motor I used

http://graysonhobby.com/gh4130-07-outrunner-brushless-motor.html
Been loving the Grayson motor made by Suppo on my Corsair. I would recommend that motor with the 16X10 on 6S for this airplane. The higher kV rating may slightly lower your flight time but not by much. You may pick up a little more speed than my setup with the higher KV but it would be marginal.

Those are the options I would pick from. Couple it with a 80A or 100A YEP ESC and you are golden for a reliable power setup.
I just noticed you're recommending the SK3-5055-320kv. I may have misread your previous point that it's no longer sold but it appears it still is? I'll check it out.
 

Grover54

Member
Josh, Here's a few pics on the update to my Build / Assembly of my P-6E Hawk. Now, before you begin laughing remember I'm still in the beginning stages of this Hobby and this is my first ARF so I don't have a complete shop with all the bells and whistles yet. :)

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That said I found a "Ready Made" motor mount from Great Planes. Didn't want to spend the $25 but my time and effort to make the mount by hand from scratch would have probably cost me more.
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I did plagiarize your battery platform :)
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I was very successful in using an oscillating tool to cut an opening in the bottom of the cowl to access the battery. No significant chips or scaring that goes with cutting Fiberglass so I highly recommend that sort of tool when cutting fiber.
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I plan to reinforce the edges with fiberglass stripping and place some wood sticks as edges so I can slip the cut piece back in place with a hatch latch of some kind (TBD). Stay Tuned on that work of art.... LOLOL!
I'm also thinking of using a Morgan Mills battery tray and cartridge system. His E-Flite Timber Battery Cartridge System is the right size 2.5"x 7.25" and would fit perfectly in the available space HOWEVER...……. (see below)

http://www.morganmill.com/RC/E-Flight_Timber_Parts.html
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The bigger question is can I install the battery system upside down? Normal UP installation and flying inverted isn’t an issue but installing upside down could definitely be a problem considering the g-forces from landing are significant (with me anyway) even if it’s a good landing and you don’t bounce. ;)
I welcome comments and / or warnings.
Jim G
 

willsonman

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Yeah, cutting the glass work can be tricky at times. I use masking tape and cut on that to minimize chipping. Battery tray looks good. I just use velcro on the plate and on the batteries. That is all. The cowl is enough to hold it in if they come loose but the industrial grade stuff from the hardware store has never let me down.

That motor mount is great but you may find that it may not line up entirely well with the screws on the back of the motor. Be prepared to drill new holes in that mount.

The hole in the bottom of my cowl was left over from the muffler from the original setup. The hole now serves as a place to connect the batteries only. I load the batteries through the back and bottom of the cowl. Again, I'm using TWO 3S 5800mAh packs, wired in series to the ESC for 6S setup.
 

Grover54

Member
Great idea using masking tape as additional protection when cutting. I'll try that next time. Thanks for the heads up on the motor mount holes. I think I've decided on which motor to use but haven't purchased it yet. I hope I don't have to drill additional holes since there a lot already, I'd be worried more holes could weaken the integrity of it. Appreciate all your comments and encouragement. Stay tuned! :)
 

Grover54

Member
Josh, Almost completed my build/assembly. I'm curious how you transport it to your field? I made the handle as outlined in the manual using the "N" brackets as the handle. Do you take the wings totally apart and use the "N" brackets as part of the handle? It maybe easier than it looks but I'm thinking there's about 20++ minutes to get it in the air once you get it from the back of your transport to a field table.

If you want to reinstall all the scale elastic lines there's another 15+ minutes. What say you?
 

willsonman

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No elastic on mine at all. Too much trouble to deal with. The "N" brackets, or interplane (IP) struts, go into the wood handle if you built it right. The wood part is that part you should use as the handle... never pick up the airplane using the struts in the handle. Both wings come off the airplane. Once at the field, install the bottom wing, turn over and remove the wood handle and struts. Install the top wing to the cabane struts on the fuselage and connect the servos. Then install the IP struts. Usually takes me around 8-10 minutes if I'm casual... 5 if I'm in a hurry. I have tiny labels on my IP struts that indicate which side they go to so that helps. In total, you have the two nylon wing bolts for the bottom wing, 4 bolts on the cabane struts, and 8 total for the IP struts. Over the years I've never had an issue with keeping the bolts in the holes, remove and install to assemble the airplane. GP makes good stuff.
 

Grover54

Member
Thank you! Agree, just learning with this build it's clear GP does build good stuff. However, like most MFG manuals some things aren't really described or explained well. Still trying to choose the best motor for the job. Was leaning toward your choice Turnigy 5055 / 320Kv. Any issues with a Turnigy? Enough power? Takes a 80 ESC right?

One more question..... do you use an On/Off switch or a connect plug? I'm told On/Off switches can't carry the load. If switch, which one do you use? Something like this? http://www.chiefaircraft.com/spk-9532.html
 

willsonman

Builder Extraordinare
Mentor
In mine I used an 85A ESC. The model I have is no longer sold. It has a built-in switch for power with a self-regulator that sends no pulses when plugged in and the switch turned off. I would NOT recommend anyone use that switch you linked with a normal ESC. The ESC will still have power and possibly still send pulses even if the power wire is not switched.... it sends the power to the Rx so your ESC would still be active without an active Rx. Dangerous stuff. I would honestly go with the YEP 100A ESC from HK. I've fallen in love with them since my bugatti build. They have excellent linear throttle response, efficient operation, and have been VERY reliable. I have one in my Cuda which has tumbled more than a few times and the ESC keeps kicking. DEFINITELY order the programming card and program them properly for airplanes. They are originally intended for helis so my experience has been to re-program every one I've ordered. This is a BIG airplane. Take every step to make a robust and safe power system for yourself and those you fly with.

The Turnigy SK3 line has been a solid performer for me and other higher-profile modelers I follow. I would recommend them as well as other top-end brands like Hacker or AXi.
 

Grover54

Member
Thank you soooo much for the details and direction. So if I understand you correctly the YEP 100A ESC has a built in on/off switch? You don't need a connection plug?
 
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