Electric And Glow

[Mike oxbig]

Depending on the airframe and the way the muffler is mounted you can avoid a lot of mess. I added a $4 silicone exhaust diverter on the end of the muffler on my su 31 with a 91 surpass up front and it reduced the oil residue to nothing more a a light film. it gets the exhaust out and away from the fuse instead of running into the airstream around the plane.

As far as oil getting into the balsa and ruining it. It CAN happen but if you are careful you can avoid it. Basically you want to make sure all exposed wood, eg the firewall, is fuel proofed. I prefer using thinned down epoxy to fuel proof but there are other methods. That and making sure your covering is well sealed and not peeling and you'll be fine. At the end of the day wipe the plane down with windex and some paper towel and you're good to go. Actually i use washer fluid for autos as its cheaper and works just as good as windex.

I fly both electrics and nitros and am planning on adding a gasser to my hanger soon too. Each has their own advantages and disadvantages. I love them all and can't say any are better than the other.

 

[KLJ4CCH]

We have ran a mixture of oil and gasoline for many years... We converted a weed eater engine into usable unit. I dont have 200 dollars to blow on an expensive gas engine. They run like tops, mine ran for 8+years with no problem. Put her through trees, the ground and all I had to replace was a coil. (salvaged from another engine.) Plus my flight times are 25+ min. I could easily get over 40 min if it is tuned right and has a bigger tank. (wish I could use that for FPV.) I also have two glow planes, j3 and a Ugly stick. The engine on the J3 is OLDER than me.

I only flown one electric in my whole life. It was a little super sportster. fast little thing!!! loved every bit of it!