Solved FT Mustang is built. Battery is last component I need. How to choose?

[AGriggs191]

New guy here, I just got into the hobby and completed my first build; the FT Mustang with power pack C. The last component I need to start flying is a battery. I would like to fly for 10-15 minutes per battery if possible. I've searched the forums, the FT articles, and I've googled as much as I can without finding any substantial answers anywhere. To save some time, the following is a list of components I have which (I think) determine what I should get for a battery.

Prop:10x4.5
Motor: 2218 1180kv brushless
ESC: 35A BEC 3A 5V suggests LiPo 2S-4S 40A burst max
Platform: FT Mustang, without the battery it weighs nearly a pound.

I know I need a 2-4 cell LiPo battery with an XT60 connector and max discharge rate of 35 and a max burst discharge rate of 40 (Should be lower to make sure everything stays safe). I think I just need to know capacity. Like I said earlier, I would like to fly for 10-15 minutes if possible without sacrificing performance of the plane. Any help or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

TL/DR: Looking for capacity and/or specific battery suggestions especially from anyone who has flown an FT Mustang hoping for at least 10 minute flight time.

Also, the nearest hobby store is about a 45 minute drive away, but I hope to have enough info to go up today to get batteries. I'm planning on getting 2-3 batteries, a couple spare props and some paint.

 

[BATTLEAXE]

Welcome to the forums and the hobby. Against your request of looking for someone who has flown the Mustang for over ten minutes, I haven't. However to get 10-15 minutes out of a plane that weighs over 600g's isn't unheard of, but there is always a trade off. Bayyeries are nlike gas tanks when you are looking for time, you want to travel further on one tank you will need a bigger tank, which carries more fuel, which tends to be heavier. The heavier a plane is the faster you have to fly it to keep it airborne. The faster you have to fly the more fuel you use, less efficient considering drag is exponential.

The Mustang is a bit of a faster plane to begin with being a low wing warbird. Although it looks cool it just isn't set up for long flight times. And if you are new to the hobby who has next to no experience flying such a plane then 10 minute flight times wont matter because there will be lots of crashing. If this is the case you will spending way more time fixing your plane then actually getting a solid clean 10 minute flight time.

If your skills are up to par to sustain a 10 minute flight time without a visit to the surgery room for repairs then the FT Mustang wouldn't be your plane to get long flight times. Ideally you would need about a 4000 mah 3s battery which will weigh as much as the plane itself effectively doubling your weigh. And I doubt it would even fit in battery compartment, never tried but they are big batteries. This will degrade the performance of the bird and hinder a positive experience for you.

I know when I started out a 5 minute flight time seemed way to short, like you just take off and now its time to land. But once you get up in the air even 5 minutes can seem like a lifetime, most people forget their names they are so excited. And 5 minutes is a lot of time when you consider how much you have to concentrate on executing skills that aren't muscle memory yet. You will be mentally tired after a few 5 minute batts just trying to keep the plane from taking a dirt nap.

Suggestion, learn to fly on a different model first. Build a slower more docile plane to build the skills up then start going for the hard stuff. Build something like the FT Simple Scout and let that teach you to fly. Its an easy build, easy to fix, and flies like an angel. Actually it might be a better plane to find the 10 minute flight time mark.

More of your flight time will come from a light efficient airframe that is lofty and flies slow with next to maneuvers, like the FT EXplorer, or a twin like the FT Bronco. The Explorer is light and efficient on a single pusher prop design. The FT Bronco is a twin that could carry the larger batteries and still get around ten minutes.

All said and done like I said the Mustang is a pretty plane, and if you are happy with the build then save it for another day. Learn to fly then take out the Mustang and have some fun with it. There is no magic battery that will be light, efficient, and last 15 minutes in a Mustang. So as you can see there are always trade offs to how this works.

If you find a way to do it then please post so the rest of us can enjoy it too.

Again welcome, good luck, and post the maiden vid. No video, it didn't happen

 

[Merv]

Welcome to the forums

Your flying style will have a huge impact on flying time. On my Versa, if I go full throttle the whole time, I get about 6 minutes of flight. If I fly slowly, I can get 10-12 minutes. If I catch a few thermals, I can fly for 30 minutes. The outside temperature also has an impact, when it's cold out, 30-40F, my 6 minute flight is now 3-4 minutes.

With some throttle management you should be able to fly 10-12 minutes on a 2200 3s pack. This is what I'm using in my Versa.

I must warn you the Mustang is not a good first plane. You would be better off setting it aside for now and transferring your components into something much easier to fly, something like the Storch. Learn to fly first, then go for the plane of your dreams.

 

[The Hangar]

If you build it light and are easy on the throttle, you could probably get over 10 minutes on a 2200 3s. You could go up to a 3500 mah 3s but it'll be heavier. I used a 5000mah 3s in my buwhwacker on the C pack and it was totally fine, but I would recommend a smaller pack like a 2200 or 3500 because like battleaxe said it'll fly slower.

 

[Ketchup]

I know I need a 2-4 cell LiPo battery with an XT60 connector and max discharge rate of 35 and a max burst discharge rate of 40 (Should be lower to make sure everything stays safe).

First off, welcome to the forums. I think that the other posts here should have answered the question, but I caught something and I don't know if anybody said anything about it or not. For the discharge rate, you can go as high as you want. A lower discharge or max discharge rate will not make the battery any safer, the discharge rate is just a maximum that you cannot exceed, you don't have to use all of it. Also, the discharge rate is usually shown as a "C" rating. To calculate the max discharge rate of a battery, you take the capacity of the battery (let's assume that you are using a 2200 3s, so 2200 milliamps) and then multiply it by the c rating (now let's assume a c rating of 10, this is actually pretty low, but this is just for the example). The answer you get in this example is 2200*10, so a 22000 milliamp max discharge rate, or 22 amps.

 

[AGriggs191]

Thanks for all the suggestions and info everyone. I ended up getting 2 3200mAh batteries I was planning on getting around 2500mAh batteries, but the selection at the Hobby Town was fairly limited. They fit perfectly in the battery compartment and it seems like the cg is perfect. Due to the weather, I haven't had a chance to fly it yet, but I did connect it temporarily just to make sure everything was working properly. Looks like it is.

 

[The Hangar]

Thanks for all the suggestions and info everyone. I ended up getting 2 3200mAh batteries I was planning on getting around 2500mAh batteries, but the selection at the Hobby Town was fairly limited. They fit perfectly in the battery compartment and it seems like the cg is perfect. Due to the weather, I haven't had a chance to fly it yet, but I did connect it temporarily just to make sure everything was working properly. Looks like it is.

Awesome! Let us know how the maiden goes.