F3 RES 2M Eli

[Dave Russell]

Hi all ,

Thanks for the add. I'm looking to get into F3 RES Gliders and was wondering if the Eli is a good option. Also can anyone recommend a club for me to join in the WN7 Postcode area.

Thanks 

Dave

[mikef]

Hello Dave,

I think the lack of a response so far is a symptom of the bewildering array of F3/5-RES kits available.  Perhaps the relatively new Eli isn't widely known yet.  I just bought a Purito-e.  I chose it because it is recent, I fancied the construction method and it has featured in the 14 day challenge in the hands of Graham Lorimer.  It's not the cheapest kit but it is very well engineered and the fits are mainly excellent.  It also doesn’t have the 'weakening holes' that some designers insist on using - they have no place in materials with a definite grain, like sheet balsa!  One model even has the letters of its name punched through the solid sheet tail!

I had a look on the Hyperflight site - I don’t know the Eli - it looks very nice (but I don't like the holes.)

Good luck with whichever model you choose .  Sorry I can't help with the club, I'm in Surrey.

[Nicholls]

Loads of Clubs near you try BMFA Club Finder (azolve.com)

[mikef]

There is information/instructions for many of the models on the Hyperflight site - have a look though what's there.  Other supplies are available.

[Dave Russell]

Thanks mikef, took your advice and I've ordered the Purito-e.

[mikef]

Ah - you are going for electric launch!

[Dave Russell]

Yes, I'm going the electric route. I don't have to worry about bungee etc.

[Dave Russell]

Unfortunately having looked at the costs involved for the motor etc I have decided not to go for the Purito-E. I'm going to have to rethink on which way to proceed.

Thanks for the input though. 

[GuyB]

The bungee is not a big hassle

It takes me less than 5 mins to lay out and slightly longer to wind back in. On a summers day there are worse things to do. Give me a chance to look at conditions etc as well. 

[John Minchell]

Interesting 180 Dave.

I priced up a powertrain for my "bitsa"and it was about the same cost as a bungee - so would be interested in what powertrain you thought was too expensive.

John M

[Stevevw]

To be fair they are expensive i think my Purito-E was over £500 to get in the air.  My choice but I am certain that you could do it for £200 with a plan build cheaper electrics etc.  also the performance in UK weather is not going to be that far off either.

I am working on a design that once tested if all is well I will give anyone interested the files to get laser cut parts themselves. Nothing I can do about the cost of a top line motor gearbox and prop assembly,  but do we actually need a 7 second climb to 60m when we could use 20 seconds?

[John Minchell]

I have just priced up at Hobby King in the UK, in stock, a motor plus esc and two Lipo batteries for £36 plus postage.  That was 750g thrust in a 5/600g airframe will be plenty powerful enough.

So the argument that a powertrain is expensive is not true.  Yes you can spend £300 or more on a Hacker geared inrunner plus a YGE speed controler but there is no need - this is supposed to be a cheap entry class after all.  You can get to 100m easily in 30seconds with a 1:1 or better thrust to weight ratio.  Or 60m in 20 seconds or whatever the rules end up as.  It doesn't stack up that electric power is expensive. 

A Hyperflight bungee is £37 and then you still have to add 100m of line plus a parachute, dog stake etc ..

John M

[StraightEdge]

Just done a dry-run:

Hyperflight:

Circle Dancer £159 (Graham Lorimer can tell you how he converted his to electric)

Oralight £22

Pennant £10

Subtotal incl P&P appx £200

3DXR:

emax-es08a-ii 3x £4 appx = £12 (perfectly adequate, I use these in my PuRES)

Subtotal incl P&P appx £15

Misc:

RX of choice £25

1s 700Ah LiPo £5

Subtotal incl P&P appx £40

Pete Newman:

Bungee & line £35 appx

Subtotal incl P&P appx £35

 

= GRAND TOTAL appx £290

 

If you wanted to go electric instead, then add:

Hyperflight:

ADL300L motor £15

30mm Hyperspinner £16

Sunrise 20A SBEC ESC £22

3DXR:

Aeronaut 9x5 (say) folding prop £7

Misc:

450-600mAh 2s or 3s LiPo (say) £10

less:

Bungee -£35

Pennant -£10

700mAh 1s LiPo -£5

= ADJUSTED GRAND TOTAL appx £310

You could still save a few quid by, for example, skimping on the covering and finding a slightly cheaper ESC, and also going through the headache of sourcing and making up your own bungee and line, but the bottom line is that for either launch method you'll be hovering around the £300 mark.

Obviously going for the Purito will add another £80 to your total basket, but is unlikely to make any real difference to your flying performance.

[StraightEdge]

18 hours ago, GuyB said:

The bungee is not a big hassle

It takes me less than 5 mins to lay out and slightly longer to wind back in. On a summers day there are worse things to do. Give me a chance to look at conditions etc as well. 

Same here - especially the opportunity it gives you to slow down and begin to get a sense of the pattern and timing of thermal activity.

I love the simplicity of the bungee.  The only reason I'm building (actually converting an old crash-damaged X-RES) model for electric-launch is that it gives me the opportunity to fly at other public or either of my two RC club sites (where bungee is possible but a tad more complicated due to the take-off/circuit preferences of the usual power crowd, or club rules requiring a second helper etc) rather than my normal open-access field.

The other thing that interests me is that my electric conversion will add a net 85g to the pure-glider weight of 450g (a 20% increase) which "ballast" might open up the opportunity to fly in slightly windier conditions...?

[Whitmore]

Skidoo 1.5m

Balsa: 4-5 sheets - all in my stock but lets say £20 worth in 2021

Covering: esaki - £2?

Boom: broken fishing rod - free

Lipo: Round Nanotech 650mAh - £1.84 

RX: Redcon via Banggood - around £4 at the time

Servos: 2 x Emax 9051 - £9

Plan: erm.... make me an offer.

 

Bungee: Hobbyking red 6mm - £5.50 (I know they aren't available now)

Braided line: £3

Dog stake: £3.50.

 

Total: £48.84

 

Sorry - couldn't resist!

 

[Dave Russell]

On 14/05/2021 at 17:48, John Minchell said:

Interesting 180 Dave.

I priced up a powertrain for my "bitsa"and it was about the same cost as a bungee - so would be interested in what powertrain you thought was too expensive.

John M

Hacker A10-7L geared 4.4:1 was the only motor recommended by Hyperflight and at around £70 I thought wasn't worth it. I've priced up a few others and I reckon I can do a full electric set up for under £250 buying something like an Eli F3 RES at £180.

[DaveH]

The use of a bungee at any of the 4 club fields that I can use is not really possible.  Two of the fields that are big enough could work, but as I would be the only member using a bungee, it's not a realistic option unless I flew alone and packed up when others arrived (bungee across the strip).       It might be useful to find a club first and check out what they do.   

As mentioned by an earlier contributor,   here's a map of BMFA affiliated clubs.     There are a few near to you.

 

[Dave Russell]

The only one that is near to me which is doable is Tyldesley MFC. When I last went down to them a good few years ago I found it very elitist not not very friendly to newcomers that didn't know someone there already. I have quite a few fields near to me so I will just use them unless I can find a private club locally.

Thanks for all your input.

Dave

[StraightEdge]

Field + bloke + F-RES model = perfect!

 

[DaveH]

8 hours ago, Dave Russell said:

The only one that is near to me which is doable is Tyldesley MFC. When I last went down to them a good few years ago I found it very elitist not not very friendly to newcomers that didn't know someone there already. I have quite a few fields near to me so I will just use them unless I can find a private club locally.

Thanks for all your input.

Dave

Given the volume of passing people that ask sometimes inane questions about model flying, I can understand that some clubs/club members appear to be a little disinterested when discussing their club/models/costs with them.     These days, model club membership is reportedly in decline.  I am sure that you would be welcomed if you were a prospective member.       Being a member of an active club will be really useful for advice, training if you need it, prep for some easy tests for your flying achievement certificates.    It's also much better flying with others.     

Don't forget that you should join the BMFA, at least for the insurance and other benefits. 

Would you need any help/training to get flying a model?