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<\/a><\/p>\nFast forward half a century and think about the question again, about some servo or battery being good enough for your airplane. \u00a0Even with stock gear you have more power, less weight, stronger servos, and more battery capacity than the guys from the 1960s and 70s ever dreamed of. \u00a0If you buy special components your specs are even more impressive.<\/p>\n
Quarter scale servos became available and affordable in the 80s for giant airplanes, which were becoming more popular at the time. \u00a0For pattern planes and super high performance aircraft the manufacturers offered fancy servos with quicker response times and more torque than a standard servo. \u00a0Also metal gears became available. \u00a0Some folks started using 5 cell receiver batteries producing 6 volts, for even more torque and faster response. \u00a0The disadvantage of higher voltage of course is faster current drain and reduced battery duration. \u00a0But the question is about components being good enough, and the answer is that a lot of equipment came on the market to provide higher performance than standard batteries and servos.<\/p>\n
I don’t build giant scale, I don’t compete in pattern aerobatics contests, I don’t fly jet models, and I don’t build feather weight micro models. \u00a0The wingspan of my planes tends to range from about 32 inches to 8 feet. \u00a0So I just use standard servos of the type supplied with a new radio. \u00a0In other words, plastic gears, analog, about 8 or 9 bucks. \u00a0If I ever need more performance I’ll use two on one channel, such as one per elevator half or one per aileron. \u00a0In the 1990s I used to build 049 powered airplanes with two standard servos and a full size four cell double A receiver battery, because that’s what these planes were designed for and it worked great. \u00a0Almost all planes were designed for that kind of equipment, because that’s what was available. \u00a0Nowadays I tend to use triple A batteries and micro servos in 049 size, and mini servos in 10 to 15 size, but for everything else I use standard batteries (four nickel cells) and standard servos. \u00a0I don’t worry about modern standard\u00a0RC gear handling the job because I know it will.<\/p>\n
Please do not assume that I am telling you\u00a0to use standard servos, 20 year old transmitters, nickel batteries, etc, just because\u00a0I do. \u00a0That’s not what I’m saying at all. \u00a0I am only trying to answer the question “Is this servo, battery, radio or engine good enough?” \u00a0The reason I’m telling you how I do it\u00a0is because it answers\u00a0the question. \u00a0Most beginners don’t know anything about equipment and its capabilities, so they have to ask, and they usually get answers involving expensive gear requiring careful matching between the various components. \u00a0I offer my own experience because it represents a viewpoint that does not receive a lot of promotion. \u00a0I use cheap standard gear and it always works, thus providing a\u00a0bench mark for beginners. \u00a0So set your mind at ease. \u00a0You can get involved in a rewarding hobby without spending your life savings, and you don’t have to worry\u00a0if your equipment is good enough to get the job done.<\/p>\n
If you want to use the fancy, expensive stuff, that’s great! \u00a0Metal geared servos, lithium batteries, digital servos, computer radios, micro servos, high torque servos, etc,\u00a0are a lot of fun. \u00a0Just remember that you will have to match\u00a0one fancy component to another, such as a high capacity battery to feed your hungry digital servos. \u00a0Or you’ll have to look up the torque specs on your super miniature servos. \u00a0It’s a hobby, so have fun. \u00a0But that’s not exactly the question I was trying to answer. \u00a0If you’re a beginner building a normal, average airplane, and you’re wondering if your gear is good enough, don’t worry. \u00a0For a standard plane, standard equipment is good enough. \u00a0Just look at the photos in the old magazines from the 60s and 70s if you don’t believe me.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I am frequently asked what kind of servos should be used for a specific airplane, or what kind of battery, etc. \u00a0Most times the question takes the form of “Is XYZ good enough for this plane that I am building?” … Continue reading