![\"Surpass\"](\"http:\/\/www.balsaworkbench.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Surpass.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nAs you might have guessed, I’m not one of those guys. \u00a0I’ve been playing with glow engines since 1986 and I still think they are super cool. \u00a0If you are just now getting into the hobby and you are being steered away from glow engines, you might want to think again. \u00a0Glow power still has some advantages over electric, and it’s still a lot of fun.<\/p>\n
Whenever the glow vs electric question arises, the first point that always comes up is ease of use. \u00a0With a glow engine you have to carry fuel, pump the fuel into the tank, stick a battery on the glow plug, start the engine, tune it, and then when the flying is done, wipe the oil off the plane. \u00a0With electric power you just plug the battery in and fly. \u00a0But when the battery is dead, you have to wait while the battery recharges. \u00a0Meanwhile your flying buddy with the glow engine is simply pumping fuel for 30 seconds and then flying again…. and again and again.<\/p>\n But the electric pilot could fly over and over if he brings enough batteries, right? \u00a0Well, that leads us to the next point that I always hear, which is the cost issue. \u00a0Everybody has heard by now that glow fuel is too expensive<\/a>, so you would be better off flying electric models. \u00a0But what about those extra batteries? \u00a0They cost money, and so does the fancy charger to charge them. \u00a0Also, LiPo batteries sure seem to have a high attrition rate. \u00a0You could compare the cost of glow fuel to the ongoing cost of battery replacement.<\/p>\n I think you have to weigh these two points against each other and decide if you want to buy a bunch of extra batteries, or if you want to deal with oil and some extra field gear. \u00a0To me it looks like a toss-up. \u00a0You probably thought I was going to say that glow engines are better because I like them, but I can see how you might take a critical look at the options and choose either one based on logic. \u00a0Both have conveniences and inconveniences, plus extra costs.<\/p>\n This leaves only the most important factor, your personal preference. \u00a0To me, the RC flying hobby is about three things. \u00a0There’s aeronautical engineering, there’s cultivation of piloting skills, and there is the enjoyment of mechanical equipment. \u00a0I think all model airplane pilots are into the first two to at least some extent. \u00a0Some of us are also very much into the third. \u00a0I really enjoy looking at and using model engines.\u00a0 I’m sure some people do not, but I’m also sure that a lot of RC newcomers would enjoy running model engines, and I’d hate for them to be warned away by older RC pilots because engines are “just too much trouble”. \u00a0For guys like me, engines aren’t trouble that gets in the way of flying a plane.\u00a0 Flying a plane gives me an excuse to run the engine.<\/p>\n Oddly enough, in the size range where glow engines have been most thoroughly replaced by electric power, from .049 to .25, the engines are generally quiet (aside from the screaming 049), fuel efficient, lightweight, and very easy to run. \u00a0The conventional wisdom says that for small planes electric power is the obvious choice. \u00a0But think again and it doesn’t seem so obvious. \u00a0With an OS 10 you can fly all day with 12 ounces of fuel and your neighbors won’t even hear you. \u00a0In addition to being very well mannered and reliable, an OS 10 is just plain cute.<\/p>\n A really sharp reader named Dwayne Josefski made another really good point that I didn’t even think of. \u00a0You can bring two planes of very dissimilar size to the flying field and use the same bottle of fuel for\u00a0both of them. \u00a0Electric planes tend to have batteries matched to the size of the plane. \u00a0Some guys stick with one size of plane just to avoid buying more batteries. \u00a0But one jug\u00a0of fuel fits all sizes. \u00a0That’s a good point!<\/p>\n If you’re a new RC enthusiast and you are intrigued by glow engines, go ahead and give them a shot even if your flying buddies are warning you away. \u00a0They’re a lot of fun. \u00a0If you want to learn more about them, I have a friend who has a really\u00a0good youtube channel with engine videos<\/a>\u00a0where you can learn to buy, repair, maintain, and run both 2 and 4 stroke glow engines.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In the early days of model airplanes, there were control line planes and free flight planes, and a model plane engine ran on gasoline. \u00a0It had a battery and a coil to make a spark. \u00a0This was way before my … Continue reading <\/a><\/p>\n