Pros and Cons of Electric Flight

For the purpose of this article I'm going to choose a Hobbico Avistar aircraft because it is a common 40 size trainer / basic aerobatic airplane and most people are familiar with it. It comes with a .40 size engine and a 10 oz fuel tank. I'm also going to assume the plane, servos, and radio equipment are identical and only deal with the differences. Both need field equipment to operate but I believe the costs are comparable.

#1    Safety        In this category engines win. Fuel engines are no more dangerous than electric motors, but electric motors have some serious danger points.

The first is electric motors can start anytime the battery is hooked up and can be quite unexpected! Most speed controls for electric motors have an arming sequence to help prevent this but it still happens. I once destroyed a computer monitor with an electric helicopter sitting on my desk for adjustment. I now use an arming link to disconnect the battery from the speed control until I'm ready to start. During any kind of power on maintenance the only safe course is to remove the airplane propeller or helicopter blades.

The second problem is battery maintenance. The batteries we use can be a fire hazard if not handled and charged properly. They are built to give a thousand cycles of use but only if they are cared for properly. This is no place to scrimp on a good charger or fire proof storage container. Pay attention to all the safety precautions!

#2    Cost of operation.     The initial cost of electric is higher because you are really buying the first years fuel supply right away, but the long term cost is way less than fuel engines.

It takes 166 gallons of fuel to equal the 2000 flights from a pair of good batteries for our Avistar. At the rate of 4 flights per weekend the price will be equal at the end of the first year and zero for the electric after that. You will still be buying fuel for many years to come. As you can see from the chart below the fuel cost could be 10 times the battery cost and these are not the cheap batteries! Also you can use the same batteries in several different airplanes for no added expense.

#3    Noise    This one can be a toss up. Most pilots prefer the noise from a fuel motor. I personally love the sound of a good 4 stroke engine.

The noise is good feedback that the plane is responding properly. It also lets a pilot know where other aircraft are located when flying with multiple aircraft. When I'm flying electric I have to stay especially  aware of other aircraft because they can't hear me coming! There is a good electronic noise generator on the market to duplicate that good old 4 stroke noise and even machine gun fire for those war bird strafing runs. Of course it's not cheap!

The flip side of this coin is the neighbors. They do not want to be disturbed by screaming engines! It is a major reason we are finding flying sites hard to come by. Quite a few sites have been lost just because the adjoining neighborhoods are all against it. I know of several clubs that went all electric just to save the flying site.

#4    Reliability    This one can be a toss up again. I believe there are good and bad in both categories out there.

Of course I've never had a flame out on take off with my electric planes like I see with fuel engines.

However I have had a few real short flights when I took off with batteries that weren't really recharged even though I thought they were! It kind of pays to check these things you know!

#5    Ease of operation    This is a no brainer. I'm the first to fly and the first to get things put up!

Sometimes I get two flights in before the fuel guys even get there engines started.

#6    Cleanliness    Again a no brainer. This was the biggest reason I went electric.

Oily drips from a nitro engine can melt holes in tile and cause no end of grief at home. At best it's a pain to clean up and at it's worse it can start a divorce.