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GLOW TO ELECTRIC

Electric Flight in Colorado - Calcs

Glow to Electric Conversion calculator

Glow to Electric Conversion Power System Calculator

The methods and "rules of thumb" that are used here were taken from an excellent conversion articlewritten by Jim Bourke, and published on the E Zone. The article appears at http://www.ezonemag.com/articles/1997/cdancer/cdancer.htm.

Step 1: Determine Weight Goal

The target weight should be determined using the Wing surface area, and the desired loading based on thetype of aircraft.

Wing Loading
Loading	Type
10 oz/sq.ft	Glider
15 oz/sq.ft	Trainers
20 oz/sq.ft	Sport Plane
25 oz/sq.ft	Fighters

Aircraft Wing Area	sq. inches
Desired Wing Loading	oz/sq.ft

Weight Goal	oz
	pounds

Step 2: Determine Power Goal

The next step is to determine the desired performance level. There is a rule of thumb we use for thiscalled "watts per pound". The basic idea is that the general performance characteristics of a modelcan be predicted as follows:

Performance Level
Watts per pound	Performance Potential
< 50 watts per pound	Unable to rise off ground
50 to 60 watts per pound	Can rise off ground and perform simple aerobatics
60-75 watts per pound	Easily loops from level flight. More impressive aerobatic performance.
75-100 watts per pound	"Fighter"-like performance. Aggressive climbs
100-150 watts per pound	Extended vertical runs. Unlimited aerobatics
> 150 watts per pound	Wings are unnecessary

Desired watts per pound	watts per pound

Power Goal	watts

Step 3: Determine Current (amps) Goal

The next step is to determine the desired current draw. This is done based on the battery cell capacity,and the desired duration:

Note: This calculator does not attempt to determine if the target current is appropriate foryour desired electric motor.

Planned cell type
Desired full-throttle duration	minutes

Current Goal	amps

Step 4: Calculated required number of battery cells

This number of battery cells required is determined based on the Power Goal and the Current Goal. Volts = watts / amps.Each cell effectively provides approximately 1 volt, so we need 1 cell per needed volt. Based on the number of cells,we can also determine the approximate weight of the battery pack:

Required number of battery cells	battery cells
Battery pack weight	oz.

Final Step: Calculate target weight of aircraft without battery packs

Now we can determine how much the aircraft should weight without the battery packs. This should be veryclose to the weight of the glow-powered aircraft.

Target weight without battery pack	oz
	pounds

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