Lil Luscomb Sport Configuration Questions

[Stach]

Based on a great review of the Lil Luscomb in the December 2001 issue of Model Airplane News, and the GREAT "More Performance..." article on the Lil Luscomb Sport by Dave Robelen in Backyard Flyer I have decided to make this my first electric plane and my first backyard flyer.

Since I am new to electrics I am having trouble deciding what the BEST configuration for this plane is for me. Using the Dave Robelen article I would like to maximize flight duration without sacrificing too much in the way of flight performance. Based on that, I am leaning towards either:

1) A ball-bearing speed 280 motor with a 1,000mAh NiMH 8-cell pack

OR

2) An AstroFlight 010 brushless motor with a 1,000 mAh NiMH 8-cell pack


I wasn't able to determine which would be better for me by reading the article because it didn't seem that these two configurations were ever compared (the AstroFlight was only tested with a 720 mAh NiMH battery).

What are the advantages of one over the other?

What is the approximate difference in cost?

How do they compare in their flight characteristics?

What is the configuration that you prefer or currently fly with Dave Robelen (motor, prop, ESC, gearbox)?

I hope (Dave Robelen) that you're out there reading this and can answer these questions as you are THE authority on this plane AND how to best configure it. Thanks for a great article and I'm sure that you've stirred up MUCH interest in this plane as both you and others who have reviewed it, like it VERY MUCH!

Thanks in advance for your replies.
-Stach

[2NG]

Stach,

Welcome to E-flight. Wow! I like your question overview, you really did some homework, that's good. I hope to see more of your presence here in the forum. Dave will be with you, just be patient, I haven't seen him around either. Dave, are you in vaction?

[Dave Robelen]

Hi Stach,
From my personal experience with that model there are a couple of options to meet your goals. First, it should be made clear that there was a substantial power difference with the various motors. The sp300 was the hottest, and ran best on 7 cells. The 280BB is almost as powerful running on 8 cells. The Astro .010 geared requires a 10 cell battery and still is below the power of the 280BB. This 10 cell requirement was the reason for the smaller capacity cells. I ran the others on 500AR ni-cds, basically because I enjoy the performance edge. Even the 1000 ni-mh cells will not crank out the amps like the ni-cds.
If you are going to fly a lot in a cruise mode and want extended duration, the 1000 ni-mh in an 8 pack driving the 280 BB motor with a 5-1 MP Jett BB gearbox will fly at least 20 min. I am getting 8-10 minutes of brisk aerobatics with mine using the same motor and 500AR battery with reasonable throttle management. This combo will pull a 100' vertical climb into a stall turn, or come ripping down the field in a lovely 4-point roll. This may be the sweetest aiplane I have flown.
Regards, Dave

[Stach]

Well, I ordered the Lil Luscomb the other day and in speaking with Sal, he talked me into the following motor combo which is supposed to offer the "power of the 280 BB" with the efficiency surpassing the AstroFlight Brushless. With the increased power from that motor, he recommended using 8-cell (9.6V) 1100mah NiMH battery pack. Here's the quote from NE Sailplanes website:

Axi 2814/10 motor with reduction drive and TMM 40 amp speed control (this blows away even the newest Jeti drives)

http://www.nesail.com/AXI/axi281410.htm

Has anyone else had experience with these motors or any thoughts on this configuration?