Speed for price

[martmichals]

What plane has the best mph to dollar ratio?

I have come up with-
Durafly EFX Racer $130 for apx. "100 mph"
Hobbyking Radjet ultra- $101 for "100 mph"

What speedy planes do you guys know?

[Konrad]

With or without motors? What often is a concern is how does she land? To go fast the wing needs to be thin, or the amount of power it takes becomes exorbitant. To get a reasonably fast ship and one that can land in the same county you are in often means the use of flaps. Also be aware that as speeds get higher the control surface hinging and stiffness become critical.

Now you know that drag goes up by the cube of the speed.

So are you giving the units of speed even weight to dollars? If so you will want to stay in the sub 100 mph range. Or are you giving speed the exponential weight it deserves?

Now any of these $200 ships should get your adrenalin pumping!

http://www.soaringusa.com/Pylon/

If you have a slope go look at some of the gliders!

If you want to stay within a set of formulas the NMPRA EF-1's are a fun class of racer.

All the best,
Konrad

[crxmanpat]

I love my FlyZone L-39. 95 mph for $180:

http://www.motionrc.com/flyzone-l-39-albatros-56mm-edf-jet-rxr/

[Konrad]

I have one of each of these in various stages of flight readiness. They are all safe to at least 150 MPH and flyable by most intermediate fliers.
Some of those shown on the Soaring USA site are very fast, so fast and small that they often aren’t fun. And this is coming from a guy that flew FAI F3D pylon racers.

http://stores.aeromicro.com/great-pl...ep-arf-red-36/
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...dproduct=54434
http://www.greatplanes.com/airplanes/gpma1260.html
http://www.e-fliterc.com/Products/De...ProdID=EFL4205
http://www.e-fliterc.com/Products/De...ProdID=EFL4200

All the best,
Konrad

P.S. This one would be hard to beat in your price range

http://www.icare-icarus.com/whistler-mini-hotliner_p_903.html

[doctormike]

Multiplex Funjet! The speed record is around 200 MPH. I have one, but didn't soup it up that much. I'm getting about 100MPH. Very stable and easy to hand launch. The kit is $100. Look it up on Youtube. I painted mine yellow with dark blue stripes on the bottom, hoping to not loose it.

[Bajora]

EFX Racer (Yellow) is on sale in US East WH for 99 at the moment

[fhhuber]

Not as cheap... appx 105 to 110 mph straight from the box: Dynam Me-262 $239
Battery selection and altering the horiz stab incidence: 115 mph. these changes allow it to do outside loops (not going to happen stock. You don't have enough elevator due to horiz stab incidence)

Very similar airframe is the Freewing Me-262. (same size) Its supposed to have better motors and fans and be able to go faster.

[Konrad]

The Dynam and FW ME 262 are very different. At 6K feet altitude the FW Me 262 will draw 94 to 96 amp amps and just touch 100. She will loop just fine. Both Me 262 have issues from the underslung pods pushing the nose up. This is a problem in the near and post stall envelope as adding power to get out of the stall can actually push you into a stall.

You can see this effect in the video as the pilot add full power over-powering the elevator at take off with the result being a wheelie. You can hear the pilot say in the back ground; she has so much power.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKGhHF7Ow7o

Striker and Fun Jets are fast. I just didn't like the noise of the props going through the wings wake turbulence. Deltas and flying wings are often the faster straight line speed configuration. In fact these are often out lawed in most racing classes as they have too much of a speed advantage.
http://www.parkzone.com/Products/Def...ProdID=PKZ1200
http://hitecrcd.com/products/airplan...-ultra/product

Is this the EFX racer?
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...dproduct=65458

I've never seen one, it looks like if not landing on a smooth prepared surface the servos are at risk.

[Aros]

The Phase 3 F-16 I had once....WOW was that a missile for pennies on the dollar! Not even sure they make them anymore...You can probably find them if you Google/Bing one. Painted mine in the Alaska livery...

[Konrad]

Yep that was a good one! And yours looks FANtastic!

[crxmanpat]

Oh wow, how could I forget the Phase3 EF-16?!?! I watched one go 177 mph once, I don't see how the pilot could see it.

Still available in kit form from Hobby People: http://www.hobbypeople.net/index.php...r-fan-esc.html

I usually wait until they go on sale before I pick up some spare kits. Last time I got them they were on sale for $40 each, and I got 2. Just now starting my last one as I bashed my previous one on a bad hand launch.

I'm using a cheap setup, Cyclone outrunner in a Haoye 64mm fan, Flywing 70A ESC, 2 9-gram servos. Very inexpensive and goes about 130 mph.

[xviper]

I have both the EFX and the Funjet Ultra, both on 4s. Both are 100+mph planes and are plenty fast for my old reflexes. I have a couple of EDFs that are in the 90mph range. EDFs tend to be difficult to make fast cheap. Pylon racers can be the cheap and easy route to high speed. The stock Eflite Rare Bear is pretty fast and can be made even faster but not cheap.
I've seen some very fast Funjets and EFX Racers. Shave the wing tips off the EFX and it'll go even faster stock. I think HobbyKing is about to sell the V2 EFX with clipped tips. Some guys mod them up with 6s or more and can get to well over 200 mph. I'm afraid I would bury one of those in the dirt in a blink of an eye.

[Bajora]

Is that the same one you're launching in this photo from Chino Valley Pat? I am pretty sure it is. That sucker seemed PLENTY fast to me!

[Alpha]

The Durafly EFX is a fun one, well mannered throughout a wide envelope and fast for the money. The yellow scheme really stands out in the sky. My only issue has been props.


I'd add the Techone Krattei Me-163 to the list as well. $119 for easy 100+mph plane on a cheap 3s 1800 battery. The manufacturer's specs say 140mph but personally I've never gunned it officially. I'd say 120mph, without question. She rips! Easy to transport, too, and parts are easy to obtain.

[crxmanpat]

Jon,

Yep, that was the one. Love that pic by the way!

[Bajora]

Sure captures the energy in your launch!

[crxmanpat]

That one is toast. Here's the next scheme I plan to do.



Should show up really well in the air!

[Konrad]

Am I getting that old! Are F-16 now in private hands? Or what fighter group uses that camouflage scheme! Love it! As I fly in the mountain I often fly below the horizon camo and low visibility gray are murder on my check book! This looks even better than the T-birds.

[crxmanpat]

That was the 90th Anniversary scheme for the Texas ANG 3rd Fighter Squadron. Definitely NOT a privately owned bird.

[Bajora]

The Durafly EFX is a fun one, well mannered throughout a wide envelope and fast for the money. The yellow scheme really stands out in the sky. My only issue has been props.


I'd add the Techone Krattei Me-163 to the list as well. $119 for easy 100+mph plane on a cheap 3s 1800 battery. The manufacturer's specs say 140mph but personally I've never gunned it officially. I'd say 120mph, without question. She rips! Easy to transport, too, and parts are easy to obtain.

I would agree with you on that little 163 Alpha. My flying pal and I had one of them out for a few flights last summer and it does haul the mail. The ESC in ours was a little rough and prevented us from really winding her up. But a kick in the pants nonetheless! That model came from JPower/Sky Angel and a lot of guys were anxious to get their hands on one. Glad to see MRC picked them up.