Hobby King PT-19 ARF

The main problem with conversions from electric to glow is the fact that the airframes are typically not suited for the engine pulses a glow engine gives back. Usually a substantial engine crutch needs to be fabricated usually rendering the original design useless. Going the other way is far easier in terms of eliminating unneeded wood and the likes of for a electric motor mount. Not saying it couldn't be done, just something to think about. If the airframe is shaking, the tank is substantially subjected to bad vibrations which lead to fuel foaming and crazy engine runs which can literally shake the plane to pieces. Ken

Agree, airframe nose on that one is very light, would be hard to modify, having to undo the nose portion (remove covering, do some judicial breaking apart the airframe for nose doublers, etc.).

One of HK's laser cut kits would be easier to do.

yep, it is a nice kit, likely to mount a glow you'd need to wack off the front "box" but then you'd probably need to do as G.G. stated and bulk up the front of fuselage.

Back in the 80's a Japanese company called PILOT made some really nice R/C kits, I built the PT-19 version, covered it in Black Baron fabric-coat, looked really nice...maiden flight, about the second pass over field its snapped stalled, quickly rekitted, after 5-6 years I gotter back together, using a . TT .40 instead of the Enya .29 on first flight...after 3-4 passes....its snapped again! Its still in the attic over garage waited to be rebuilt!

Here's one on eBay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/PILOT-FAIRCHILD-PT-19-R-C-BALSA-MODEL-AIRPLANE-KIT-OK-REMOTE-RADIO-CONTROL-POWER-/181632489410

I agree with Kens comments but go a stage further. Don't do it!

I have been through a few electric planes and although I haven't converted them to IC but the construction is flimsy.

Being a trifle clumsy (careless!) I have also managed to spill fuel on one. I can guarantee that the covering is not fuel proof! While this may vary from model to model, I have managed to accomplish this twice on two different electric ARTFs and the covering reacted badly. More than mere staining!

They are built lightly (no bad thing!) but with little strength and no consideration for internal fuel proofing. The models I have had are open in the fuselage front to back. I am also not sure what glue was used but it wasn't epoxy. I expect this is done for rapid assembly.

I have gone the other way, from IC to electric, but only with kits that I can alter while building.

You can certainly split the difference and convert it to electric control line. My buddy ed has a few electric control line planes with throttle controlled by a 2.4ghz car radio. Pretty slick setup.

Jim

The nice thing about converting an electric kit is that modifications are much easier. Also, one can easily resolve the issue of selecting a fuel proof covering versus adding weight by spraying a fuel proof paint (like Polyurethane Varnish) to it.

Thus, it allows one to strengthen the wing and empenage. If one is going to over power the model with a larger engine, then can add shear webs between upper and lower spars, better dihedral braces out of ply and etc. Also, it is possible the kit has design inadequacies that can be corrected.

Nothing is more disconcerting than to watch one's lovely creation attain to lawn dart status after wing spar failure during a high G manuever. Mark, I don't mean to rude, but when you mentioned "snapped", is this what happened? I'm reminded of a saying by Pirates Pitcher, Vernon Law: "Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterwards."  

Of course there are a few ARF's that allow one to go either way. In that case hopefully they have been stressed for glow.

no you're fine..."snapped" as in flying too slow with a small scale wing and a higher then your used wing loading, when it basically flips (like a snap roll) instead of a straight ahead stall.

Ouch! Yep, I've done that Mark in sufficient quantities over time to know the feeling. Makes one appreciative of little washout toward wing tips.

Don't know if I'll ever get around to it, but I've got a 55" span Hobby Lobby Miss Stik Senior kit I bought about 8 years ago. That I plan to convert to glow. It is now kitted by Aerocraft:

http://www.aerocraftrc.com/planepage.php?id=4
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=346048



Aerocraft web site photo shows the smaller 36" span Junior, above is the photo from an RC Groups review. Here's one or the other in flight:



Converting to glow wouldn't be that difficult, I'd fill in the nose rectangles between stringers and bulkheads with sheet balsa, similar to Guillows rubber powered conversions. Only thing is Clovis NM winds are austere enough that if I built it, being a light flyer wouldn't have many days I could fly it.