Cutting a battery hatch

[CNY_Dave]

I have a once-gas-powered 1970s Live Wire T-Craft cub, (and a sig skybolt bipe, and a Jemco AT-6 texan, those are mostly assembled but never flown), I'm leery about cutting a clean battery hatch.

I'm tempted to just sling the battery (4S is what I have) underneath, or even under one of the wings next to the fuse. I know some have made that look good, not sure I could do so without people calling me a goob.

All I know for sure is I'm not willing to pull the wing off to access the battery.

[Wildflyer]

Maybe a hatch could be cut into the bottom, just behind the landing gear.

Slide the pack forward or straight up, it would be a clean location.

I put a power 32 on a Sig Kadet LT 25, 63" ws 6 lbs, flys great on 4s.
8 minute flight with a 2200 mah pack, but I need the weight of a 4500 4s to balance, so it will get a bigger battery.

[CNY_Dave]

I had a 5 lb trainer before my DX5 killed it, infinite 3025-770 on 40C 4000mah 4s with a 13x8 or 13x10 prop, it would just about hover, and fly for 15 minutes if cruising.
On that I used the gas-tank top cover (big flat piece) as the hatch.

4S is a nice sweet spot.

I'm going to bolt on my other motor and see where the batt needs to go to balance it, but given with the gas motor it balanced with a big slug of lead on the firewall I already know the batt will want to be as far forwards as possible.

[Turner]

Here are some threads I've saved on this subject. Hopefully there is something useful in them:

http://www.wattflyer.com/forums/show...5&postcount=20
http://www.wattflyer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=57081
http://www.wattflyer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=64537
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=715497
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1394370

[CHELLIE]

The Long Cowel does not lend to cutting a battery hatch on top, If It was my plane, I would cut a access Hatch hole on the side of the fuselage, between the cowel and the front of the landing gear, I would make a slide in the plane and make a wood tray that would slide into the slot and fit flush with the out side of the fuselage with a cover door built into it, all one would have to do is remove one nylon screw that is flush mounted to remove the battery tray and to hold it in place. Just my 2 cents worth

.

[CNY_Dave]

On my trainer I strapped the battery to a plank, then inserted the plank into the plane where a tab on it engaged a slot under the servos, and the front got velcroed down, so I know what you mean, although it was all internal.

I've flown enough to not worry about the battery not being in the exact center, too.

A big part of the decision will be driven by the structure, which I haven't examined in detail yet. I do recall looking at it enough to rule out making the fuse behind the cowl and the windshield together into a hatch.