GWS E-Starter

[Wings]

Hi all, I am new as you can see.

I have just ordered my first RC Plane, a GWS E-Starter. I did some research and found that this was probably the best option available to me.

ATB, Wings

[smokejohnson]

The E Starter is an excellent choice, I had one and loved it.

Do you have someone with experience helping you or are you going at it alone?

Welcome to Wattflyer

[gramps2161]

Welcome aboard Wings. Never had that plane, but good luck with your flight. Lot of great people here, and I'm sure many have flown this plane.
John

[dumpsterjay]

Welcome to the forum Wings. I have a E- Starter that I built as a club aileron trainer. I went with a e-flite 370 brushless inrunner running in a 5.33:1 gearbox, a electrifly SS 25A ESC, Electrifly 3s 11.1v 910 mAh Lipo, a 9x6 sf APC prop, and a Spektrum 2.4 6100 rx and Spektrum DX-7 Tx.

It's a fun, slow flying airplane or you can open it up and It's quite the acrobat. Many a first time pilot has learned to fly on a GWS E-Starter.

Jim

[Wings]

Hi all, and thats a very nice plane you've got there dumperjay, nice paint job. One question, is the E- starter easy to build? I have no experience so will just be going off the instrctions and a bit of common sense.

Thanks, Wings

[Sky Sharkster]

Hello Wings, Welcome to Wattflyer!
Like Jim, I also built an E-Starter for a club trainer, and it served the purpose very well. We used the stock (brushed) motor and gearbox, 7 or 8 cell NiMH packs and eventually, 2S LiPos.
I also replaced the brushed "can" motor after many flights, with another 400 can.
It became so popular that some of the flyers who learned to fly on the trainer bought their own versions. They added floats (for winter flying off snow), colorful paint jobs, brushless upgrades, flaps and so on.
At one point is was the 2nd most popular model, after the GWS Slow Stick.
So, it can be built by a new modeler, and is easy to fly. But it takes time and patience. First, read the instruction booklet throughly. Then "dry" fit (without glue) each assembly sequence to familiarize yourself with the model.
If you are unsure of anything along the way, post here and someone will help.
A couple of suggestions; The model can be built as a 3-channel trainer (rudder, elevator, throttle) using 2 servos and a speed controller (ESC). This is my recommendation for now. Later you can cut the ailerons away from the wing, add another servo and have a 4-channel model, with capability for mild aerobatics.
Also, there is a potential weak point at the fuselage rear, just ahead of the tail surfaces. It will occasionally break there, especially it there is a crash or hard landing. A couple of wooden dowels (B.B.Q. skewers from the dollar store) glued in length-wise inside the fuselage before gluing the halves together is a wise reinforcement.
I used Titebond wood glue for most of the assembly and epoxy for the high-stress areas like motor mount and landing gear attachment. The GWS glue works also, but is more of a contact cement.
The thin plastic cowl breaks easily, but replacements are available, also the model flies fine without it. The motor/gearbox does collect dirt and grime without covering, however.
The battery slot may have to be enlarged (lengthened) for larger packs. The battery cover door is famous for opening during flight, a bit of tape solves this.
Good Luck!
Ron

[Wings]

thanks ron. I have just been looking through my cuboards and have found some battery packs. Which would be best with stock engine;

the stock battery pack
a Ni-Cd AA 650 Mah 9.6 v 8 cell battery pack
a 6 v Ni-Cd 700 mAh battery pack

thanks

[Matt Kirsch]

Unfortunately Wings, none of the above... You will not be happy with the performance from either pack.

AA cells can't provide the Amps, and 6.0 Volts is too low. Odds are these are older battery packs too, and battery packs kinda go "stale" sitting around.

I would highly recommend that you upgrade with a low-cost brushless and LiPoly power system from a place like BP Hobbies or Hobby King.

[Sky Sharkster]

Hello Wings,
Matt's right, the 7 cell (8.4 volt; NiCads and NiMH are 1.2 volts per cell, 7 cells in series= 8.4 volts)) packs are marginal at best for this application and the 8 cell (9.6 volt) NiCad will only provide 3 minutes or so of flight time. NiCads have great power at the start, but fade quickly.
If you plan to stick to "conventional" batteries (in other words, not LiPoly) for now, a good investment would be one or two 9.6 volt (8 cells, remember?) NiMH (not NiCad) packs of about 800-1000 mAH. This means one can be charging while you fly with the other. With throttle management you will have 5-6 minute flights.
You can upgrade to 2s LiPolys (requiring a different charger) that have 3.7 volts per cell= 7.4 volts. But the voltage is much more constant and the packs are so much lighter (less than 1/2 the weight) the plane flies better. Much better.
And/or an inexpensive brushless motor, which has higher efficiency and lasts much longer (crashes excluded!) than any brushed motor.
This is why many modelers buy the "NPS" models from GWS. They don't plan to use the motor anyway, why pay for it.
If your charger will handle 8 cell packs, the cheapest upgrade for now is a couple of 8 cell 800mAH NiMH.
Good Luck!
Ron

[Wings]

Hi all, my new GWS estarter has just arrived. I never realised that it didnt have with it battery and remote control! Where is the best place to buy these in the UK? my plane is here ready to build but i cant fly it as i thought these would come with it!

[Wings]

also the kit doesnt seem to contain anything like mini servos, ect ect. I had the impression that this kit had everything the begginer needed. What do i need to buy, and from where, before I can make this plane??

Please help, Wings

[smokejohnson]

Did yours come with a motor?

[PaperAirplane]

Wings,

You can start with the GWS 4channel:
http://epyaya.com/product_info.php?c...oducts_id=1689

it comes with 2 servos (which is what you will need) and a reciever.

I got the Hitec Laser 4 when i started (it is a bit more expensive, but glitches less:
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...I=LXLGF5**&P=7

it also has two servos and a reciever.

Good luck, and keep us updated,
PA

[thomdoe]

hobby city is a great place to start buying

[Sky Sharkster]

Hello Wings,
I did a little online shopping and found that a radio, receiver, servo set that is sold here in the US isn't common in the UK. That is an "Electric" or "Lightweight" radio set with small receiver and 2 lightweight servos.
It seems the Hitec + Futuba sets all come with 3 larger servos, which would make the model too heavy.
But, I found this combo, a Spektrum DX5e 2.4GHz DSM2 w/receiver. E 84.99.
http://www.servoshop.co.uk/index.php...X5E&area=RADIO
The same shop sells Hitec servos, 2 of these would work fine, E 8.50 each;
http://www.servoshop.co.uk/index.php...S55&area=Servo
Steve Webb Models and Hobbies, 80 Church St, Frodsham, Cheshire, WA6 6QU, England.
This will get you started, you will need a speed controller (ESC) for the brushed motor or a brushless speed controller and motor.
If you want to check for yourself, you're looking for a 4 or 5 channel FM 35Mhz or 2.4 GHz AIR radio and 2 micro servos. 40 Mhz is for ground use (model cars) don't use that.
Most "ARF" models don't include the radio, but "RTF" usually do.
hope this helps!
Ron