RC Airplane Electric Motors - Choosing the right one and maintaining it

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With one battery charge you can climb to your desired altitude several times. If you decide to have an electric motor for your glider, flights can last as long as 30 minutes.

Motors vary in size and the number of battery cells needed to power them. There are two basic types of motors, brushed and brushless.

Brushed Motors

Brushed motor's use brushes to conduct electricity to the commutator, which then conducts the current to the armature. The commutator and armature are two parts of the same assembly, and spin in the middle because of magnetic fields generated by the batteries power.

Magnets bonded to the inside of the motor case interact with these magnetic fields, and that make the commutator and armature turn.

Brushless Motors

Brushless motors have the armature wound on the inside of the motor case, and a shaft mounted magnet rotates in the middle. A speed controller sends the appropriate amount of current through the armature to spin the shaft.

There is no commutator or armature, which is a benefit because there is no electrical arcing needed between the brush and commutator. Brushless motors run cooler and are more efficient. But they also require special speed controllers and cost more.

Support Equipment

If you power your model with RC airplane electric motors , you will need support equipment. The basic power system is a motor, electronic speed controller, arming switch, fuse and a battery pack. Most battery packs are NiCad cells.

Their capacity is rated in milliamp hours (mAh) and you can expect run times of 3 to 7 minutes from 6 and 7 cell packs, depending on the amp draw. Amp draw is affected by propeller size and pitch, so you should look at my propeller page for help on choosing the right propeller.

Direct Drive or Geared Drive

RC airplane electric motors may have a direct drive or a geared drive. If you need help choosing, all you have to know is what you are going to use it for. If you want high powered but short flights like for racing, then you would want a direct drive motor. If you want a slower but longer more casual flight, then you want a geared drive.

Another factor that should be taken into consideration is the propeller size. The larger the prop, the more likely you will need a geared motor. You basically just have to match your RC airplane electric motors power requirements to efficient amp draws.