SIZING POWER SYSTEMS FOR ELECTRIC AIRPLANES

POWER = WATTS
I will be using the terms Volts, Amps and Watts throughout this discussion.
Let me define them.
Volts = the pressure at which the electric energy is being delivered - like
pounds per square inch or PSI in a fuel system or water from a garden hose.
Volts is about pressure, it says nothing about flow. You will see volts
abbreviated as V.
Amps = the quantity or flow of electricity being delivered, like gallons per
minute in a fuel system or that same garden hose. Amps is about flow, it
says nothing about pressure. You will see amps abbreviated as A.
Watts = V X A. This is a measure of the energy or power being delivered.
This is how we measure the ability of that electricity to do work, in our
case the work of turning a propeller to move our airplane through the air.
Watts is about both pressure and flow. This serves the same purpose as
the horsepower rating of your car’s engine. In fact 746 watts = 1
horsepower. So if you had an electric car, the strength of its motor could
be reported in either watts or horsepower. You will see watts abbreviated as
W.
MOTOR EFFICIENCY - Brushed vs. Brushless
Whether brushed or brushless, the motor’s job is to convert electricity into
mechanical motion to turn the propeller to move air. Efficiency is how we
measure how much of the power, the watts, that our battery delivers to the
motor is actually turned into useful work and how much is wasted as heat.
A higher efficiency motor delivers more energy to the motor, and wastes
less.
A typical brushed motor, say a speed 400, is only about 40-50% efficient.
Only about half the watts delivered to the motor actually end up as useful
work turning the propeller. The rest is wasted. Motors that have a “speed”
designation, like speed 400, are brushed motors. There are other names for
brushed motors but the “speed” term is a common one. They are inexpensive
and they work. For example, you can buy a speed 400 motor and electronic
speed control, ESC, for $30. A comparable brushless motor/ESC combination
would typically cost 2 to 4 times that much.
Brushless motors tend to be more efficient. They typically deliver 70-90%
of that input power to the propeller, Thus you get better performance per
watt with brushless motors. Seen a different way, if you use a brushless
motor, then, for the same flying performance you will use less energy which
means your battery will last longer. Or you can use a similar size and
weight brushless motor and get much higher performance because the motor
turns more of the watts from the battery into useful work of turning the
propeller.
THE BATTERY IS MORE THAN JUST THE FUEL TANK
Think of the battery as the fuel tank plus the fuel pump and a supercharger
all rolled into one. It feeds/pushes energy to the motor. So you have to
look at the battery and the motor as one unit when you are sizing power
systems for electric planes. In many cases we start with the battery when
we size our systems because the motor can’t deliver the power to the prop if
the battery can’t deliver the power to the motor.
The higher the voltage rating of the battery, the higher the pressure, like
a supercharger on a car engine. More pressure delivers more air/fuel
mixture to the engine which allows the engine to produce more power to turn
the wheels of the car.
Higher voltage pushes more electricity into the motor to produce more power,
IF AND ONLY IF, the battery has the ability to deliver more electricty.
Again using the car analogy, if you put a big motor in a car and put a tiny
fuel line and a weak fuel pump, the motor will never develop full power. In
fact the motor might starve and stall once you got past idle. Such is the
same with batteries. We need voltage, we need capacity, but we also need to
know how many amps the battery is capable of delivering at peak.
If we compare an 8 cell AAA battery pack to an 8 cell C battery pack we get
9.6 V for both packs. However the AAA pack may only be able to deliver 6
amps. After that the cells will heat up and either be damaged or the
voltage will strart to drop fast. The C pack, also 9.6 V, might be able to
deliver 60 amps without damage. So we have to size not only by voltage, but
by the ability to deliver amps to the motor. Again, think of the fuel line
and the fuel pump as your image of what I am trying to explain. If the the
motor needs 12 ounces per minute to run but the fuel line can only deliver
8, the engine will starve and die.
Using our electric motors, a given motor may take 10 amps ( the quantity of
electricity flowing ) at 8.4 volts ( the pressure at which the electricity
is being delivered) to spin a certain propeller. We would say that the
battery is delivering, or that the motor is drawing 84 watts, ie: 8.4V x
10A. If you bump up the voltage to 9.6 volts, the battery can ram in more
amps into the motor, more energy to the motor, which will produce more power
to the propeller. In this example, if we move from an 8.4V battery pack to a
9.6V battery pack the motor may now take 12 amps. This will typically spin
the motor faster with any given propeller or allow it to turn a larger
propeller at the same speed.
However, if you bump up the pressure too much, you can break something.
Putting a big supercharger on an engine that is not designed for it will
break parts of the engine. Too much voltage can over power your electric
motor and damage it. So there is a balance that has to be struck.
Different motors can take different amounts of power, watts, volts X amps,
without damage. For example, a speed 400 motor might be fine taking 10 amps
at 9.6 volts or 96 watts. However bump it up to 12 volts and ram 15 amps
down its throat and you will likely burn it out.
Our goal is a balanced power system. If you match the right battery with
the right motor, you get good performance without damage to the motor. In
many cases airplane designers will design planes around a specific
motor/battery combination so that they match the size and weight of the
plane to the power system for good
performance.
PROPELLERS
Propellers are sized by diameter and pitch.
The diameter of the propeller determines the volume of air the propeller
will move, producing thrust, or pushing force. Roughly speaking the
diameter of the propeller will have the biggest impact on the size and
weight of the plane that we can fly. Larger, heavier planes will typically
fly better with larger diameter propellers.
Pitch refers to the angle of the propeller blade and refers to the distance
the propeller would move forward if there were no slippage in the air. So a
7 inch pitch propeller would move forward 7 inches per rotation, if there
were no slippage in the air. If we combine pitch with the rotational speed
of the propeller we can calculate the pitch “speed” of the propeller. So,
at 10000 revolutions per minute, that prop would move 7000 inches forward
70,000 inches per minute. If we do the math, that comes out to a little
over 66 miles per hour.
By changing the diameter and the pitch of the propeller we can have a
similar effect to changing the gears in your car or a bicycle. It will be
harder for your motor to turn a 9X7 propeller than an 8X7 propeller. And
it would be harder to turn a 9X7 propeller than a 9X6 propeller. The
larger or steeper pitched propellers will require more energy, more watts,
more horsepower, to turn them. Therefore we need to balance the diameter
and pitch with the power or wattage of the motor/battery system.
Fortunately we don’t actually have to do this as motor manufacturers will
often publish suggested
propellers to use with a given motor/battery combination. We can use these
as our starting point. If we want we can try different propellers that are
near these specifications to see how they work with our airplane.
NOW WE CAN START TO MATCH UP THE PIECES!
The simplest approach I have seen to figuring power systems in electrics is
input watts per pound of “all up” airplane weight. The following guidelines
were developed before brushless motors were common but it seems to hold
pretty well so we will use it regardless of what kind of motor is being
used.
50 watts per pound = Casual/scale flying
75 watts per pound = Sport flying and sport aerobatics
100 watts per pound = aggressive aerobatics and perhaps mild 3D
150 watts per pound = all out performance.
Remember that Watts = Volts X Amps. This is a power measurement.
In case you were wondering, 746 watts equals 1 horsepower, .
AN EXAMPLE!
This should be fun. Let’s see where these formulas take us! We will use a
24 ounce, 1.5 pound plane as our example. If we want basic flight you will
need 50 watts per pound or about 75 watts input to your motor for this 1.5
pound plane. That is, 50 watts per pound X 1.5 pounds = 75 watts needed
for basic flying performance. If you want a little more spirited plane, we
could use 75 watts X 1.5 pounds which is about 112.5 watts.
Lets use 100 watts as the total target, just to be simple, shall we? I am
going to use a lot of round numbers here. I hope you can follow.
The Battery:
If we use an 8 cell NiMh battery pack at 9.6 V it will have to deliver 10.4
amps to hit our 100 watts input target ( 100/9.6 = 10.41amps) If my
battery pack cells are NiMh cells that are rated at 10C then I need an 8
cell pack rated at 1100 mah to be able to deliver 11 amps. Sounds about
right.
Now I select a motor that can handle 100 watts or about 10.4 amps at 9.6
Volts. From experience we know this could be a speed 400, a speed 480 or
some kind of a brushless motor.
We now need a propeller that will cause the motor to draw about 100 watts. I
don’t know off the top of my head what that would be. I would go to some mfg
chart as a starting point.
I see that if I use a direct drive speed 400 with a 5X4.3 prop at 9.6V then
the motor will draw about 12.4 amps or about 119 watts. This would be a
good candidate motor/prop for the plane using a 9.6V pack that can put out
12.4 or more amps. This would be a set-up for a fast plane as that motor
will spin that small prop very fast.
However maybe I don’t want such a fast plane but one with a really good
climb and lots of low end pull to help out a new pilot who is in training or
to do more low speed aerobatics
I can also use a speed 400 with a 2.38 gearbox and run it at 9.6V spinning a
9X7 prop and run at about 12.8 amps for 120 watts.

The larger prop will give this plane a strong climb, but since the prop
speed has been reduced by 2.38 times, it won’t be as fast. Spinning a
bigger prop gives me more thrust but a lower top speed typically. This is a
common strategy for 3D planes.
Back to battery packs and motors
So if I shop for a 9.6V pack to be able to handle about 15-20 amps, I should
do just fine and not over stress the batteries. In NiMh that would probably
be a 2/3 or 4/5 A pack of about 1000 -1300 mah capacity.
We view the battery and motor as a linked unit with a target power profile,
in this case about 100 watts. We use the prop and gearbox, if any, to
produce the manner in which we want to deliver that power to the air to
pull/push the plane.
If this is a pusher, I may not have clearance to spin that big prop so I
may have to go for the smaller but faster prop combo.
If this is a puller, then I can choose my prop by ground clearance or some
other criteria and match a gear box to it.
See, that was easy, right? ( well sorta but ….)
But we are not done! Oh no!
I could try to do it with a 2 cell lithium pack rated 7.4V. To get 100 watts
I now need a pack that can deliver 13.5 amps and a motor/prop combination
that will draw that much. So if I have 10 C rated lithiums, then the pack
better be at least 1350 mah. Probably use a 1500 mah pack to be safe.
Well, when I look at the chart for the geared speed 400 I see that,
regardless of prop, at 7.4V I am not going to have enough voltage (
pressure) to push 13 amps into this motor. So the 2 cell lithium won’t meet
my performance goal of 100 watts+ per pound using this gear box.
If I go back to the charts and look at a different gear boxes I can’t hit my
power goals using 7.4V. Maybe we go back to direct drive.
We see that the best I can get this speed 400 to do is a total of 70 watts
at 7.2V ( close enough ) so I can’t hit my power goals using a speed 400 at
this voltage. but 70 watts would be about 48 watts per pound so I could have
aREALITY CHECK!
Now, in fact that is NOT how I would do this. I would decide on the watt
target, go to the chart, find a combo that meets my goals, then select a
battery that will meet the demand and see if my weight comes up at the
target I set. A little tuning and I come up with a workable combo.
For those who like to be even more analytical about it, there are packages
like MotoCalc that will allow me to play with all sorts of combineations and
make suggestions on what I should use. There is a link for MotoCalc below.
Summary
So, in these few paragraphs have taken in a basic knowledge of how electric
power systems are sized, the factors that are considered an how to predict
the outcome. Simple, right?
Of course there is a lot more to know and time and experience will teach
you plenty, but with this basic understanding you are better prepared to
begin playing with the power systems you put in your planes.
flyable plane, but not an aerobatic plane using this two cell pack.

BEC: means Battery elimination circuit and is part of the normal ESC.
KV: The KV value is the speed the motor need to turn so it produce 1V of counter-electromotice force.
Since the motor is not 100% efficient you can say that the 1000Kv motor will turn slightly slower than
12,000rpm when running on 12V with no load.

Determine a
Model’s
Power
Requirement
s
1. Power can be measured in watts. For example: 1 horsepower =
746 watts
2. You determine watts by multiplying ‘volts’ times ‘amps’. Example:
10 volts x 10 amps = 100 watts
Volts x Amps = Watts
3. You can determine the power requirements of a model based on
the ‘Input Watts Per Pound’ guidelines found below, using the flying
weight of the model (with battery):
• 50-70 watts per pound; Minimum level of power for decent
performance, good for lightly loaded slow flyer and park flyer
models
• 70-90 watts per pound; Trainer and slow flying scale models
• 90-110 watts per pound; Sport aerobatic and fast flying scale
models
 • 110-130 watts per pound; Advanced aerobatic and high-
speed models
• 130-150 watts per pound; Lightly loaded 3D models and
ducted fans
• 150-200+ watts per pound; Unlimited performance 3D
models
NOTE: These guidelines were developed based upon the typical
parameters of our E-flite motors. These guidelines may vary
depending on other motors and factors such as efficiency and prop
size.
4. Determine the Input Watts per Pound required to achieve the
desired level of performance:
Model: Hangar 9 P-51 Miss America
Estimated Flying Weight w/Battery: 9.0 lbs
Desired Level of Performance: 90-110 (100 average) watts per
pound; Fast flying scale model
9.0 lbs x 100 watts = 900 Input Watts per Pound of power
(minimum) required to achieve the desired performance
5. Determine a suitable motor based on the model’s power
requirements. The tips below can help you determine the power
capabilities of a particular motor and if it can provide the power your
model requires for the desired level of performance:
• Most manufacturers will rate their motors for a range of cell
counts, continuous current and maximum burst current.
• In most cases, the input power a motor is capable of handling
can be determined by:
Average Voltage (depending on cell count) x Continuous Current
= Continuous Input Watts
Average Voltage (depending on cell count) x Max Burst Current =
Burst Input Watts
HINT: The typical average voltage under load of a Ni-Cd/Ni-MH cell is
1.0 volt. The typical average voltage under load of a Li-Po cell is 3.3
volts. This means the typical average voltage under load of a 10 cell
Ni-MH pack is approximately 10 volts and a 3 cell Li-Po pack is
approximately 9.9 volts. Due to variations in the performance of a
given battery, the average voltage under load may be higher or
lower. These however are good starting points for initial calculations.
Model: Hangar 9 Miss America
Estimated Flying Weight w/Battery: 9.0 lbs
Input Watts Per Pound Required for Desired Performance: 900
(minimum)

Motor: Power 60
Max Continuous Current: 40A*
Max Burst Current: 60A*
Max Cells (Li-Po): 5-7
6 Cells, Continuous Power Capability: 19.8 Volts (6 x 3.3) x 40
Amps = 792 Watts
6 Cells, Max Burst Power Capability: 19.8 Volts (6 x 3.3) x 60
Amps = 1188 Watts
Per this example, the Power 60 motor (when using a 6S Li-Po pack)
can handle up to 1188 watts of input power, readily capable of
powering the P-51 Miss America with the desired level of performance
(requiring 900 watts minimum). You must however be sure that the
battery chosen for power can adequately supply the current
requirements of the system for the required performance. You must
also use proper throttle management and provide adequate cooling
for the motor, ESC and battery.
Q) How do you tell which Electric Motor is equal to what Glow
Engine?
A) One of the biggest confusions for most people selecting an
electric motor is, “What is a watt?” The glow guys are used to
horsepower and electric power systems are measured in watts.

(1 hp = 746 watts or about 750 watts)

Don't go by the max rating for HP that engine manufacturers
publish. That is a MAX figure and very seldom is an engine for
sport use operated at that figure. The h.p. drops off quite a bit
when the RPM is not at the rated figure which is usually around
16,000 RPM’s or greater.

Glow Engines vs. Electric Motors

1. ♠ .20-size glow engine / 300w electric motor
2. ♠ (OS Max 0.20 engine develops 0.4 hp = 300w
electric motor (AXI 2820) )
3. ♠ .35-size glow engine / 500w electric motor
4. ♠ (Fox 0.35 stunt engine develops 0.7 hp = 522w
electric motor)(AXI 2826)
5. ♠ .40-size glow engine develops 1.0 hp = 750w
electric motor (AXI 2826 or 4120)
6. ♠ .60-size glow engine develops 1.3 hp = 975w
electric motor (AXI 4120 or 4130)
7. ♠ .90-size glow engine develops 1.6 hp = 1200w
electric motor (AXI 5320 or 4130)
8. ♠ 1.20-size glow engine develops 3.0 hp = 2250w
electric motor (AXI 5330)
9. ♠ DA-50 develops 5.0 hp = 3750w electric motor (AXI
5330)
10. ♠ DA-100 develops 9.8 hp = 7311w electric motor
(Double AXI 5330)
See E-flite Park 400 and Power 60 series that mimic replacement sizes for old
brushed motors and glow engines.
http://www.gregcovey.com/Glow_Conversions_Made_Easy.htm

Himax Brushless Motors

HC50 Outrunner 800-1500 Watts HC50 - These motors are for large
models weighing 6-8Lb for 3-D flight, 8-15Lb for aerobatic flight and 10-
20Lb for leisure flight.
• Gas equivalent - .46 - .90

HC63 Outrunner 1700-2200 Watts HC63 - These motors are for large
models weighing 10-12Lb for 3-D flight, 17-22Lb for aerobatic flight and 22-
30Lb for leisure flight.
 • Gas equivalent - 1.20 - 1.80

Himax Brushless Motors

HC22 Outrunner
30-50 Watts

• Wide selections - 4 motors in 2 frame sizes,

• Tiny in size but BIG in power – high torque, direct drive,
• Dual ball bearings designed for durable and efficient operation,
• Three mounting options – stick mount, nose mount, or firewall mount,
• Includes a prop adapter, mounting hardware, & connectors.
HC2208 -This 30 watt motor is for very small models weight 6-8 oz . Replaces MPI EPU and GWS IPS gear mo
• For two-cell applications - use HC2208-1260
• For three-cell applications - use HC2208-0870
• Gas equivalent - .020
Part No. Dia mm Length mm Weight g Shaft Dia Prop Size* ESC Rating Kv Rm Io

HC2208-0870
22 22 25 2mm 6x4-9x4.7 6 870 .88 .25
Learn more

HC2208-1260
22 22 25 2mm 6x4-8x6 6 1260 .45 .5
Learn more

*Caution - Prop size is highly dependent on battery choice. Check the manual for full information. Always monitor current when

HC2212 - This 50 watt motor is for very small models weight up to 12 oz . Replaces GWS IPSD gear motors, or 180 or 28
• For two-cell applications - use HC2212-1120
• For three-cell applications - use HC2212-0840
• Gas equivalent - .040
Part No. Dia mm Length mm Weight g Shaft Dia Prop Size* ESC Rating Kv Rm Io

HC2212-0840
22 26 30 2mm 7x4-10x4.7 8 840 .70 .3
Learn more

HC2212-1180 22 26 30 2mm 6x4-9x4.7 8 1180 .3 .5

Learn more
 *Caution - Prop size is highly dependent on battery choice. Check the manual for full information. Always monitor current when

Click here for spare parts for HC22 series motors

HC28 Outrunner
70-200 Watts

• Wide selections - 8 motors in 3 frame sizes,

• Replaces Axi-22 series motors,
• Dual ball bearings designed for durable and efficient operation,
• Three mounting options – stick mount, nose mount, or firewall mount,
• Includes a prop adapter & two mounting brackets for stick mount & radial mount,
• The unique stick mount fits most GWS & E-Flight’s planes.
HC2805 - These 70 watt motors are for small models weighing 7-10 oz for 3-D flight, up to 8 oz for aerobatic flight and up to 10
• Gas equivalent - .050
Part No. Dia mm Length mm Weight g Shaft Dia Prop Size* ESC Rating Kv Rm Io

HC2805-1430 6x4-
28 26 27 6, 7, & 8 mm 10 1430 .245 .6
Learn more 9x4.7

*Caution - Prop size is highly dependent on battery choice. Check the manual for full information. Always monitor current when

HC2808 - These 100 watt motors are for small models weighing 9-12 oz for 3-D flight, up to 16 oz for aerobatic flight and up to 2
• Gas equivalent - .061
Part No. Dia mm Length mm Weight g Shaft Dia Prop Size* ESC Rating Kv Rm Io

HC2808-0860
28 25 52 4mm 9x5-12x6 10 860 .255 .36
Learn more

HC2808-0980
28 25 52 4mm 8x4-11x5 10 980 .220 .4
Learn more

HC2808-1160 28 25 52 4mm 7x4-10x5 15 1160 .150 .6

Learn more

*Caution - Prop size is highly dependent on battery choice. Check the manual for full information. Always monitor current when

HC2812 - These 150 watt motors are for small models weighing 14-18 oz for 3-D flight, up to 24 oz for aerobatic flight and up
flight.

• Gas equivalent - .10

Part No. Dia mm Length mm Weight g Shaft Dia Prop Size* ESC Rating Kv Rm Io

HC2812-0650
28 29 64 4mm 9x5-12x6 10 650 .285 .36
Learn more

HC2812-0850
28 29 64 4mm 9x5-12x6 15 850 .169 .6
Learn more

HC2812-1080
28 29 64 4mm 8x4-11x5 15 1080 .111 .75
Learn more

*Caution - Prop size is highly dependent on battery choice. Check the manual for full information. Always monitor current when

HC2816 - These 200 watt motors are for small models weighing 18-24 oz for 3-D flight, up to 32 oz for aerobatic flight and up
flight.

• Gas equivalent - .15

Part No. Dia mm Length mm Weight g Shaft Dia Prop Size* ESC Rating Kv Rm Io

HC2816-0890
28 33 79 4mm 9x4.7-12x6 18 890 .119 .8
Learn more

HC2816-1220
28 33 79 4mm 8x4-11x4.7 25 1220 .058 1.4
Learn more

*Caution - Prop size is highly dependent on battery choice. Check the manual for full information. Always monitor current when