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<DIV><SPAN class=795205717-18112005><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2>Gray,</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=795205717-18112005><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>I have
been testing the E-Funtana since June. My days of E-testing are
paper-towel-free!</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=795205717-18112005><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>I
dusted my airplane the other day, 'cause I felt guilty!</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=795205717-18112005><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>I will
have to oil my tailwheel, so it doesn't rust, though.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=795205717-18112005><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2>VBG,</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=795205717-18112005> <FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff size=2>Dean</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman">Dean Pappas</FONT> <BR><FONT
face="Times New Roman">Sr. Design Engineer</FONT> <BR><FONT
face="Times New Roman">Kodeos Communications</FONT> <BR><FONT
face="Times New Roman">111 Corporate Blvd.</FONT> <BR><FONT
face="Times New Roman">South Plainfield, N.J. 07080</FONT> <BR><FONT
face="Times New Roman">(908) 222-7817 phone</FONT> <BR><FONT
face="Times New Roman">(908) 222-2392 fax</FONT> <BR><FONT
face="Times New Roman">d.pappas@kodeos.com</FONT> </P>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Tahoma
size=2>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B> discussion-request@nsrca.org
[mailto:discussion-request@nsrca.org]<B>On Behalf Of </B>Gray E
Fowler<BR><B>Sent:</B> Friday, November 18, 2005 11:57 AM<BR><B>To:</B>
discussion@nsrca.org<BR><B>Subject:</B> Re: Discussion List
(Batteries)<BR><BR></FONT></DIV><BR><FONT face=sans-serif
size=2>Richard</FONT> <BR><BR><FONT face=sans-serif size=2>I am not a battery
expert, but like everyone else on the list that does not stop me from having
an opinion about batteries.</FONT> <BR><FONT face=sans-serif size=2>First,
electric airplanes do not exactly drive the battery market,......even if 50%
of the FAI finalists use them. No other applications </FONT><BR><FONT
face=sans-serif size=2>that I am aware of uses these batteries in the manner
that we attempt, which is that massive current draw. What electric planes do
</FONT><BR><FONT face=sans-serif size=2>to batteries is damaging, as
demonstrated by your 25 flights. </FONT> <BR><FONT face=sans-serif
size=2>I would not expect the battery market to develop a battery capable of
long life and extreme current draw since no one else uses </FONT><BR><FONT
face=sans-serif size=2>batteries in such a manner.</FONT> <BR><BR><FONT
face=sans-serif size=2>Invest in bottle of Windex, clean the oil.
</FONT><BR><BR><BR><BR><FONT size=2><TT>In fairness to the manufacturers, I
don't think they really understood that<BR>guys potentially would go out and
fly 50+ flights per week. When I finally<BR>got all my infrastructure
charging act together and made time to<BR>practice--which wasn't all that
much, I still was clicking along at a 35<BR>flight/week pace right up to our
first contest in mid June. As you may<BR>recall, I was using 20C 3200s
on a shared cost beta program. At 11 lbs.,<BR>the airplanes were
gobbling up 63-68 amps at times and significantly heated<BR>the batteries and
shortened their lives. The manufacturer came out with<BR>some 15C
4000s--but there was still the problem of amp draw and heat.
The<BR>consensus at that point is the batteries aren't very happy at
much over 10C.<BR>The problem I had/have is anything over the smaller
batteries was going to<BR>blow the weight limit--plus, as more information was
coming out from some of<BR>the top guys that they were getting around 50-60
flights on the larger<BR>packs. Since I'm not a top dog, I would pretty
much have to foot the entire<BR>bill to switch to the larger units. As
it appeared to me--the batteries<BR>just aren't quite up to the task for the
average guy--so I made an interim<BR>decision to go back to IC for the rest of
the season--hoping the battery<BR>guys would come up with something more
acceptable for '06.<BR><BR>That didn't pan out very well either, so I was
effectively out for the<BR>season. (Lots of other contributing factors
also) What I told the battery<BR>manufacturer was what a guy really
needs is five sets of batteries(with the<BR>then current stuff) and immediate
service for turnaround. Have three sets<BR>for flying and one or two
sets traveling to/from.<BR><BR>I'm sold on electric--particularly for a guy
with limited practice time. I<BR>could go on and
on....<BR><BR>Richard</TT></FONT> <BR><FONT face=sans-serif
size=2><BR><BR><BR>Gray Fowler<BR>Principal Chemical Engineer<BR>Composites
Engineering</FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>