One of the most sought-after hobbies today is flying RC toy planes. During weekends or holidays, you can certainly see many people in the parks or open fields, playing with different flying machines. Their machines come in different types and sizes. Some are propeller driven aircraft while others may be helicopters. Some of them may have flying machines that are powered by rechargeable batteries, while the rest are gas powered. There is one plane in particular, however, that is increasing in popularity and that is the glow ducted fan powered RC toy plane.
This particular engine is a type of jet propulsion system that is powered by a two or four stroke combustion engine. The basic principle behind its operation is similar to that of an electronic duct fan, albeit in small ways, as there really is one big difference between the two and that is the fact that glow powered duct fan motors are powered by by gas combustion mechanisms.
The main motor to rotate the ducted fan is obviously the RC toy light motor. These are special types of mini combustion engines that, when used in conjunction with a tuned pipe and fan unit, become a powerful jet propulsion system.
RC Toy Glow Engines are like miniature versions of common combustion engines. It has a piston and sleeve that form a tight seal necessary for the engine to produce compression. They use glow plugs to ignite the fuel that is pumped into the combustion chamber. This produces a series of rapid bursts similar to a car engine which is then used to produce compressed air which then pushes the piston to rotate the camshaft, giving your glow ducted fan maximum RPM.
The tuned pipe, on the other hand, basically works as a power boost for your engine. It forces unused fuel in the exhaust back into the engine to give it an extra kick of power. The sound wave produced by the engine consisted of low and high pressure pulses. As it bounces off the tuned pipe to return to the engine, it brings back with it some amounts of air-fuel mixture that the engine previously expelled. Once it returns to the engine before the exhaust port closes, it creates a type of supercharged booster that gives the engine extra power. This allows the motor to add more revs to its already high-speed ducted fans, giving the RC toy plane more power.
The glow powered ducted fan motors found on most RC toy jet planes will give you all the motor power you need to get you soaring into the sky. Although these types of motors require a bit of learning compared to ducted and incandescent fan motors, it will definitely be a worthwhile endeavor.