• Radio - by far the best radio to use is the Hitec 3SS FM. The complete radio will cost $100-130 and it includes the transmitter (tx), 2 servos, a Feather receiver (rx), a switch harness, and a transmitter charger.
• Electronic Speed Control (ESC) - I love the Pixie series from Castle Creations but several models will work about the same. There are some of the difference from one to the other but most are fairly personal and there won't be too much difference between them.
• Receiver (rx) - if you get the 3SS FM radio it will come with a Hitec Feather rx which I like and find works well, but basically any rx that weighs less than 1/2 oz will be fine. Some of the other choices are from GWS and Berg. The rx that comes with the 3SS AM radio is much heavier, but with a little work it can lightened enough to use here. [Link to article coming]
• Batteries - Here there are a lot of choices and I'll explain some of them. While there are no really "right" choices (what will work best for you will have a lot to do with your personal opinions / preferences) there are some "wrong" choices that should be avoided.

  The best batts for LiteSticks will be one size or another of Nickel-Metal-Hydride (NiMH). Nicad batteries have some advantages in some situations but not for the LS. The NiMHs will have about twice the capacity for the same weight as nicads so stick with NiMHs.

  Most Sticks will weight about 7-7.5 ozs in stock configuration. At this weight they will not fly well with 6 cells. You can use 8-cell packs but it's likely that you'll burn out your motor quickly. Conclusion? Stick to 7 cells!!

  Here are the sizes of NiMHs and their good / bad points:

  • 110-170 - these are about the same size as 50 mAh nicads. They're very light and will make for more sprightly performance but at the cost of reduced duration.
  • 250-300 - these are the same size as 110 nicads and I think they're the best compromise for the Sticks.
  • 600-770 - these are AAA-size NiMHs. The Sticks can lift them ok, but because of the extra weight you'll get sluggish performance and you might break a few wing mount dowels. The advantage is that you'll be able to fly for 20-30 minutes but A) you might get bored, B) your motor will build up extra heat during the long flights and it might die prematurely.
  • Chargers - [to come]
  • 9 Volt Ray-O-Vacs: these are actually 150 NiMHs that are packaged as 9-volt batteries. I hate the connector because it's easy to short out, but they work the same as the "regular" small NiMHs - light weight, good performance, short duration.
• Charger - A lot of good ones out there (also a lot of bad ones). Everybody loves everything made by Astro. I also just got a Robbe Infinity II which I like fine, but at $200 it's overkill for your first charger. [More to come]

I have a list of parts that are available in Europe and I'll put them up as soon as I get a chance. While the brand names will differ sometimes, the comments above about cell counts, weights, etc are the same all over the world.

There have been visitors to the LiteSTICK page since 9/10/2000.

To get some super-light heat-shrink tubing to wrap batteries and ESCs, click HERE.
To get some super-light sparkly tape shown in the pictures click HERE.