You’ll notice I didn’t call them ducted fan engines. That’s because the engines can be the same electric or glow engines that you normally use on your propeller driven models. The difference is how it’s installed and what it spins.

Some electric motors, like the one shown below, and some gas engines are specifically built for DF applications. First lets talk about the benefits of this type of application.

With the incredibly high cost of RC turbine engines, a ducted fan setup allows you to power your RC jet models at a fraction of the cost. You can still have the look and feel of an RC jet without having to have a propeller mounted on the front or back which, to me, ruins the effect. (But that’s just my opinion)

Besides, a DF setup will produce more thrust than the same engine or motor turning a traditional propeller.

How Does It Work?

As I said earlier, a DF jet is powered by the same electric or glow engine that can drive your propeller driven model, but it is mounted inside of and drives a ducted fan unit.

These DF units are low profile so that they can fit into the engine compartment of the jet. In actuality it is a tube with a fan unit inside. The engine or motor shaft drives this set of impellors which produce the thrust. Most DF engines do have higher horsepower ratings when compared to the propeller version.

The amount of thrust would depend on the fan unit used in the application and on how well the engine is set up. Because a DF uses a set of impellers, the thrust rating cannot be compared to that of an airplane engine spinning the recommended prop. Most fan units are designed to provide higher amounts of thrust.

If you are interested in one of these, there is one that I recommend. The F-16 Fighting Falcon Ducted Fan Jet . It’s a foam model with electric ducted fan DF power at a pretty good price.

So, those of us that are more budget conscious can still experience the thrills of RC jets. Pretty great, Huh!