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Freewing 90mm EDF F/A-18C Hornet Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) - All F-18C Aircraft Owners Please Read

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  • Freewing 90mm EDF F/A-18C Hornet Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) - All F-18C Aircraft Owners Please Read

    All, as I'm sure you are aware, a small percentage of 90mm F-18 had problems without explanation. While this was a small number of planes relative to the number sold, Motion RC and Freewing were very concerned and have been looking into a possible cause. We found two causes: 1) Elevator servo wires with stripped insulation, 2) Not enough glue on the Elevator mounting plate.

    In a nutshell, some planes did not have enough glue on the plastic mounting plate which holds the elevator pivot rod and elevator servos. If there is not enough glue on the mounting plate, the mounting plate can pull away from the foam at the elevator pivot rod which in turn throws off the servo geometry. As little as 3mm of movement in the mounting plate can stall the elevator servo, strip it, or bind the elevator. This is very easy to check and add glue if necessary. As I'm sure you can imagine all future planes will have this addressed at the factory. Please check BOTH of your F-18 elevator mounting plates and add a little glue if necessary to make sure the mounting plates are secure. Both pictures below show too much movement.
    Click image for larger version  Name:	pic-c.jpg?v=1563477625.jpg Views:	0 Size:	57.4 KB ID:	206640
    Click image for larger version  Name:	F-18.JPG Views:	0 Size:	76.1 KB ID:	206642

    This is all explained in detail in a TSB written by Motion RC and Freewing which can be found here: https://www.motionrc.com/pages/produ...f-a-18c-hornet

    We've also made a video explaining the problem and what to look for:

  • #2
    Thanks Tom!

    Comment


    • #3
      Definitely good for all F/A-18C Hornet owners like myself to know about...Please be sure to check before flying, even if you have flown successfully. My servo wires looked fine but my port side elevator mounting plate was in fact loose so I sealed it good with a bit of epoxy. Foam Tac will work great too. This jet is too pretty to lose to a "not-your-fault" crash!
      My YouTube RC videos:
      https://www.youtube.com/@toddbreda

      Comment


      • #4
        Good stuff! Shoutout to motion for doing the right thing!! I will be placing an order soon....
        Check me out on youtube at https://www.youtube.com/user/gooniac33
        I am an RC addict and innovator that loves to share my knowledge with those that need help. Ask me anything via PM if you need help! Check out my Website here https://www.gooniac33.me/

        Comment


        • #5
          Kudos to MRC for doing their due diligence in investigating this issue and telling everyone what the issue was.

          Comment


          • #6
            I just replaced the fuselage this week, and saw how tight it was to get elevator servos in place, so what I did was gently placed servo wires in first then push in opposite side firmly, as far as the whole brace haven't had an issue but will certainly double check thanks for the heads up!

            Comment


            • #7
              Id love to check both sides but the screw broke trying to take it out without lock tight on it
              Attached Files

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by Desertlakeflying View Post
                Id love to check both sides but the screw broke trying to take it out without lock tight on it
                You don't need to take the stabilator to check - in fact, that would make it easier since you have the entire surface to apply leverage force on the mount.

                Comment


                • #9
                  You do if you have to add glue

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Checked mine after I seen this notice, glad I did, found two servos with sliced insulation, but my mounts all look good.

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                    • #11
                      Wanted to add something else, Motion was quick to replace them as well, thanks MRC, you guys are the best.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Well, checked mine all out and no problems found. Very next flight, no elevator control after about 1 1/2 minutes of flight and it went straight into the ground. Total loss.

                        I've got about 20 flights on mine, and it's flown great (after replacing a bad servo during the build and the 2 nav lights going out), so no idea what the problem was on this flight.

                        There's definitely something wrong with this plane. Not sure if it's the control board or something else, but I had no elevator authority at all after flying for about 1 1/2 minutes. It took off and flew a couple of circuits fine, then out of nowhere - no elevator.

                        I got the wreck home and all of the electronics worked fine on the bench. No idea what it was.

                        I loved the way this plane looked and flew, but I'm seriously rethinking replacing it. Just too many problems with it from the get-go.

                        Would love to hear any thoughts on this.

                        Thanks
                        Attached Files

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Is this after checking all the issues in the TSB we released? Make sure you submit a ticket to our Customer Service Reps with any and all information you have including video if at all possible (but not mandatory).

                          My first one was lost on the maiden from what I can only assume was a gremlin in one of the elevator servos. My replacement has been fine so far. I have been extremely vigilant about going over every control surface/servo with a fine tooth comb. I am approaching 10 or so flights and so far so good but I admit I fly her like a grandma.

                          The truth is, for every 1,000 models we sell, maybe 25 have issues. That's still enough to be an issue and rest assured we are working night and day to rectify any potential issues which the TSB is a clear indication of that fact.

                          Again, make sure you submit a ticket with all the pertinent information so our CS team can help you.
                          My YouTube RC videos:
                          https://www.youtube.com/@toddbreda

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Thanks Aros. Will do. Yes, I checked all of the servos and issues via the TSB. I had to change out one of the elevator servos at the time of the build because it was bad (the reverse one), so I got a good look back in there at that time, too. Also, both of the red and green lights stopped working before the build was complete. Something was wrong from the start electronically.

                            With this crash it was definitely something in the elevator(s), but I can't get it to replicate it on the bench.

                            It flew very very well for about 20 flights until this event.

                            Thanks

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              I would not buy this jet until Freewing gets this terrible problem fixed. What a disappointment. I know 4 guys at my airfield who had there Jets go in because of this, and I was there to witness this personally 3 times. The factory in China needs to retrain their workers as Motion RC prices on most of their birds have gone up and yet quality is decreasing on their new releases. The F-35 CG was wrong in the beginning from FW and a lot of dudes lost their Jet. The glue used in the main lading gear for my jet was terrible and both main retracts came lose after 3 landings. Also there is no hardened former to really hold the LG attached to the jet as the plastic receiver trey that is used is thin and held by little glue. I had to cut out the surrounding foam and put my own wood block formers for the retract to screw into. Not the landing gear system works well and CG was not even affected.

                              Comment


                              • #16
                                Originally posted by AZFlyer View Post
                                Thanks Aros. Will do. Yes, I checked all of the servos and issues via the TSB. I had to change out one of the elevator servos at the time of the build because it was bad (the reverse one), so I got a good look back in there at that time, too. Also, both of the red and green lights stopped working before the build was complete. Something was wrong from the start electronically.

                                With this crash it was definitely something in the elevator(s), but I can't get it to replicate it on the bench.

                                It flew very very well for about 20 flights until this event.

                                Thanks
                                I had similar incidents happening on me during which I lost at least three planes (MIG-21, Avanti). Also, I witnessed a few more similar accidents on our club field. At least with the MIG, I am confident that, due to lowering the gear and flaps soon after, the voltage drop was large enough to get the rx re-booting! We should not underestimate the high power draw on complex models with large digital servos. As a consequence, most of us club members installed cheap voltage stabilizing capacitors which simply plug in to any free port of the rx (even binding plug port). Since then, we had no such strange accidents happening at our club field, believe it or not.

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