What Jet should I start with?

[TiredIronGRB]

As many of you know I've been a WWII warbird only guy but I've been thinking about getting my first Jet, must be military and somewhat grass friendly...

...what do you recommend?

[OV10]

TI.........in sticking with the WWII theme go with the Dynam ME-262. I am perfectly satisfied with the more thrifty version. The thread over on RCG just recently had a happy pilot join the ranks.......Jiggz. https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/show...36369&page=434

Best regards,

[TiredIronGRB]

Thanks Charlie!

[F106DeltaDart]

I would definitely say the Freewing 80mm F-86. Truely a fantastic flying airplane!

[TiredIronGRB]

Thanks Michael!

[RCjetdude]

+1 on the F-86. Very easy jet to learn on and it's a good looking warbird. I love warbirds too.

Steve

[TiredIronGRB]

Thanks Steve...pretty good sized bird as well.

[RCjetdude]

Yes it is. I just recently got one and followed the recommendations on RCG for setting the CG at 200mm. It flew perfectly the first time. I did not even have to trim it. I followed the recommended throws in the manual and it felt great to me. Very solid and very smooth. Did not require any elevator trim with flaps to my surprise. Landings are very forgiving as it glides well with minimal power. Keep the nose down and only flare it at the last minute with a little power to grease the landing.

[TiredIronGRB]

Yes it is. I just recently got one and followed the recommendations on RCG for setting the CG at 200mm. It flew perfectly the first time. I did not even have to trim it. I followed the recommended throws in the manual and it felt great to me. Very solid and very smooth. Did not require any elevator trim with flaps to my surprise. Landings are very forgiving as it glides well with minimal power. Keep the nose down and only flare it at the last minute with a little power to grease the landing.

Great review!

[Westsider]

Two SD 262s calling to you...we've seen your skills; repairs would be a snap!

[T-CAT]

I'll put another jet in the ring (especially since you're not new to planes, just new to EDF's). The Stinger 90 is a phenomenal jet from all aspects, and can take grass field operation rather well. Usually a 90mm jet wouldn't be recommended, but this is an exception as it's a sweetheart to fly (more so than some 70 to 80mm EDF jets), lands relatively slow, easier to see than smaller EDF jets, price point is more than reasonable for what you get, doesn't have a cheater vent that can get clogged on grass field operation, is versatile, and allows you to have fun pushing the limits of its capability when you're ready (it can fly slow, fast, do aerobatics, etc.).

The F-86 is also my favorite jet and great things have already been said about it above. It's a phenomenal flyer, looks amazing, sounds amazing, and is a lot of jet for the price point. However, for grass operation it's just so-so, and not near as robust as the Stinger's gear. A few more points you may want to take into account (especially since you're operating off grass) include the wheel size as they are smaller than the Stinger, and it has a cheater vent that can get clogged up with debris/grass especially when wet, and doesn't have quite the "get-up and go" that the Stinger 90 has. For $80 more, you sure get a lot more for the money on the S90 versus F-86. Then again, we are comparing a sport jet and a good scale military jet, and that's not an apples to apples comparison. It's worth considering though, and personally I HAD to have both because they are both THAT good in my opinion.

[Alpha]

TiredIronGRB, your grass is no joke sometimes. I'd agree with what everyone has said so far. The F-86 is a really well behaved flyer. It's really hard to fault except grass operations which may be iffy, or might not; as always with the very general and subjective term "grass", it just depends and you won't know until you're flying on your actual runway area. If the stock setup isn't working for you to ROG, remove the main gear doors, swap in slightly taller tires all around, buy a couple spare retract units, and possibly even pull out then reglue the gear mounting plates (a last resort, since a solid immovable plate will now transfer all landing force to the retract unit and you'll risk higher rates of damaging the trunion or retract body during rough landings).

The Stinger 90 is the better value, especially at its sweetheart price as T-Cat said for just $80 more. Taller wheels for grass, faster speed and crisper handling, and a class-leading sport jet performance. Several personal friends who were proficient propeller pilots first successfully and seamlessly made the jump into EDF by flying the Stinger 90 first. Suffice to say, there's a reason why the Stinger 90 remains one of our top five sellers across ~400 aircraft for over three years. The downsides are 1) it's not scale, so it's an even bigger disparity for you my WWII-Only friend, and 2) you'll need to invest in the larger 6s 5000mAh batteries, instead of the F-86 which only requires the 6s 4000.

Although, both of those batteries can be used in the 1500mm P-47 that FMS just released, and their 1700mm warbirds, also, so if you have those planes or are planning on owning some soon, then technically the battery investment for the jets can be distributed among your prop planes.

[TiredIronGRB]

Thanks Alpha, the 6s 4000mAh batteries I use in the rebuilt BH Corsair would work out good in the F-86.

[gooniac33]

Ok here are my suggestions...

1. Dynam Meteor: It is a great beginner jet and has tons of power stock! It flies a lot like a warbird and is not in anyway intimidating to fly! Not to mention being really cheap! And a simple upgrade of the fan makes it a bullet! I have one on 6s that is a show stopper!

2. Dynam Me-262: It is not quite as easy to fly as the meteor but it is a warbird!! it flies fast and needs you to be careful on the sticks at lower speeds just like the warbirds do. If you force it to do what it doesn't want to you will get the snap to one side and crash... But it is a fun plane to fly!! Especially if you rip out the stock fans and put in some 10-14 blades...

3. Freewing 80mm F-86: This is a BIG plane and it flies really nicely! It isn't super fast but yes it is fast! Really scale looking and the only issues you may have are with ground handling. In the air is it a ***** cat and an amazing bird to fly!

I have flown all of the birds listed above and hopefully that gives you a good idea of what to get! Good luck!

[dkalwishky]

I'll add another plus for the Freewing 80mm F-86, I'm on my third one. This is a great flying and looking plane. I'm using Admiral 4500's in mine, my timer is set for 3:30, one it goes off I land. I have enough juice for a couple of go arounds if needed.

She's a predictable flying plane and that is a joy to fly.

I fly off of a geotex type of runway so I cannot comment on the grass, that might be an issue unless your grass is very short.

[TiredIronGRB]

I'll add another plus for the Freewing 80mm F-86, I'm on my third one. This is a great flying and looking plane. I'm using Admiral 4500's in mine, my timer is set for 3:30, one it goes off I land. I have enough juice for a couple of go arounds if needed.

She's a predictable flying plane and that is a joy to fly.

I fly off of a geotex type of runway so I cannot comment on the grass, that might be an issue unless your grass is very short.

.75" but in light of recent developments (F7F) the jet is on hold ;)

[Alpha]

Great input, Gooniac, thanks for adding your $1.20. I forgot about the Dynam Me-262. It isn't as scale as the Freewing Me-262, but the Dynam is cheaper and runs on 4s instead of 6s. It's a quick flyer as well, considering its power system. The only thing to really check before maiden is the coordination of the ESCs, though. Differential thrust does not make for a nice takeoff, ask me how I know.

[RCjetdude]

.75" but in light of recent developments (F7F) the jet is on hold ;)

I thought the F7F might just derail the jet... Guess I was right. ;)

[OV10]

.75" but in light of recent developments (F7F) the jet is on hold ;)

Don't blame ya one bit for delaying your jet.......the 1500 P-47 Razor was put on the back burner when I pre-ordered that Tiger

[urrl]

F-86 is a great scale trainer. I usually always take it to the field, especially if I don't want to chance my other more expensive jets in a crosswind.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ykqZXtrE7k&t=2s