What did you fly today?

[f4u ausie]

Love the look of the f4 swoopy 3 minuts not long enuf .. looking into the smc hv packs soon.. i think its danny at smc

[Elbee]

davegee I presume your Phabulous Phantom is of FreeWing origin.

If that is correct, whose 'wheel brakes' did you install?

I fly off pavement and had thought to upgrade the EDF and add a reverse thrust ESC, but she flies good as is.

However, adding wheel brakes could solve the inadvertent run-off problem I suffer with continued frequency.

Brakes might be less expensive than the aforementioned upgrades.

Best, LB

[davegee]

davegee I presume your Phabulous Phantom is of FreeWing origin.

If that is correct, whose 'wheel brakes' did you install?

I fly off pavement and had thought to upgrade the EDF and add a reverse thrust ESC, but she flies good as is.

However, adding wheel brakes could solve the inadvertent run-off problem I suffer with continued frequency.

Brakes might be less expensive than the aforementioned upgrades.

Best, LB

Hi Steve: I bought the JP Hobby electric brakes for the F-4. They really work great and I used them today on the two flights I had with the F-4. Yes, it is a Freewing F-4, converted to an N model per some history books. It is based on a scheme of an actual airplane used about 1975 or so.

I haven't put the wheel brakes on any other plane so far, but have certainly considered it for some planes that seem to want to roll forever on my less than ideal runway surface that I operate out of.

If you need any other details on the JP brakes, I am more than happy to assist.

Cheers

Dave

[Hugh Wiedman]

Love the look of the f4 swoopy 3 minuts not long enuf .. looking into the smc hv packs soon.. i think its danny at smc

If you're game, convert the F4 to 8S with reversing ESC. Flies so much better than on 6S and with the SMC 8S HiV 5900 pack, you can be in the air for well over 5 minutes and no need for brakes with reverse thrust. At 940 gr there is more than enough room in the battery bay to accommodate it. Also flies and lands better balanced further back at around 200mm back, where the 6S version seemed to be better at 194mm back. Possibly the more nuetral balance point also helps flight time. Definitely the most effective upgrade I've ever done. Same result on the FW 90mm F16!

[f4u ausie]

If you're game, convert the F4 to 8S with reversing ESC. Flies so much better than on 6S and with the SMC 8S HiV 5900 pack, you can be in the air for well over 5 minutes and no need for brakes with reverse thrust. At 940 gr there is more than enough room in the battery bay to accommodate it. Also flies and lands better balanced further back at around 200mm back, where the 6S version seemed to be better at 194mm back. Possibly the more nuetral balance point also helps flight time. Definitely the most effective upgrade I've ever done. Same result on the FW 90mm F16!

Ye u may remember i got this as an 8s,,, but put the old 6s 1835 6s in to learn.. so clearly my next decision, is 6s hi volt or u keep talkin about, it 8s hv.... im nervous bout the xtra weight,, but hav learnd to fly it fast(no tip stall hopefully) so hav the 1350 8s motor,, brand new just need batt and suitable charger... now good time to ask,, i may hav already.. its a diffrent charger for hv packs?..

[Hugh Wiedman]

Ye u may remember i got this as an 8s,,, but put the old 6s 1835 6s in to learn.. so clearly my next decision, is 6s hi volt or u keep talkin about, it 8s hv.... im nervous bout the xtra weight,, but hav learnd to fly it fast(no tip stall hopefully) so hav the 1350 8s motor,, brand new just need batt and suitable charger... now good time to ask,, i may hav already.. its a diffrent charger for hv packs?..

I was also worried about the extra weight but honestly have not noticed any difference. On 6S I occasionally experienced a tip stall on slow turns but have yet to have anything close on 8S, and I'm not flying it much faster, in fact using less throttle. Also it seems to fly much better at a further aft cg than the 6S did, seeming to make it even more stable. Weird, can't completely explain it.

For charging, you'll need something that charges HiV to 4.35 volts per cell. Some chargers that claim to charge HiV only charge to 4.3 volts per cell. Also, if you get your hands on a SMC (or other brand) 8S pack, your charger must handle 8S, many only charge to 6S. I have 2 Prodigy 610 Quad chargers, charges only to 3.4 volts per cell and only to 6S, but got lucky and had a friend GIVE me his 2nd Progressive 4010 Dual case charger ( which he got free from a friend who quit flying) which handles 8S and charges to 4.35 per cell. That's an $800 system that without it I'd be up creek without a paddle. Also monitors individual cell IR! I think the charging unit without the case, fans and other goodies is around $400, so this saved me a serious headache. I'm sure there's other brands out there, but once you go to HiV packs, you won't go back to standard and a good charger is at the center of that. Without this charger, I probably wouldn't have gone to HiV or 8S packs. Now have 4 8S pack EDF's and EVERY aircraft dining on HiV, even my Corsair, Spitfire, B24 and all my prop planes.

[Elbee]

Hugh Wiedman, WOW! if your Progressive is SKU SS-H102KK that is a $1049.99 system.

I presume this Mega Charger also wipes down your your vast stable of aircraft.

As my Granddad always said, "No step for a stepper."

Pleased to read your Phantom is phully meeting your expectations.

Awesome upgrade my friend.

Must consider all of this before asking to sit at the 'Big Boy" table.

Best, LB

[Hugh Wiedman]

Hugh Wiedman, WOW! if your Progressive is SKU SS-H102KK that is a $1049.99 system.

I presume this Mega Charger also wipes down your your vast stable of aircraft.

As my Granddad always said, "No step for a stepper."

Pleased to read your Phantom is phully meeting your expectations.

Awesome upgrade my friend.

Must consider all of this before asking to sit at the 'Big Boy" table.

Best, LB

Actually it is that charger, the Signature series, now over $1,000. Mine is a bit older with the screen mounted in the top half of the case and the fan outlets along the side, but the 4010 charging unit is probably about the same. Had to update the software for HiV charging, so that tells you it's an older model. I really think this is a fine charger, discharges up to 40 amps and fully programmable for setting charge rate, ending charge volts, storage levels, discharge levels and even shows individual cell IR's while charging, allowing me to see if/when a particular cell is starting to go bad. If it weren't for "special" friends who get me things for free, I'd be lost, as I seriously doubt I would have laid down that kinda dough for a charger!

[f4u ausie]

That really is big boy table stuff... what is 1000 fa u guyz cost us dumb ozzys, about 1400 bucks price of having no borders mayb,,, dunno.... but im in well and truly far enuf,, 5 or 6 years now,, and luvin it so will figure it out and get that fab phantom in the air for 4 or 5 minuts if it kills me...mayb xhould try standard 8s first... and hugh that old yellow boat is an old skool masterpeice b safe hav fuuuun

[davegee]

I took out my venerable Freewing T-33 and my new FMS P-47D Penrod and Sam today. I 've had the T-bird since 2019. It's a great jet to warm up for my other jets like the F-4 which are slightly more difficult for me to fly. The P-47 is coming along fine, got 5 flights on it today, and 3 on the T-bird. Hope to fly again tomorrow.

Cheers

davegee

[davegee]

Today was a "do over" from a less than perfect outing yesterday with my P-47D Penrod and Sam and a recheck on my E Flite LOU IV P-51D that needed a new flap servo and a replacement gear retract that came in the mail yesterday.

Regarding the P-47, I have several of these FMS planes and some experience on it over the years. I don't have a lot of surprises with this airplane, but certainly did yesterday. I did put on a foam scale drop tank that goes on the belly. Even though this plane uses the same hard wheels and tires that the E Flite P-51D has, it has not had a tendency to "bounce" on landing like the P-51D does with stock tires. I found the fix for this (the P-51) was putting Robarts on which basically eliminates this problem.

However, yesterday, I could not land the P-47 without getting a pronounced bounce, just like the P-51 did before I did the tire mods. This was really disturbing, but I think what happened was the drop tank plastic attach lug came loose a bit and the tank was hitting the ground a bit just before the tires did. This caused the problem, at least that was my theory.

This morning, I flew the P-47 "clean" without any wing or belly drop tanks or bombs. And I was relieved to see that the plane was flying just as I expected it to, without any "bounce" on landings like I saw yesterday. So, it looks like the belly tank was the problem, and the fix is to reglue the tank mounting lug onto the foam tank. I should have checked that more thoroughly before I flew with it on the plane. When the tank is properly mounted on the plane, I don't have that issue, other than being a bit more drag while it is flying.

The P-51 flew beautifully on two flights to recheck the repairs I did to the landing gear and flap with the new servos. All is good to go, now.

To f4u aussie, I look forward to getting the spare trunnion in the mail you found in your kit bag. I have the original retract on my work table all splayed out and ready to install it when it arrives. I'll then have this as my backup for the eventual need to swap this out for one of the others. Thanks again!

Cheers

davegee

[davegee]

Flew my B-2 and F-4 this morning. Splendid, if a bit chilly, weather. Supposed to get some cold and snowy stuff moving in the next few days, so I’m taking advantage of what I have now.

B-2 flies great, as usual. Since I don’t fly it that often, I was a bit rusty on the landing. But next time will be better. No damage, though.
F-4 is fun. Brakes are good to have on this one with our less than ideal runway. Classic airplane.

I’ve had a Freewing F/A-18C for a couple of years. About six months ago, I had one of those landings that I wish could have had back. I landed ok but it jumped up into the air a few feet. I thought I could salvage the landing, but I should have gone around. It sorta splatted with some substantial damage to the fuselage. I just decided to part this plane out and bought a ARF+ replacement. It is supposed to arrive tomorrow from MRC. I have the motor, ESC, etc. removed from the old plane and ready to install it in the new plane as soon as I get it. Looking forward to getting it ready to fly. Will post pics when I fly it.

[Elbee]

...I’ve had a Freewing F/A-18C for a couple of years. About six months ago...I just decided to part this plane out and bought a ARF+ replacement

Dave, I know a guy who has"a bunch" of 3DP STL files of mod parts for a FreeWing F-18C Hornet. Just sayin'.

https://www.printables.com/model/82130-cockpit-set-freewing-f-18c-hornet-111th-scale-elec

I have many many more parts I designed for this aircraft.

Let me know if you're interested.

Best, Steve

[davegee]

Hi Steve: Definitely interested in some of your STLs for the Hornet! Your model looks awesome, and I would love to spruce mine up a bit when I get it. I think with your STLs my Prusa mini will be able to communicate to print them up. This would be a great learning experience for me.

I still have the Elbee cockpit from the other plane that I am parting out, but I like some of your details that I can add onto mine.

My plane is set to be delivered by Fed Ex tomorrow so I can get to work on it.

Do you have a list of your STLs that apply to the F-18? I could then choose which ones would work for my plane. I won’t attempt to make the beauty you did, but a few embellishments for my everyday flyer would add a lot!

Thanks!

Dave

[Elbee]

davegee

Thank you for the kind words, Sir.

It would be an honor to have you use some of those designs on your Hornet.

I will need to look through all F-18 files and put together a menu of the mods.

I will PM you tomorrow afternoon with some sort of list.

Best, Steve

[davegee]

davegee

Thank you for the kind words, Sir.

It would be an honor to have you use some of those designs on your Hornet.

I will need to look through all F-18 files and put together a menu of the mods.

I will PM you tomorrow afternoon with some sort of list.

Best, Steve

The honor is all Mine, my friend! Look forward to your PM whenever it works out for you. FedEX says that my new Hornet ARF+ is arriving today!

Cheers

davegee

[f4u ausie]

Flew the 2 fs tday 2 on the phantom and 4on the f4u... the phantom really is fun and locked in now ,, with 2(butter) landings,, awsome the old dog f4u was fun its been a while,,still lookes great in the air,, may give a birthday present,, 2 aileron servos,,, sounding bit notchy... lost count of sorties by now, but loootttss

[davegee]

Nice looking Phantom II and F4U Corsair. I look forward to flying my Navy Phantom after today’s snowstorm went through dropping several inches of snow. Probably won’t get to fly until next week.(sigh)

[Hugh Wiedman]

Got out recently with my 8S F4/F16/Euro and the 6S Mig & Corsair. We've had poor weather for a while now but had to get out and dust off some mental cobwebs. Winds were 15-20mph fluctuating from a 45 to direct crosswind but the Mig and Corsair handled them with ease. The other 3 were more exciting to fly in those winds , but managed to keep my pants mostly dry, but not completely! All flown on either 8S SMC HiV 5900's or 6S SMC HiV 5900's (except Euro on 8S Hiv 4400) with 10 minutes of flight time on the Corsair, sweet. The Corsair is just a superior flying model! Flew it with a CARF folding wing Corsair (seen in the background) powered by a Moki (my dream machine) and was able to take off with, keep up with and land with, defying the known laws of Lipos vs Gas!

[davegee]

I've had to stand down from flying for a week due to wintery conditions, snow, and winds. But this morning I threw my Beech 18 in the truck and stopped by our flying field on my way to work out at the gym. It's impossible to know until you make the drive out there (which is just a few miles) if you'll be able to fly or not after a snowstorm. Sometimes the sun melts off the snow from the runway, sometimes it takes a bit longer. And the dirt road to the field from the highway can become a real quagmire. But this morning, the runways were clear, and very light winds. I got about 15 flights on the Beech 18, just a really fun time before packing up as the winds started to get stronger than I wanted to deal with.

One of my favorite "fun fly" airplanes that I have had. I have found it seems to "like" landing in a two point stance, as is normal with the full sized birds.

Now that I know we'll have a clear runway for the next several days, I'll start bringing out other planes to welcome Spring!

Cheers

Davegee