FMS Fox

[doctormike]

Do any of you guys have one of these? I'd like to hear comments. Thanks. Doc

[OV10]

I got one.........what's your question(s)

[bradl4648]

I have one too mine does not have the flaps on it but still a decent flyer for me. I even do glider tow with the carbon z cub.

[xviper]

I had one a long time ago. For a sailplane, I found it tip stalled very easily and didn't really float that nicely. In fact, it stalled on me once very low to the ground and crashed. It seemed to have a very sensitive roll axis. This might be one sailplane that could do well with a stabilizer. It looked really nice in the air, though.
I gave mine away and the guy doesn't fly it much. He prefers his Radian XL and Calypso.

[Turbinefancy]

I have the older version with no flaps, and agree it does not fly with a light feel as others. It requires strong thermos or ridge lift to stay up. However, with heavier wing loading, I find it penetrate wind much better than lighter gliders, so I prefer it on a windy day. I also find it a quite aerobatic and look very majestic in the air. It’s an attention grabber compared to other foamie gliders. Having wheels to roll down the runway on landing without scraping the wing tips is also quite fun.

Here’s on board video of it doing aerobatics on a windy day.

[Bajora]

They have a 3M version just out now ...

[xviper]

Yeah, I got the FMS promo email and I watched your video. I was quite excited about it but the price put me off a little and the video shows it's a terrific aerobatic glider. I have 3 large sailplanes that soar very well. I make the distinction between a glider and a sailplane in that a glider doesn't really float that well unless in the presence of strong winds and strong thermals while a sailplane can soar, float power off, fly very slowly and gain altitude in gentle thermals. Without even a bit of power, a glider just comes down. My old, smaller Fox was not a good sailplane (see my previous post) and I'm worried that scaling this thing to a larger size may not make it a good sailplane. However, if I change my mind next spring, I might take another look at it and give it a try.

[t33jetman]

Mine has been shipped ! Callie Graphics are on the way, and a new pilot has been ordered off Ebay.
Busy shop coming up with this big plane.

[xviper]

Mine has been shipped ! Callie Graphics are on the way, and a new pilot has been ordered off Ebay.
Busy shop coming up with this big plane.

Looking forward to your assessment of how this thing flies. The old smaller one used to stall a wing and do a 100 foot spiral before it recovered. I buried mine on that last flight because I didn't have 100 feet to play with. Hope this one doesn't do that.

[t33jetman]

Looking forward to your assessment of how this thing flies. The old smaller one used to stall a wing and do a 100 foot spiral before it recovered. I buried mine on that last flight because I didn't have 100 feet to play with. Hope this one doesn't do that.

Will do!
This is replacing my Eflite Radian XL, which had the right wing snap off. This was a known problem by Horizon and they didn't put out a notice to owners , except if you happened to by a new one where on the product page said to look out for this :( ya how I am I to know that was there.

[xviper]

I'm on my second XL and it's still flying great and goes into the rotation along with my Mystique RES (also my second one). My Bird of Time (another second one) goes out from time to time but is waiting for airbrakes to be installed this winter. My first BoT had the Mystique spoilers and that made it much more predictable and controllable when landing. This one will get HobbyKing airbrakes.
I'm not replacing anything if I get the big Fox, just an addition but I'm a little hesitant knowing how my first smaller one flew.

[t33jetman]

I'm thinking spoilers also.
I think this bigger one will fly better and is a lot stronger so I won't have to worry about the wing snapping.
I loved my Radian right up to the moment the wing snapped off from a loop.

[xviper]

I'm thinking spoilers also.
I think this bigger one will fly better and is a lot stronger so I won't have to worry about the wing snapping.
I loved my Radian right up to the moment the wing snapped off from a loop.

I think the big Fox will do just fine if you program in some "crow". That would give sufficient braking control to slow it down for landing.
On the topic of your XL snapping a wing, did you do the TSB (technical service bulletin) on it? There was an addendum attached to many of the first generation XL's that asked the owner to do some additional gluing before the first flight. A lot of the gluing involved those rectangular channels that ran in the wing that housed the rod that actuated the airbrakes. Horizon feared that the loose channels could make the wings weak. The other extra gluing was in the rear of the fuselage. The later runs of the XL had those areas glued really well from the factory. My first one was quite loose in several areas. My second one is very solid in those same areas. It was a gaff that had Horizon red faced for some time.

[t33jetman]

I think the big Fox will do just fine if you program in some "crow". That would give sufficient braking control to slow it down for landing.
On the topic of your XL snapping a wing, did you do the TSB (technical service bulletin) on it? There was an addendum attached to many of the first generation XL's that asked the owner to do some additional gluing before the first flight. A lot of the gluing involved those rectangular channels that ran in the wing that housed the rod that actuated the airbrakes. Horizon feared that the loose channels could make the wings weak. The other extra gluing was in the rear of the fuselage. The later runs of the XL had those areas glued really well from the factory. My first one was quite loose in several areas. My second one is very solid in those same areas. It was a gaff that had Horizon red faced for some time.

I got one of the first ones shipped and saw no TSB till after the wreak on their web site. I follow them on FACEBOOK you thought they would post something there. Good plane for lazy Sunday flying, but I'm moving on now . I'm finished on this topic.

[t33jetman]

OK, Have to give a thumbs up to FMS
I purchased the 3000mm Fox glider the moment it came out , having an early discount of $419.00
Then FMS comes out with a Black Friday price of $409.00 for the same plane :(
So i emailed them about this, and you know what they gave me a $15.00 credit back to my credit card.
FMS, very good customer service I must say.
Thats how you get my money in the future.

[xviper]

Just looked. It's down to $404.79US.

[t33jetman]

that's must be why they gave me $15.20 credit back to my card then, sweet

[xviper]

Makes sense. They knew they were dropping the price again. I'd still like to know how it flies from a private owner like yourself. I'm not quite ready to pull the pin on this one. If they drop it any further, I may fall off the fence.

[t33jetman]

Makes sense. They knew they were dropping the price again. I'd still like to know how it flies from a private owner like yourself. I'm not quite ready to pull the pin on this one. If they drop it any further, I may fall off the fence.

They keep dropping the price I might get a second one :)

I know I'm the test subject because in the end I'll make it fly even if I have redesign it for them.

[Marco Polo]

I think FMS has a real winner with the 3M Fox. If you want a really big, good looking glider for a decent price, this seems like a good option. I'm looking forward to people's photos and videos. It's nice to see FMS making new,unique planes for the hobby, this is what people want.