Official Freewing Twin 80mm F-14D Tomcat Thread

[krakenreleaser]

FInally got a chance to maiden the "Ghost" Aggressor F-14 Tomcat twin 80mm edf jet. Upgraded the fans to the FMS 80mm Predator 2100kv EDFs and- WOW what a difference from the stock setup. The FMS fans are a drop-in replacement. Also upgraded the stock 80 amp ESCs to Freewing 100 amp ESCs from the Freewing Mig-29 Fulcrum. The maiden video below shows a few top speed passes as well as some vertical maneuvers. A special thank you to Jerry Festa / Tailskid for the video and still camera work.

https://youtu.be/Bqc4cMzbNc4

[radfordc]

My first attempt at 3D design for the A-10 trailing link nose strut to use on the F-14 to add trailing link mains.

Now I need to source a machinist and get a quote to have it made in aluminum.

Here you go...

[V.I.N.CENT]

I had someone tell me there was a 3d STL file of a full cockpit for the F14 floating around out there. Does anyone know anything about it? Can anyone point me towards it?

[Shaun Evans]

Hi,

Yep, I'm in SD and fly at Chula Vista. I'm gonna go give her a try later today!

[GarrisonR]

Stock CG seems to be spot on for everyone. I fly mine at stock CG w/ 6000s and a bit of foam removal. Are you flying your turbine F-14 is S. CA? I'm in the SD/Murrieta area and would love to see that thing fly someday.

Hi

Did everyone's CG end up on the recommended location?

[Shaun Evans]

Hi

Did everyone's CG end up on the recommended location?

[Corsair nut]

Gotta get that nose up! I also cut some of the spring out to soften my nose and main struts. Always set down nice.

[Shaun Evans]

Hi

Yeah, I opened the box (Arf+) on Thursday night and flew it Saturday afternoon. I spent more time scratching my head over how to do the engine mounts than I did putting the whole thing together. I've got four flights on her now. I've got to redo the nose spring with some kind of progressive tension setup. She keeps bouncing back into the air on landing. Flew great, but definitely needs a gyro!

[T-CAT]

Unfortunately, I don’t know of any Turbine conversion threads on this specific Tomcat. Maybe there is one that can be found via Google search. Many people have converted the Freewing F-14 to a turbine jet (just by seeing all the videos on YouTube and we have a turbine Freewing F-14 at our local field), but it’s likely done more often without online documentation.

As much as I love turbine jets, and Tomcats, I could never get myself to do a single Turbine in any twin engine jet. For me, it takes away from the visual appeal, even if it is slightly hidden between the two ducts. If I ever convert a Tomcat from EDF to Turbine, it would have to be twin turbines, and then I’d make a 3D printed mold to make a custom center fuel tank. The downside would be much more cost, complexity, and often weight, all of which wouldn’t be worth it to me on this jet. This is I why I remain flying it in EDF form, ha-ha.

However, I can definitely see the appeal using a single center turbine, and of the people I know who have converted either this F-14 or other foam twin EDF jets to turbine, they’ve really enjoyed it, and it still looks good overall. Good luck on your project if you decide to do so!

[Shaun Evans]

Okee Dokee...

[Shaun Evans]

Hi,

Is there a dedicated page to the turbine conversion of this bird?

Or does anyone know of one?

[Shaun Evans]

Hi,

Is there a dedicated page to the turbine conversion of this bird?

[T-CAT]

Nice touch T-CAT ! I love subtle yet powerful scale adds like that!

Thanks Aros! I love small, easy, cheap, lightweight, and visually appealing scale modifications.

[Aros]

Nice touch T-CAT ! I love subtle yet powerful scale adds like that!

[T-CAT]

TC, Now we're talkin'...nice touch, Sir. Best, LB

Thanks a ton, Elbee! These have been on my mind for a long time, so it was nice to get the project done. After some carving of foam about 3.5mm deep, I used a little CA to glue them in and they were done.

[Elbee]

I have wanted to add Heat Exchanger Duct Vents to the Freewing F-14 for a while...

TC, Now we're talkin'...nice touch, Sir. Best, LB

[T-CAT]

I have wanted to add Heat Exchanger Duct Vents to the Freewing F-14 for a while now since I really enjoy the way they look on the full-scale version, so I designed and 3D printed some. These were painted in Aluminum and then shaded with sone thinned Black paint, and secured with a small amount of CA glue.

[rlcamden]

So far, the closest thing I have come up with is the optional trailing link A-10 nose gear strut. But, I will have to trim alot of foam in order to get it to work. Just seeing if anyone else has come up with any ideas.

My first attempt at 3D design for the A-10 trailing link nose strut to use on the F-14 to add trailing link mains. The 3D printed test file fit nicely. I added 5mm to the overall length compared to the pictures in order for the wheel to align more with the wheel well. Only minor amounts of foam to trim out. Now I need to source a machinist and get a quote to have it made in aluminum.

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4937898

[rlcamden]

I don't know if anyone has tried this, but here is my idea for adding support to the mains. I printed a strut clip by ShadowVFX (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3926466), the brace from kallend (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3326062), and used the stock "slider" tray for the nose wheel. The dry run appears to be ok, with enough clearance on the brace and servo to somewhat insert it into the foam. It may not look the best, but I think I can make it functional.

https://youtu.be/sdhY5u4HkWU

[Evan D]

I mentioned the Mig29 struts before. Not trailing link but they are heavier duty.