Official Freewing Twin 80mm F-14D Tomcat Thread

[rlcamden]

Don't know if this has been mentioned, but I found a stiffer spring at my local ACE True Hardware store that is identical in size, but a little stiffer for the main gear. I replaced the weaker stock spring and the Tomcat no longer squats under the weight. It also still has the full suspension travel.

[gerardkessels@wbl.nl]

looks good

[xviper]

Has anyone found all metal retracts for their F-14? I've just finished replacing the mains on mine after the last landing that went into the grass at the side. I'm still getting the hang of landing this plane soft and straight and my landings can be somewhat heavy and not centered on the runway. This has resulted in the plastic retract body cracking between the round section and the main body. Other than that, no damage to the plane itself.
I've seen those new "all metal" retracts for the Taft ViperJet but the holes aren't compatible (too wide spread).

[mshagg]

Has anyone found all metal retracts for their F-14? I've just finished replacing the mains on mine after the last landing that went into the grass at the side. I'm still getting the hang of landing this plane soft and straight and my landings can be somewhat heavy and not centered on the runway. This has resulted in the plastic retract body cracking between the round section and the main body. Other than that, no damage to the plane itself.
I've seen those new "all metal" retracts for the Taft ViperJet but the holes aren't compatible (too wide spread).

Hi mate, I found this on YouTube recently - part numbers are included in his overview.

https://youtu.be/H033bvFp3PA

The prices here are eye watering (would cost $500 for the retract units + struts) but might be more reasonable in your neck of the woods.

[xviper]

Hi mate, I found this on YouTube recently - part numbers are included in his overview.

https://youtu.be/H033bvFp3PA

The prices here are eye watering (would cost $500 for the retract units + struts) but might be more reasonable in your neck of the woods.

Thanks so much. Very informative. Eflite retracts are quite pricey here, too. Maybe not as much as where you are. I'll have to look into it further. It might be justifiable.
That's more or less what happens to my mains when they break. The other option is to sell the plane to a guy here who has been after it because he figures he can land it much better and not break anything. I really like the plane and would rather keep at it.

[mshagg]

I guess the alternative is to look at some sort of mod. I print braces for any plane that will take them. They support the strut but also provide a lot of structural support to the retract housing as well. Guess it depends on the kind of forces you're dealing with.

[xviper]

I saw those when you first invented them. At that time, I did the reinforcement of the area around the mounts, in the same philosophy as RCInformer's metal plate but mine is of wood and placed in a different location. That area is solid but the forces on the retract trunion is what causes the plastic body to crack (like in the video). It's quite jarring when the plane runs from flat runway onto the grass at the sides or at the ends.
I just checked the prices for the main retracts from HH and they're $130.00 US/pair, so pricey but not staggeringly so. No stock till August, so I'll see how long before I break the current replacements.

[Racer686]

Almost done with my custom painted Ferris camo F-14. I ordered the wrong scale vinyl (Alpha's 1st post says 1:8.3 scale) from Callie so the 13th scale decal will arrive shortly.
I sold my F-14 from the preorder last year when I got the Mig 29, and regretted it soon after so I ordered a fresh one with a plan.
Right after peeling the blue tape I added the RcInformer/Raven Rock grass mod, changed out the power system to the 1920kv in runners/ fans/ESCs from the HP Avanti S. Added 3D printed nozzles and RCGeek afterburners and gave it a fresh coat of paint.
The maiden was yesterday and went well as you can see below:

https://youtu.be/QelJwiCTKlI

[Racer686]

[Elbee]

Ward Carroll: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ofVWfxtR8k
Tomcat Tales: https://tubitv.com/movies/594876/tomcat-tales

Tomcatters, Sadly, over the weekend the F-14 community and aviation in general lost one of their most prolific pilots, Dale "Snort" Snodgrass. He died in a crash of his Marchetti SM.1019 on takeoff from an Idaho airfield. I hope that you all take some time and watch both Ward Carroll's tribute and the Documentary, Tomcat Tales. These put a perspective on his contributions to aviation: truly, a fighter pilots' 'fighter pilot'. Many of you have probably seen the iconic photo of his 'authorized flyby of the sail' photo. Best, LB

[nuts-n-volts]

One of the best... actually, the best f-14 driver! His airshows, especially with the F-14 and also paired up with an F7F were unforgettable.

[krakenreleaser]

RIP Snort. Couldn't agree more. Truly a legend.

If only the Navy had chosen the F-14 over the F-18 for its long-term ops, maybe we would have seen this aggressor scheme in the full-scale counterpart.

Painting tutorial video below shows the masking process for this digital camo scheme.

Maiden this weekend weather permitting.

https://youtu.be/xBpVsm0f_jc

[Elbee]

RIP Snort. Couldn't agree more. Truly a legend.

If only the Navy had chosen the F-14 over the F-18 for its long-term ops, maybe we would have seen this aggressor scheme in the full-scale counterpart.

Painting tutorial video below shows the masking process for this digital camo scheme.

Maiden this weekend weather permitting.

https://youtu.be/xBpVsm0f_jc

KR, WOW, gorgeous repaint and what a great idea to do an Aggressor livery on a Tomcat. Bravo Zulu, Sir. Best, LB

[4qr1hu9n7]

Unbelievable quality.

[Aros]

Beautiful!

[kallend]

I'm considering getting one of these when they come back in stock. I have a spare pair of FMS PRO inrunner units looking for a plane. Has anyone experience with these in the F-14?

[frnresq]

Hello,
Im new to the forum and new to the Tomcat. Just got mine this week and got it put together. The issue im having is that i cant get the motors to work, it just beeps. I was wondering if the esc's need to be programmed or not. I get everything else to work but those. Any help would be appreciated.

[Evan D]

Could be a few things. You don't say how it's beeping which could help. Depending on the radio you are using you may need to reverse the throttle channel (caution). Another simple thing is having a throttle cut on. Last would be that the ESCs need calibrating, which every electric airplane should have done initially and if there are any changes in ESCs, receivers, or TX set up.

[Elbee]

Hello, I'm new to the forum...

FR, Welcome to Hobby Squawk, glad to have you onboard, Sir.

What Evan D suggested is a great place to start. Always good advice here and some of the friendliest folks as well.

Also. please post pictures of your builds, we love pictures. Best, LB

[frnresq]

Thank you Elbee, and thank you Evan. I just went out and found out that digital trim was too high, lowered it and the beeping stopped and i had my motors. I have a Futaba T8J Rec, guess i have to figure out how to adjust that in the menu. It worked just fine at 0 for my A10.

[Elbee]

FR, I fly Futaba 8J TX/RX. For EDFs I would sometimes like to to own the T10J, but then where do you stop wanting bigger, faster, and just more? LOL. Happy to read you got it all noodled out. Best, LB