Official Freewing F/A-18C Hornet 90mm EDF Thread

[Aros]

I am crossing my fingers FW comes out with a new gen version of this bird.

[Elbee]

Just picked one of these up in the Blue Angels 8S version. Planning to convert it to use the Eflite scale gear from the 80mm, and redo the nose gears to be closer to the real thing.

Now that's a dream build with the Eflite LG.

Post the build pics when you are able.

Looking forward to this one.

Best, LB

[F106DeltaDart]

Just picked one of these up in the Blue Angels 8S version. Planning to convert it to use the Eflite scale gear from the 80mm, and redo the nose gears to be closer to the real thing.

[Aros]

Nice work!

[Elbee]

Thanks for the kind welcome)

Leighton63,

Your work looks great, that's a complex print and assembly.

Great livery choice, too.

Best, LB

[Airguardian]

Yep, a 90mm F-35A would be sweet too... I keep asking for one, but so far, no luck!



Good job with the cockpit work, BTW!

[Leighton63]

1st, welcome aboard!

Here's my biased opinion, for what it may be worth:

This Hornet is a tricky jet. Get a taste of what it's like first with the EDF. Decide later if you want to commit to a turbine upgrade. It's a lot of money for a quirky model that quickly becomes hard to see as it flies away, so I'd recommend against it.

As for the Zeus... I hate how that thing looks, so my recommendation is to put that X45 (or X52) into something else.

F-22s are great for turbine mods. ^^

Thanks for your opinion and tips on the jet - coming back to the hobby from some time away, and guess I've got swept up by the whole F18 thing (Top-Gun etc) - thought it would be a nice one to build in a turbine spec. I might check out the F-22, shame there isn't a 90mm F-35 out yet

[Leighton63]

Leighton63,

I agree with jetpltrich 100%.

Finish this as an EDF and make those decisions after you learn this jet.

Post pictures as you are able.

Very interested to see hoe your cockpit turns out.

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

Best, LB

Thanks for the kind welcome

Here's a picture of my work in progress, again printed the cockpit and detailed it (as this was my first go at it - I think it turned out ok, but I will do another one, and from my learnings with this one, the next will be better)

[Airguardian]

1st, welcome aboard!

Here's my biased opinion, for what it may be worth:

This Hornet is a tricky jet. Get a taste of what it's like first with the EDF. Decide later if you want to commit to a turbine upgrade. It's a lot of money for a quirky model that quickly becomes hard to see as it flies away, so I'd recommend against it.

As for the Zeus... I hate how that thing looks, so my recommendation is to put that X45 (or X52) into something else.

F-22s are great for turbine mods. ^^

[Elbee]

Leighton63,

I agree with jetpltrich 100%.

Finish this as an EDF and make those decisions after you learn this jet.

Post pictures as you are able.

Very interested to see hoe your cockpit turns out.

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

Best, LB

[jetpltrich]

G’day everyone,

I’m new to the forum—great to be here. I found you all after picking up the F/A-18C 90mm in Grey Diamonds.

I’ve already been making use of the resources here and printed the detailed cockpit, which is fantastic. I’m planning to finish it in a RAAF-themed paint scheme with custom decals from Callie Graphics.

Originally, I was set on doing a turbine conversion using the Xicoy X45. Back in February I ordered a conversion kit from RC Castle, but I’ve since been told they can’t supply it anymore as the factory in China has stopped producing them (not sure if that’s temporary or permanent). From what I can tell, other suppliers like BigBoy RC and Nova Jets are also out of stock.

At the moment, the only option I’ve found is Grumania Jets. Their bifurcated pipe and mounting hardware look excellent, but by the time you factor in shipping and taxes, it’s getting close to what I paid for the jet itself.

So I’m a bit torn:

• Do I push ahead with the turbine conversion and go with the Grumania setup?
• Or keep it as a ducted fan and put that money towards something like the Turbine Ready Zeus?

I’d really appreciate any advice or experiences you can share. Has anyone here done a turbine conversion on one of these? And are there any alternative suppliers or approaches I might have missed?

Thanks in advance—keen to hear your thoughts!

My two cents... fly it as a ducted fan and determine if it's a candidate for a turbine unit.

Rich

[Leighton63]

G’day everyone,

I’m new to the forum—great to be here. I found you all after picking up the F/A-18C 90mm in Grey Diamonds.

I’ve already been making use of the resources here and printed the detailed cockpit, which is fantastic. I’m planning to finish it in a RAAF-themed paint scheme with custom decals from Callie Graphics.

Originally, I was set on doing a turbine conversion using the Xicoy X45. Back in February I ordered a conversion kit from RC Castle, but I’ve since been told they can’t supply it anymore as the factory in China has stopped producing them (not sure if that’s temporary or permanent). From what I can tell, other suppliers like BigBoy RC and Nova Jets are also out of stock.

At the moment, the only option I’ve found is Grumania Jets. Their bifurcated pipe and mounting hardware look excellent, but by the time you factor in shipping and taxes, it’s getting close to what I paid for the jet itself.

So I’m a bit torn:

• Do I push ahead with the turbine conversion and go with the Grumania setup?
• Or keep it as a ducted fan and put that money towards something like the Turbine Ready Zeus?

I’d really appreciate any advice or experiences you can share. Has anyone here done a turbine conversion on one of these? And are there any alternative suppliers or approaches I might have missed?

Thanks in advance—keen to hear your thoughts!

[Airguardian]

Yep, that works out.

[jetpltrich]

Some gyros do better than others... which one are you using on the Hornet?

Spektrum AR10360T+ DSMX 10 Channel RX. I added a mix so up pitch and down flap work together. It's on a switch and I disable it during highspeed flight and landing. I have yet Fly the F-18 this way, but I have tested it on my YaK-130, and it is amazing how tight the turns are at lower speeds. High gains are selected during slower flight.

Rich

[Airguardian]

Some gyros do better than others... which one are you using on the Hornet?

[jetpltrich]

Correct!
I try to create a conscience about that but I keep running into people that still call them slats all the same, hahaha!

I have duplicated the controls on one of my F-18's much as the real one, even the rudders to assist with pitch, except for the LEF's. The LEF's have components in the way and make constructing them somewhat difficult though I have one spare wing in which I did but not all that satisfied with it. Additionally, the LEF's, along with other controls, work primarily with AOA input. At higher speeds the AOA input is negated. Although I like Full Span flaps due to the slow approach speed, which is augmented by extremely high gyro gain percentages, if the wind is 5mph or higher and not right down the runway it is a real challenge and I've taken a page from my 737 flying days of either a higher approach speed or land with Takeoff flaps.

Rich

[Airguardian]

Are we talking about leading edge devices? My favorite!!

FWIW the full-scale are hinged--no outward movement. They're "leading-edge flaps," not slats.

Correct!
I try to create a conscience about that but I keep running into people that still call them slats all the same, hahaha!

[Elbee]

airmanhurley,

A notable distinction and easier to mod, I would think.

Thank you for the clarification.

Best, LB

[airmanhurley]

Are we talking about leading edge devices? My favorite!!

FWIW the full-scale are hinged--no outward movement. They're "leading-edge flaps," not slats.

[Airguardian]

It's simpler but more critical, I think. The moving LE, will likely be very solid due to being on rails. The hinged leading edge will have pretty high aero loads that could twist the moving surface around and cause sloppy flight, so it should at least have a 'stopper' system so that it can't physically deflect up when sitting at rest.