Official Freewing 70mm F-35 V3 (2019 Version) Thread

[JamesonC]

I have put those gear braces on about every plane I have that the gear folds the right way for it. They are a terrific idea for sure. I am actually a little surprised manufacturers haven't incorporated them into the design yet.

[RichJ53]

I got the last one in stock. I finally pulled the trigger on this sweet little jet. I was trying to decide if I wanted to get the gray F18 !A or this one. I have a full hanger now and will need to wait awhile before getting anything new....(wife patrol) :)

Cant wait to get this F35 in the air!
Rich

[fredmdbud]

That’s because they are NOT giving you a range.They Are giving you a fixed point measured a distance from a fixed point on the aircraft. None of the FW jets show a range in the instructions.


As far as the F-35, FreeWing and Motion should put a note on their sites that the manuals CG is wrong and how to measure the correct CY. And add an addendum to the kit.

To simplify, how many millimeters forward of the plastic edge is your preferred CG located?

James and others are flying at the plastic edge. I fly ~4-6mm forward of the edge. It looks like you're flying about 25mm forward of the edge, if I'm reading your picture correctly. Which would be approaching tail-heavy but as you said, nice for high-alpha flying.


This bird has quite a wide CG range.

Hahahahaha :)

[Aros]

I have added the CG clarification to the F-35's Support Page which includes a photo.

[adb2@suddenlink.net]

A very strange and lucky event. Landing a new F 35 and just before touchdown everything quit. It touched down on its own and into the grass and all was fine. after about ten minutes we plugged it back in and everything worked just fine. Receiver, esc or gyro? Any thoughts? Also going to talk about the cg for the last time. We have two F 35w and have found that the 4000 battery almost all the way back, putting the cg back of where it is recommended has produced the following. No need for up trim. Flies straight and level. Loops great rolls true, landing with nice Alpha. Just flies well. We have tried the various cg settings but none of them produce the flying we get with the battery way back.Maybe it's just us.

[Quickstop]

A very strange and lucky event. Landing a new F 35 and just before touchdown everything quit. It touched down on its own and into the grass and all was fine. after about ten minutes we plugged it back in and everything worked just fine. Receiver, esc or gyro? Any thoughts? Also going to talk about the cg for the last time. We have two F 35w and have found that the 4000 battery almost all the way back, putting the cg back of where it is recommended has produced the following. No need for up trim. Flies straight and level. Loops great rolls true, landing with nice Alpha. Just flies well. We have tried the various cg settings but none of them produce the flying we get with the battery way back.Maybe it's just us.

Which 4000 battery? They don't all weigh the same.

[deadbug]

.....putting the cg back of where it is recommended has produced the following. No need for up trim. Flies straight and level. Loops great rolls true, landing with nice Alpha......

Not to beat a dead horse, but I’m not sure how to interpret that sentence: is it back where it is recommended? Or, is it back OF where it is recommended (to the rear/back of it). If this is what you mean, how far back of recommended? Devil's in the details :Thinking:
DB

[adb2@suddenlink.net]

Not to beat a dead horse, but I’m not sure how to interpret that sentence: is it back where it is recommended? Or, is it back OF where it is recommended (to the rear/back of it). If this is what you mean, how far back of recommended? Devil's in the details :Thinking:
DB

Almost all the way back.as far as it will go. Further towards the tail than recommended.

[urrl]

Using gyro

[Aros]

Nice flight and lovely greaser, bud!

[Quax]

Hey guys,

any recommendations on how to place a bungee hook on this nice bird (grass is too high for takeoff here)? Placing the hook behind the gear bay could result in a too high AOA after takeoff.

Best regards,
Jens

[Alpha]

Hi Quax, for bungee you want to balance your hook location with the angle of your launch dolly. In general, half the distance from the nose to the CG point is a relatively safe starting point. However you set up you dolly angle, bungee tension, and hook location, an angle of 10-12 degrees to cord is a good target. There isn't a perfect natural spot on the F-35 to conceal a hook, so I would just find the best spot and epoxy in a ply plate and try to paint over it so it's not too obvious. Definitely do not place it at or near the CG... this would end badly.

[Quax]

Right... That is why I don't want it too far back. Usually, I have it placed at about 1/3 from the nose between nose and CG. But there is the nose gear - that is why I am asking.

I will try your suggestion and place it on the half position right behind the gear bay but as far as possible to the nose.

[urrl]

Moved CG further back.

[Corsair Bill]

Urrl, what battery are you using for your flights?

Thanks Bill

[Radar-Guy]

I've revised the 3DP Nose Gear Brace. There is a bit more room now for the tiller arm and the aft mounting screws remain accessible as well now.

[Rcrmel]

Can someone please tell me the correct CG. Is the booklet ok? I have a 4000 pack. Or how do I get to the support page where I understand they have an update on the CG. One other thing the 4 mm dim on the elevator. Is there a better way?

[Alpha]

Can someone please tell me the correct CG. Is the booklet ok? I have a 4000 pack. Or how do I get to the support page where I understand they have an update on the CG. One other thing the 4 mm dim on the elevator. Is there a better way?

Hi Rcrmel,
Most of us so far are flying at the point shown back in Post #133. From that point (highlighted in the yellow circle), which is a slightly nose heavy condition for a safe maiden per the official manual, or 4mm-20mm forward of that spot, which some of the other pilots have settled on for less nose heavy condition. As with most any airplane, start a bit nose heavy then gradually work your way back until you find the "sweet spot" along the aforementioned range that suits your flying style. I suspect most people will end up flying around 4mm-10mm forward of the highlighted yellow circle pictured in the post below:

https://www.hobbysquawk.com/forum/rc-airplanes/military-jets/194113-official-freewing-70mm-f-35-v3-2019-version-thread?p=197931#post197931

[Swarick]

Watching the build video as well as pictures of some of you guys' builds it seems that a gyro or receiver with gyro is used. Has anyone flown this airplane without gyro assist?

[Alpha]

None of the ~200 flights we logged during testing were with gyros. And I think most of James' videos didn't use a gyro or during their Joe Nall event flights. Although I'm not fully certain on that.