Official Freewing Twin 70mm AL37 Airliner Thread

[Spad Driver]

So, after reading the all the posts and writing down a list of the recommended modifications. Chokes, reinforcement of upper wing, fuselage reinforcement etc...
now I have to wait until the plane arrives to see the structure. Before completely understanding the nature of these mods and why they are necessary.
my thanks to all of you that have contributed your 2 cents worth of your experience with this bird!.
those of us who follow the various forums here benefit from from it and have a better experience with our own planes because of it.
thank you one and all,
Spad Driver

[GliderGuy]

Already did. That's why I said I was looking forward to the challenges of the modifications. Know all about your 3 AL-37's from your posts.
I don't jump into the deep end of the pool first. Started in the shallows and have worked my way through to the triple lindy off the high dive. ( Rodney Dangerfield)😀!.

Good deal….Let us know if you have questions.

-GG

[Spad Driver]

Already did. That's why I said I was looking forward to the challenges of the modifications. Know all about your 3 AL-37's from your posts.
I don't jump into the deep end of the pool first. Started in the shallows and have worked my way through to the triple lindy off the high dive. ( Rodney Dangerfield)😀!.

[GliderGuy]

Spad Driver….

Don’t wait for responses. Instead read all this thread for the knowledge in it.

-GG

[themudduck]

Fellow Motion R.C. enthusiasts!.
The Wallsburg Warbird Works is pleased to announce our CFO has approved the acquisition of a Freewing AL-37 for our growing fleet.
now the question is, do I have Callie make up grafics to honor my father who was Pan Am's last senior pilot. Or something a bit more modern and colorful?.
Either way I am looking forward to the challenges of the modifications recommended by members of this forum.
flying this beautiful bird is enthusiastically awaited!.

I always liked the way PanAm logo airplanes looked, they were around when I was younger. Go for it!

[Spad Driver]

Fellow Motion R.C. enthusiasts!.
The Wallsburg Warbird Works is pleased to announce our CFO has approved the acquisition of a Freewing AL-37 for our growing fleet.
now the question is, do I have Callie make up grafics to honor my father who was Pan Am's last senior pilot. Or something a bit more modern and colorful?.
Either way I am looking forward to the challenges of the modifications recommended by members of this forum.
flying this beautiful bird is enthusiastically awaited!.

[GliderGuy]

Hi,

I didn't read the ENTIRE thread, but I did poke around looking. I'm just gonna ask now: What kind of duration are you guys getting with a 5000 pack on this plane? Mixed throttle usage, of course. Thanks!

Hi SE,
This is a VERY subjective topic. Are you the type of pilot that follows the recommendations to leave 40% in the tank so the life of the LiPo is extended. Or, do you ignore the common recommendation and potentially shorten the battery life?

I fly the AL37 with Admiral Pro 6000 and also SMC 6200 batteries and cruise at mostly 1/2 throttle or even a few clicks lower with some full throttle hot rodding. I set the timer at 4:30 and typically use about 3800 mAh (leaving about 40% in reserve).

You could expect the 5000 mAh battery to allow about 45 seconds less than this with similar mix.

Set your timer for 2:30 and see what your cell voltage is post flight. Shoot for 3.8 volts post flight for max battery life. Longer flights that draw the cells to 3.3 V will potentially shorten the battery life.

A guess is that you’ll settle on about a 3:30 flight time.

-GG

[Shaun Evans]

Hi,

I didn't read the ENTIRE thread, but I did poke around looking. I'm just gonna ask now: What kind of duration are you guys getting with a 5000 pack on this plane? Mixed throttle usage, of course. Thanks!

[Evan D]

Yes, I'm sure they will.

[Phatbob]

Any idea if the AL37 will come back in stock?

[wvrailfan]

Maybe a deacl that wraps into the well could be done. COuld color something in there but it would look ugly if I do it, I see alot of part in that well that we repair. Skydrol is a nasty fluid.

I found a photo looking up into the wheel well and scaled it to fit, printed and glued it to the top of the well. It's a short cut and doesn't have any 3D relief, but still looks busy when the wheels are down.

JB

[GliderGuy]

Will do….May be a repeat of my MiG connector when the connector “spring” screen inside the EC5 was falling apart.

I have some flower petal / split barrel EC5 connectors. I will replace the connector. The battery isn’t hot…just warmer than when I fly the B-2 or PJ-50.

I expect things to be warmer when I hot rod the F-4. But the amount of cooling air moving thru the F-4 fuselage helps mitigate the heat.

-GG

[Evan D]

I agree a hot connector and to some extent a hot battery needs to be investigated.

[xviper]

That's not very much amp draw, plus there's two ESC @60A each. I fly my AL-37 at above 1/2 throttle most of the flight and I don't recall the battery or the connector being all that hot afterward. I use a CNHL 6000, 65c.

[Evan D]

That sounds better. Also since there are two fans it's about 27A each on average....

[GliderGuy]

Sure…,,

Admiral Pro 6S 6000 mAH and SMC Graphine Extreme 6S 6200 mAH battery

Oops….re-calculating correctly this time. My bad!

4.5 minutes is 0.075 hours
4.5 divided by 60 = 0.075

Then taking 4000 mAh or 4 Ah typically consumed on a flight….at a little less than 1/2 throttle

4Ah divided by 0.075 h = 53.3 amps….not 300 A

Thanks for catching my error.

Double checking…, 53.3 amps x 0.075 hrs = 4 Ah = 4000 mAh

-GG

Soooo my PJ-50 and B-2 at 1/2 throttle draw on average mid-to low 40 A during a mostly cruise flight based upon the mAh they typically consume. And their EC5 and battery run cooler.

The biggest current hog is my F-4 at 75% power fast cruise plus acro which I LIKE! Nearly 70 amps average current draw for a short 3.5 min hot rodding flight.

[Evan D]

Can you explain the math you used? I assume you mean 0.3A or 300mA? But Amp hours are not the same as Amps.


And when you say 4000mAh, that is out of what size battery?

I don’t have measurements, but this bird at 1/2 power gets my EC5 fairly hot and the battery warm, too. So, I typically cruise a few clicks less than 1/2 power to keep things cooler.

A rough “guess” based upon a typical 4000 mAh consumed in a 4.5 min flight. That’s a rough average draw of 300 amps.

Note: I also cut a hole into the floor of the cockpit opening into the front wheel well to increase airflow through the fuselage when the wheels are down. This has helped.

-GG

PS Neither my PJ-50 or B-2 at 1/2 power cruise draw as much current as my AL37 draws.

[GliderGuy]

Hello.

Does anyone happen to know the amp draw of both motors (combined) at full power? I'm trying to determine if my current sensing telemetry board can handle the amps of both motors or just one. It is rated for 90A continuous and 220A peak. Seems if it is much more than 90A, my XT90 connector wouldn't be able to handle it either.

Thank you.

I don’t have measurements, but this bird at 1/2 power gets my EC5 fairly hot and the battery warm, too. So, I typically cruise a few clicks less than 1/2 power to keep things cooler.

A rough “guess” based upon a typical 4000 mAh consumed in a 4.5 min flight. That’s a rough average draw of 300 amps.

Note: I also cut a hole into the floor of the cockpit opening into the front wheel well to increase airflow through the fuselage when the wheels are down. This has helped.

-GG

PS Neither my PJ-50 or B-2 at 1/2 power cruise draw as much current as my AL37 draws.

[OverMachoGrande]

Hello.

Does anyone happen to know the amp draw of both motors (combined) at full power? I'm trying to determine if my current sensing telemetry board can handle the amps of both motors or just one. It is rated for 90A continuous and 220A peak. Seems if it is much more than 90A, my XT90 connector wouldn't be able to handle it either.

Thank you.

[wstimax]

Thanks so much for all your help.