Official Freewing Twin 70mm AL37 Airliner Thread

[GliderGuy]

Hi folks, I would like to ask the question related to the use of TWO 6000 packs to extend the flying time, will the wings take the extra weight without issue? I expect landing speed will be higher, but, how mutch? Balance the plane should not be an issue if I make a new battery support base to extend further back, my main question for anyone out there is if the model can be run in this power configuration without structural issues, appreciate if any of you could reply.
enjoy your models and fly safe.
Rogerio Pereira

Hi Rogerio - The structure of the AL37 has been proven by the other posts showing 4 engines flying successfully and others posting here and on YouTube about flying with 2 batteries.

Your question to yourself should be, “How do I intend to fly the AL37?” Added weight and structure stress means severe limitation on any aerobatics and speed. You’ll be much safer flying around in a slower scale manner (avoid high speed dives) and not flying off of rough surfaces due to the added stress on the gear.

Adding weight = self imposing restrictions
Speed and acro = stress on a structure compounded by more weight
Worst case for stress = increasing the weight of the non-flying parts of the aircraft
Steep banks = more stress

When we add several hundred pounds of water ballast in the wing tanks of the sailplanes we fly to improve the glide ratio at a given speed, we must dump the water before landing or risk breaking the landing gear....and NO ACROBATICS!

Reference my prior post #1893...adding weight to the fuselage will also likely accelerate the foam cell boundary cracking I experienced on the wing's topside after many, many flights due to the added stress on the wing caused by the added weight.

-GG

Photo of a sailplane dumping water ballast prior to landing...

[Rogerio Pereira]

Adding weight = self imposing restrictions
Speed and acro = stress on a structure compounded by more weight
Worst case for stress = increasing the weight of the non-flying parts of the aircraft
Steep banks = more stress Hi, GG,
Thanks for the reply, and yes I agree 100% with you on your note -. No Aerobatics- My flying style with this model is scale like as much as possible, and with this one even more so, it does not look right flying the AL 37 inverted or performing bomb dives, I have other models for that, I was not sure if the addition of another couple of pounds in the fuselage was not going to compromise the integrity of the plane while flying scale like, but I guess it was already answered on other posts, ( did not read all of them).
My plan is to add another 6S 6000mah pack to enjoy a little more flying time, I fly off an active aerodrome with smooth blacktop runway, the other addition planned is wheel brakes, but there I am looking at home made passive magnetic brakes in the wheel hubs to avoid the use of more power, it will only require the addition of one opto switch to activate, the added weight is minimal and no risk of stopping a wheel as it only brakes if the wheel turns above a certain low speed. Will post some pic's and vid's when I get back from work and complete the installation in a couple of months.
Thanks again.

[Rogerio Pereira]

Noted GG, and thanks.

[GliderGuy]

Rogerio "Noted GG, and thanks." / (Reference my prior post #1893...adding weight to the fuselage will also likely accelerate the foam cell boundary cracking I experienced on the wing's topside after many, many flights due to the added stress on the wing caused by the added weight.)

Adding / FedEx notification just received for a "today" delivery of my new AL37. Woo Hoo! I'm going to attempt to engineer some internal bracing to the topside skin area of the wing that has been shown (on my bird #1) to be prone to foam cell boundary cracking (due to flexing) . Or...I may decide to add a layer of glass externally to the topside of the wing. But, I'd rather not get into a sanding/repainting job on the wing, if possible.

We'll see how it goes. I'm not overly concerned about the wing structure (with the cracks), but it is not pretty...and everyone comments about the cracks when they see them. UGH. I want to avoid having the cracks re-appear on the new bird. The strength is in the carbon rod...not the skin.

Here is an ENHANCED CONTRAST photo of the cracks on Bird #1....after 1000+ flights / normal and aerobatic flying (I didn't quite match the original paint when I attempted to fix these the first time they showed up). Note: There are no cracks on the bottom wing skins. Raised bump/nature of the areas around the cracks indicate compressive stress in the skin likely resulting from loops and recovery from spins.

Again, Bird #1 is being retired.



-GG

[GliderGuy]

Update to Post #1904....

New bird is ready to go! Hope to maiden Bird #2 this afternoon, if the winds cooperate.

I was able to add a span-wise reinforcing carbon rod stringer in the wiring channel in the area which was found to fatigue crack in Bird #1. Remains to be seen if this is successful.
-GG

Update - Maiden was a success! Needed about 3 clicks of up trim is all. Flies GREAT!

[hcew]

Hi,
Hello at all from Germany

I'm now also a AL37 owner. Bought it in white and designed it with the help of callie in two airlines.
The right side Ryanair and the left side SunExpress.
The reason is, our son took the Ryanair EI-DHP factory new by Boeing in Seatlle and with the SunExpress D-ASXD he was the first to be allowed to use the callsign sunrise .

[Straightshooter]

Nok Air Thailand low cost carrier. Nok Cartoon Livery. Maiden soon.

[GliderGuy]

It was a cool day, but light winds and sunny. Waited until the temp got above freezing before going out (45F+ suites my old bones better and is better for the LiPos...so I read).

Beat my personal best of 40 flights in one day with 47 total flights today. Was using 3 of the 4-bank (4 X 100W) chargers and 16 batteries (10 6S and 6 4S) powered by my truck's heavy duty electrical system. Nobody stopped by the baseball park's parking lot to chat (that's unusual).

The break-out of the flights is as follows:

AL37 = 34 flights (This is a brand new bird...not even a week old. Maiden was on 01/13. After today she already has 60 flights on her.)
F-4 = 4 flights
P-38 = 9 flights

I'm bushed! But it was sure fun!. I love this hobby.

-GG

[aljoma]

Hola
Soy nuevo en este foro y también soy el nuevo propietario de un AL-37 Freewing
Como buen patriota quiero decorar el avión de las Líneas Aéreas de España, IBERIA, y me gusta mucho copiar del original, pero me encuentro con dos problemas:
- En la actualidad la aerolínea ha simplificado mucho su decoración simplemente con la cola pintada de rojo y amarillo, la anterior decoración es mas llamativa y llena mas el avión.
- La compañía IBERIA, por acuerdos comerciales con la U.E. deja de comprar Boeing y compra aviones Airbus, el mas moderno es el Boeing 737-400 y no se ajusta al modelo...


Aun así no me desanimo y aunque sea un avión imaginario, mi idea es sobreponer las dos fotografías y pintarlo con la decoración antigua.

[GliderGuy]

Welcome aljoma - Happy to have you join.

Several members have done fantastic paint jobs and might be able to assist you to answer questions.

Please post photos as you make progress.

—————-GOOGLE TRANSLATION——


Bienvenido aljoma - Feliz de que te unas. Varios miembros han realizado trabajos de pintura fantásticos y es posible que puedan ayudarlo a responder preguntas. Publique fotos a medida que avanza.

-GG

[CaptPola]

Hello everyone, I’m brand new to this forum and brand new to the RC world. I am an actual airline pilot and have always been fascinated with RC planes. I purchased the AL37 but have yet to purchase any of the required items. If anyone could help me get started I’d greatly appreciate it. I hope everyone is doing well! (Also I’m pretty sure this is a very advanced aircraft to start RC flying with but I’m hoping to get help from local guys at flying clubs.)

[GliderGuy]

Hello everyone, I’m brand new to this forum and brand new to the RC world. I am an actual airline pilot and have always been fascinated with RC planes. I purchased the AL37 but have yet to purchase any of the required items. If anyone could help me get started I’d greatly appreciate it. I hope everyone is doing well! (Also I’m pretty sure this is a very advanced aircraft to start RC flying with but I’m hoping to get help from local guys at flying clubs.)

Welcome to the forum. May I suggest you read all the posts and then come back with specific questions you may still have. You will find information on CG, control set-ups, RF chokes, flying methods, etc. A lot of experienced RCers have posted on this forum.

The AL37 is a fun bird! Enjoy....

-GG

[xviper]

I'm not so sure this would be a good first RC airplane for a "brand new" RC pilot. Being a "real" airline pilot may not necessarily translate into success in flying a model for the first time. I once flew with a veteran Tudor jet pilot and his first season at the field resulted in many, many "SPLATS". Also, I wouldn't call the AL-37 as a "very advanced" RC model. It's big (and expensive for a foamie), has typical control surfaces and can fly like a *****cat but .............................................
"Required items" ............................ receiver, transmitter, batteries, tiny screwdriver and some foam glue. This is assuming that someone brand new to the hobby has none of these. Yes, get help from the locals at the field.

[CaptPola]

Welcome to the forum. May I suggest you read all the posts and then come back with specific questions you may still have. You will find information on CG, control set-ups, RF chokes, flying methods, etc. A lot of experienced RCers have posted on this forum.

The AL37 is a fun bird! Enjoy....

-GG

Thanks!

[CaptPola]

I'm not so sure this would be a good first RC airplane for a "brand new" RC pilot. Being a "real" airline pilot may not necessarily translate into success in flying a model for the first time. I once flew with a veteran Tudor jet pilot and his first season at the field resulted in many, many "SPLATS". Also, I wouldn't call the AL-37 as a "very advanced" RC model. It's big (and expensive for a foamie), has typical control surfaces and can fly like a *****cat but .............................................
"Required items" ............................ receiver, transmitter, batteries, tiny screwdriver and some foam glue. This is assuming that someone brand new to the hobby has none of these. Yes, get help from the locals at the field.

Got it, thanks.

[themudduck]

Hello everyone, I’m brand new to this forum and brand new to the RC world. I am an actual airline pilot and have always been fascinated with RC planes. I purchased the AL37 but have yet to purchase any of the required items. If anyone could help me get started I’d greatly appreciate it. I hope everyone is doing well! (Also I’m pretty sure this is a very advanced aircraft to start RC flying with but I’m hoping to get help from local guys at flying clubs.)

Hey Capt, I'm an instructor at my club field, and would highly recommend you seek out that help and comradery. Its helpful if you get a radio that is compatible with the same radio that your local club instructor uses, because RC radios have a feature called "buddy box" which essentially allows the instructor to be the pilot, and for you to be the co-pilot, and the pilot can instantly take over in case you make a mistake. This is probably the least stressful way to learn how to fly RC because it takes away the most frustrating part of learning - which is crashing. (if you pick a instructor who has skills, duh)

I have taught several full-scale pilots. You already know exactly how planes fly, which is helpful. But flying RC is different because its all done from your vantage point on the ground, you don't have the benefit of your butt being in the seat. So its all about hand-eye coordination and depth perception so you'll have to get used to that. This model is not difficult to fly - one plus is that its fairly large to its easy to see. It does require some finesse. If you get someone to be your "buddy" instructor you will have great success.

While you're cooped up this winter consider getting an inexpensive RC flight simulator for your PC or laptop. You can play with that all you want and never damage your plane. Its not the same a real life but it will familiarize you with the RC controls and the experience of controlling your plane while watching it from the ground. The students I've talked who had experience with the simulator have picked up RC outside very quickly.

[Straightshooter]

Nok Air maidened today. Uneventful. Consistent performer of all the variant livery (TWA, Frozen Jet, Thai Airways, Nok Air).

[ndrew3]

I've been looking to pick one of these up so badly to customize (the base grey version), but have heard some horror stories about the paint and see some of those in this thread.

Do you guys completely strip the paint before repainting? Or just put down clear coats on the base?

[Straightshooter]

I would say paint adhesion is random. Testing on spare parts show that removing ALL the paint wouldi be difficult. Hence, seal it is best approach.

Freewing should sell some unpainted rather than base white for those wanting to customize, include glassing over foam.

[mshagg]

I put 3 coats of PU down on the one I just built. It helps when removing masks but still had spots lifting. Had the local big box hardware store match some paint, they got it pretty close but it's difficult to do the really small pots of off white.

Your best bet is probably leave the stock paint on, paint it true white, so it's easy to touch up.

The stock paint is quite thick, so when it does lift up you get a noticeable ridge, so helps to fill/sand before touch up.

It's a big plane, hard to get it completely perfect!