Official Freewing Twin 70mm AL37 Airliner Thread

[xviper]

Thats very irritating to know, good but irritating. Those batteries were not cheap either. I think I paid around 180 each for them. Thank you for the info. Where is a good place to get them from?

https://static.rcgroups.net/forums/a...%20Results.Jpg Look particularly at the claimed C and then see what the real C is.
Based on the load test results, the following are some of the top rated LiPos ………….. SMC (direct from SMC in Florida), ChinaHobbyLine (US warehouse), most Graphine type LiPos test well. Not sure where you are located. If in the US, then it’s fairly easy to get most of the top rated batteries. If you are in Canada, SMC can be complicated but not impossible. I haven’t acquired any SMC’s due to the complicated way to get them. However, my best experience has been with the CHL purchased from any of their warehouses (5000mah, 6s, 65C “black” series). I also buy HRBs from Amazon. They have moderate C claims but their tested C is not really terribly diminished from the claims and they are easy for me to get. Their 6000mah, 6s work well for me in my EDFs. I use them in my AL and I also series them up with a 6000mah, 2s HRB in my 8s jets.

[Macosta1492]

Finished painting and applying stickers to my AL37. Gotta paint the cockpit and fix the metallic silver trim on nacelle but she is ready for flight.

[jasmith41]

Hello all. I recently purchased a al37 to add to my collection. I own a spektrum dx8e and i purchased the spektrum ar8360t receiver. I have the plane built and i have verified all the control surfaces are functional. My concern is that im extremely unfamiliar with how to use this controller. It has so many setting that im scared i have possibly missed something in programming and binding. Does anyone have experience working with this receiver and transmitter combo. Any inputs on what i need to setup. Would like to possibly get safe activated.

i've been putting the ar637t in everything lately except the FW F15 b/c it need a 7th ch for the airbrake thingy. i've also added a remote on these bigger birds for $39 insurance. they seem to work just fine.

[jasmith41]

Finished painting and applying stickers to my AL37. Gotta paint the cockpit and fix the metallic silver trim on nacelle but she is ready for flight.

that is my next purchase. i've just run out of room in the hangar... :)

[Macosta1492]

Has anyone ever seen possibly a glider version of this. Or maybe no electronics just the foam. Even if its a little smaller. I want another one to hang up in my garage but without the cost of the electronics or the wiring.

[xviper]

Has anyone ever seen possibly a glider version of this. Or maybe no electronics just the foam. Even if its a little smaller. I want another one to hang up in my garage but without the cost of the electronics or the wiring.

Yes, but not in foam. Build it any way you want. Might not end up being all that much cheaper if you count your time and effort into it. I've also seen it slope soared. You may even find some YouTube videos if you know what to search for.

http://www.windrider.com.hk/product.asp?id=262

I've seen one for sale on consignment in a local hobby shop. Again, the asking price is not cheap. Builders want money for their time.
OH, and they actually call it a Boeing 737. Boeing isn't going to go after a small shop in the middle of China. Could cost them millions and years and still get nowhere.

[Macosta1492]

Yes, but not in foam. Build it any way you want. Might not end up being all that much cheaper if you count your time and effort into it. I've also seen it slope soared. You may even find some YouTube videos if you know what to search for.

http://www.windrider.com.hk/product.asp?id=262

I've seen one for sale on consignment in a local hobby shop. Again, the asking price is not cheap. Builders want money for their time.
OH, and they actually call it a Boeing 737. Boeing isn't going to go after a small shop in the middle of China. Could cost them millions and years and still get nowhere.

i saw this site years ago. I still question if it will actually arrive lol.

[xviper]

i saw this site years ago. I still question if it will actually arrive lol.

I have purchased a few planes from them some years ago. All purchases arrived and back then, shipping time was reasonable - 3 to 4 weeks. Since they are based in Hong Kong, even throughout the pandemic, shipping of a plane isn't going to be any more problematic than anything else. And now that we're coming out of the pandemic, I think shipping shouldn't be a problem so long as you are willing to pay for air (2 weeks) rather than "ground" (upwards of 3 months). Large planes in boxes I've bought in the past couple months, have arrived within 2 weeks.

[xviper]

Another option is to buy all the parts you want and need to build your own. It may end up being as much or more than a fully equipped PNP.

[Reaper1974]

I'm new here and have searched this forum but cannot find the answer I'm after. The question I have is regarding the recommended control throws for the AL37. Per the manual, the recommended aileron is 15mm and elevator is 28mm. That's max throw! Will the plane be twitchy or docile at these settings? I'm getting close to maiden and wanted control throw advise for my initial flights.

[xviper]

I'm new here and have searched this forum but cannot find the answer I'm after. The question I have is regarding the recommended control throws for the AL37. Per the manual, the recommended aileron is 15mm and elevator is 28mm. That's max throw! Will the plane be twitchy or docile at these settings? I'm getting close to maiden and wanted control throw advise for my initial flights.

This is a big RC model. Reaction to AIL input is quite docile. Reaction to ELE input is a bit more responsive but still fairly docile. You already have dual rates for RUD, so that's not a concern except for ground handling. Since the published rates for AIL and ELE are the same for Hi and Lo rates, there is a simple solution to this. Use and set those throws as your MIDDLE rate. Dial in a rate that's a little higher and dial in a rate that's a little lower. Start your first flight with the posted throws (now your mid-rate) and see what it feels like. Put both AIL and ELE rates on the same switch, so that if you don't like the feel of it on "mid" position, you can easily flip the switch to a lower or higher rate to get you by till you land, at which time, you can separate the AIL and ELE rates to separate switches IF you want and if you need it. You may like one control surface on a different rate than the other. The RUD can be put on its own switch as you may find it handy to use lower rates for the ground roll and higher rates for turning around on the ground.
"Twitchy", this plane is NOT. The only thing that looks twitchy in the air is that tail "waggle" when coming out of a banked turn suddenly when there's a bit of wind but a gyro fixes that. Even without a gyro, the waggle is not a dangerous thing. It just looks awkward.

[GliderGuy]

After being a No-Gyro pilot for 60 years, I put one in the PJ50 and was IMPRESSED!

So impressed, I am putting one in all my EDF jets….including the AL37 (doing it at this moment).

Sans gyro, you may want to dial in about 30% expo on the ailerons to reduce their initial response to stick inputs. Helps to tame her on approach.

-GG

[mshagg]

Recently mastered the art of printing with ABS and flexible TPU filament. One thing I've always liked the idea of is getting the wheels on the AL37 running on bearings, to reduce the rattling when taking off and landing. Anyone who has a late model FMS EDF would know how smooth they run.

Sourced some mini bearings with a 4mm inner diameter and got to work in CAD.

The result is a set of wheels (only mains so far) that are a straight swap for the stock items. The rim is printed in ABS and the tyres in TPU. There is no play at all and the bearings run smooth as silk on the stock axle. Added a bit of scale detail from pics I found online.

[GliderGuy]

VERY NICE!

[Swarick]

As to the question asked above about a slope soarer. Windrider did have several videos on YouTube some time ago of testing for their 737. They first flew it as a glider on some cliffs by the ocean. Then it was sold as a complete ARF or airframe only. I purchased the airframe plus their gear over ten years ago when it was available. shipping was reasonable at the time. I still have the plane today.
It is meant to be a 737-700 vs 8MAX, but lacks some of the refinements of the Freewing model. Such as no flaps, no gear doors, no lighting. The build was also VERY light. Made the plane awkward to fly on even the slightest windy day. However I could stay up for over 6 minutes on 3300mAh packs.

[MeyerVW]

Same aircraft?

[Swarick]

Yes. That was me and my SWA 737. I remember your Kulula jet now.

[salali]

I need a little help. I tried to maiden my AL37 earlier today. Unfortunately, I had to abort the take off due to a lack of power/thrust. I fly at a RC field with very well groomed and short grass which was cut a day ago so I don't believe the grass was an issue. Additionally, the AL37 is very popular at my club so I know the gear can handle the surface. The ESC's and high/low throttle settings are calibrated. I used an Admiral 6S 6000Mah batter with about 10 cycle with a full charge. Has anyone else experienced this issue? I'd love any troubleshooting ideas. Thanks.

[xviper]

I need a little help. I tried to maiden my AL37 earlier today. Unfortunately, I had to abort the take off due to a lack of power/thrust. I fly at a RC field with very well groomed and short grass which was cut a day ago so I don't believe the grass was an issue. Additionally, the AL37 is very popular at my club so I know the gear can handle the surface. The ESC's and high/low throttle settings are calibrated. I used an Admiral 6S 6000Mah batter with about 10 cycle with a full charge. Has anyone else experienced this issue? I'd love any troubleshooting ideas. Thanks.

I have flown the AL from a rough grass field that is mowed prairie grass. The AL takes a bit longer run to get off the ground. I'm guessing about 250 feet. My only suggestions are to make sure the wheels are spinning freely and not "sticky". Check your battery's internal resistance. Even brand new batteries, especially if not "seasoned" by doing charge/discharge cycle X 3 on the charger before use can show early signs of poor performance. Do you use 1/2 flaps when taking off? This helps, especially from grass. Use high rate on elevator? Do you go full throttle right off the bat? This may be needed to break the initial resistance of the grass. Doing a "scale" take off by gradually speeding up doesn't work so well on grass.

[GliderGuy]

I measured via Google Earth “measure tool” the places I typically fly the AL from. These are concrete hard surface.

Shows me that 200 to 250 ft is typically used when a scale-like power up is used…this time of year (hot = thin air) and an Admiral Pro 6000 battery.

So on a hot day and high density altitude AND grass….she’s gonna need a long run.

Try flying her off your grass field during a cool time of the morning (low density altitude) with 1/2 flaps and a rapid application of power.

Might need a lighter battery at your field / SMC battery = measured 40C high performance and lighter.
At 684 grams….much lighter:

https://www.smc-racing.com/index.php...&search=Flight


-GG