Official Freewing MiG-29 Fulcrum Twin 80mm Thread

[Flash Jorden]

Don't try to power out of a high alpha situation...just makes it worse. Cut the throttle to idle and if you have enough altitude the nose will fall through and you can then add power and get back to level flight.

If you don't have enough altitude you get this...

Oh I've been reading that, as well as watching numerous SU-4ever/Airguardian videos, including the high alpha crash he had on landing. As well as reading his explanation about the physics of the issue, including it being exacerbated by the thrust line.

I do have 2x FMS 2100 fan units I can install. I wonder if that mitigates the alpha lock in any way.
EDIT: 2x ZFMS 3665 2000

I guess I will look into the TV setup. Is a gyro necessary with TV? I've never used TV before. I have an A3 Super I could use if needed. Oh, and an Aura 8 too.

[Evan D]

I don't use gyros typically and don't have one in my MiG. That said many will tell you it makes any plane fly "bigger" or better...

[GliderGuy]

Oh man, I wasn't planning on adding TV. I'll try my hand without it. Thanks for the heads up!

Well……

Just know that without TV, you will crash at some point due to the high alpha lock. After 2 flights or a few hundred or a few thousand.

I couldn’t install TV (not enough channels) and I flew and flew the MiG. A couple of times a gust threw her into a high alpha lock from which I recovered by chopping the throttle.

THEN ONE GUSTY DAY…..you know the rest!!!!! All bad situations came together in a perfect storm. My MiG is no more.

The TV is that little bit of extra safety margin that’s worth adding. Fly without TV at your own risk. How do you feel about crashing a $700+ EDF?

-GG

PS. Are you picking up on what I am strongly hinting?

[Flash Jorden]

Two switching BECs should not be used in parallel. Many have used the upgraded pushrods successfully. If you want to get more into the stab setup the screws holding the elevator horns on are very short and it's a good idea to replace them with the same type but slightly longer, glue the horn down while you are at it. I bypassed the MCBe for most flight controls. I also used a 12ch receiver and did separate the rudders and steering (enabled rudder air brakes), separate hor stabs for tailerons, separate ailerons for crow and full span flaps, separate flaps for full span ailerons. Though I have all that programmed I really use the tailerons and crow with rudder air brakes..

There is a lot of info in these threads.

Really look at putting the TVs on it. Even if you don't do it for the performance increase it helps balance the plane and takes some of the work load off the stabs.

Thanks for the feedback. Single BEC it will be then.

[Flash Jorden]

Well……

Just know that without TV, you will crash at some point due to the high alpha lock. After 2 flights or a few hundred or a few thousand.

I couldn’t install TV (not enough channels) and I flew and flew the MiG. A couple of times a gust threw her into a high alpha lock from which I recovered by chopping the throttle.

THEN ONE GUSTY DAY…..you know the rest!!!!! All bad situations came together in a perfect storm. My MiG is no more.

The TV is that little bit of extra safety margin that’s worth adding. Fly without TV at your own risk. How do you feel about crashing a $700+ EDF?

-GG

PS. Are you picking up on what I am strongly hinting?

TV setup is in the cart. I'll like crashing a $700 EDF probably about as much as I liked crashing my $1,300 EDF (HSD Twin 90mm Me-262). It is the risk we take ...

[Hugh Wiedman]

Oh wow, I wouldn't have thought those pushrods would still bend. They seemed plenty stiff when I tried flexing them by hand. In any case, Titanium pushrods and heavy duty pushrod ends/swivels are on the way. So for the BEC I have a couple of options. 1.) I have an identical BEC on hand as the stock one. I can add it to the other pair of battery leads to add redundancy to the receiver, like having a dual receiver battery setup, or 2.) I have a 10Amp and an 18Amp BEC on hand, use one of those instead.

Don't get me wrong, the upgraded pushrods MRC sends are way better than anything they've given out before. In fact, I originally used them with the Pro Modeler servos, but before I flew it, I happened to drop a wing bag with wings in it off the rack and a corner struck the elevator. Absolutely no damage to elevator itself, but then noticed the pushrod was severely bent as these Pro Modelers do not move a mm without power, so instead of moving the entire elevator, it held it in place, bending the rod. Immediately changed to the titanium rods just to be safe, although I really doubt I'd have bent it in flight.

[Airguardian]

I have crashed mine twice due to high alpha locks in 200 flights (aprox), and that's despite being a post-stall and high alpha guru... :p

The plane has survived after spending some time in the workshop, but you get the point :)

TV nozzles make the plane safer to fly in that regard.

BTW; I jumped on the FMS 2100kv fans myself so will be testing those now when they arrive :)

[jasmith41]

Guys,
I just posted (in classifieds) my Mig-29 (new, in unopened box) for sale if anyone has any interest. I've lost interest in it and am tired of looking at the box. I have the TV nozzles, new and in their box as well.

Hit me up if interested. Thanks in advance.
j.

[Flash Jorden]

I have crashed mine twice due to high alpha locks in 200 flights (aprox), and that's despite being a post-stall and high alpha guru... :p

The plane has survived after spending some time in the workshop, but you get the point :)

TV nozzles make the plane safer to fly in that regard.

BTW; I jumped on the FMS 2100kv fans myself so will be testing those now when they arrive :)

I goofed on the fan version. I have the FMS 3665 2000kv fans. Carving out foam to fit as we speak. Will 3D print the larger intakes later today.

[Flash Jorden]

Getting closer ...
wired in the replacement UBEC, installed the FMS 3665 2000KV fan units, and 3D printed the intake louvers. Fun fact, the EDF mounting tabs are off center, maybe by about 2mm. So it was easier it mount, meaning carve out less foam, with the wires coming out the back of the motor at 12:00 vs 6:00.

TV unit, gyro (didn't have the one I thought), titanium rods, heavy duty ends should be here tomorrow. If all goes well, I should be done by Monday, but current schedule of other stuff may prevent that.

In the mean time, I need to work on my crashed F-22. Transfer equipment to new airframe.

[Evan D]

The fan tabs when mounted right have the surface on the center line of the unit. If you flip it upside down then the whole unit is offset the thickness of the tab. It sounds like doing so you didn't have to carve under the fan but you may have to carve doubly into the cover.

Wow, what a rats nest. When I built mine I didn't use the interconnection cables and stuffed the MCBe in the rear. I forgot how many wires there were out of the box, stock.

[Flash Jorden]

Yes!!! I saw the neat installation of moving the blue box to the rear battery bay. I am planning on doing that too.

[Evan D]

If you use that middle battery location you'll need to do something.

[ITVader]

OK team, here's an overview. Everywhere I look it seems like everyone is using the back and the middle battery trays. My MIG has the TV installed, RC Geek afterburner lights added and that's it. Just using Spektrum 5000's as test bricks (690g each) they are in the middle and front forward trays just to get in the CG ballpark. Anyone on here using the same placement or did someone put a lead weight in the tail end of my plane embedded in the foam somewhere?

[Evan D]

I have TVs and no ABs. When I use my 5000's which I normally do I have them in the aft and fore. They are 645g each. When I use my 830g 6000's they are the aft and mid. I have my CG slightly, 10mm aft of the marks.

[sunbeam]

Hi guys

in the last weeks I nearly read all the posts in this thread...although I did not reach the end yet, I got a lot of usefull informations until now. In the next days I will start to build/mod my MiG29. There will be:

# HV setup for elevator, rudder, aileron and flaps (MKS HV69 for elevator, Spektrum A4030 for the rest - thanks to Henrik)
# therefore new cable-connections between fuselage and wings with cable and connectors from PowerboxSystems
# servo-rudder connection for elevator and others with y-servohorns from Gabriel Stahlformenbau with 3mm pushrod covered by a carbon tube
# strengthened rear with carbon plates and inserted carbon tubes
# PowerboxSystems Pioneer with iGyro, GPS III and 2x Jeti REX3
# 2x YGE Saphire 125A ESCs with 12A BEC
# BlueBox only for gear, geardoors and LEDs in the wings (I will use the stock BEC to get the 8,2V down to 5,0V in the connection from the Pioneer to the BlueBox)
# still thinking about other lights like beacons, strobes, light in the top of a rudder, second landing light etc, but I have not found the right ones yet; maybe something from unilight.at...unfortunately innoflyer does not exist anymore
# centerburner from RC Geek (I will get 7V from one of the flight lipos by a Jeti BEC for the centerburner and the other lights to be installed)
# Lipos will be 2x 7000mAh from SLS (~850g) with AS150 7mm connectors

...I will have to get all this togehter in the next weeks/months... ;-)

But now I have got one question: I have problems with my left main gear. Every second time or so it will not go out or in and gets stuck after a few centimeters. I cannot see if there is some resitance in moving so that the elecronics will stop it. Does anybody had the same problem? I already ordered a new one from Motion....

Again, thanks for all the posts and ideas created here, very nice to read and thanks to everybody giving input to it! I realy enjoy reading and will finish to read the last threads... :-)

Kai

[Evan D]

Pull it out and test it. If it still does it lube the jack shaft with grease (every one should do this on all retracts) and if that doesn’t fix it loosen the screws holding the retract halves together just a little.

[sunbeam]

Hi Evan

Yes thanks, I will get it out the next days and see if something is not moving well. It emediately stops after trying to gear up as if there is some mechanical resistance or that the housing is too stiff or sluggish.
All I hope is that the screws in the plastic will still hold tight when setting it back in....

[Airguardian]

# Lipos will be 2x 7000mAh from SLS (~850g) with AS150 7mm connectors

Why... just why??

You are going to cripple your jet's performance with those packs. Go light instead!
The thing will fly MUCH better, landing gear will suffer much less. Flight time won't be that different. The extra battery power is usually burnt by the additional thrust required to keep the plane in the air. Between 5Ah and 4Ah packs the 4Ah made the experience much better, and flight times were around the same. Going to 7Ah packs sounds like a really bad choice on this one. Although, weight wise, 850g are doable. I've flown the jet with 870g Panther packs back in the day, so it can take it, but no, I would not recommend it.

[kallend]

Hi guys

in the last weeks I nearly read all the posts in this thread...although I did not reach the end yet, I got a lot of usefull informations until now. In the next days I will start to build/mod my MiG29. There will be:

# HV setup for elevator, rudder, aileron and flaps (MKS HV69 for elevator, Spektrum A4030 for the rest - thanks to Henrik)
# therefore new cable-connections between fuselage and wings with cable and connectors from PowerboxSystems
# servo-rudder connection for elevator and others with y-servohorns from Gabriel Stahlformenbau with 3mm pushrod covered by a carbon tube
# strengthened rear with carbon plates and inserted carbon tubes
# PowerboxSystems Pioneer with iGyro, GPS III and 2x Jeti REX3
# 2x YGE Saphire 125A ESCs with 12A BEC
# BlueBox only for gear, geardoors and LEDs in the wings (I will use the stock BEC to get the 8,2V down to 5,0V in the connection from the Pioneer to the BlueBox)
# still thinking about other lights like beacons, strobes, light in the top of a rudder, second landing light etc, but I have not found the right ones yet; maybe something from unilight.at...unfortunately innoflyer does not exist anymore
# centerburner from RC Geek (I will get 7V from one of the flight lipos by a Jeti BEC for the centerburner and the other lights to be installed)
# Lipos will be 2x 7000mAh from SLS (~850g) with AS150 7mm connectors

...I will have to get all this togehter in the next weeks/months... ;-)

But now I have got one question: I have problems with my left main gear. Every second time or so it will not go out or in and gets stuck after a few centimeters. I cannot see if there is some resitance in moving so that the elecronics will stop it. Does anybody had the same problem? I already ordered a new one from Motion....

Again, thanks for all the posts and ideas created here, very nice to read and thanks to everybody giving input to it! I realy enjoy reading and will finish to read the last threads... :-)

Kai

My Do-it-Yourself afterburners are not only inexpensive but also less obstructive of the airflow an run directly from the LiPo.