Official Freewing B-2 Spirit Bomber 86" Twin 70mm EDF Jet

[RudyD54]

Not sure anyone's seen this yet but it looks like motion put together a grass ops retract kit....I put an order in for a set. I'll post pics of what they look like when they arrive next week.

[xviper]

I was trying to find answer to this in the feed but its so dang long lol. I'm trying to set it up and am very unsure about what to do regarding the gyro. By default, it's in attitude hold(red flashing). Since that's the default mode and doesn't give us a card, I assume it's what is recommended? Basic gain sounded better but I could be wrong. Have you guys used attitude hold for it? Also, I hope there is a way to turn it off in case it craps the bed in flight.

Please look carefully at the red light. There are 2 ways it can flash. One is a fast flash and the other is a slow flash. The quick flashing means it is trying to initialize and once it does, the light should turn to whatever your switch is set to. The plane must be held perfectly still until the flashing stops. The slow flashing means it's in attitude hold. This would be the same as "heading hold" and is not recommended for this plane.
Do you have the gyro on a 3-position switch? It should not default to "attitude". Without the switch, it should default to "basic gain" mode. And yes, a programming card is needed to alter things. It is recommended that you incorporate a 3-pos switch so you can have a choice of basic gain, gyro OFF and one other choice based on your own preference. It is also useful to have "master gain" on a knob so you can change the gains based on flight conditions. However, failing to assign a switch or a knob for master gain, this plane should be quite flyable in stock form - Basic gain and max gain dialed in. I can't understand why yours has defaulted to "attitude". It is very possible that it will "crap the bed" in flight in attitude mode. Double check the flashing type. After you plug in the battery and don't touch the plane for several seconds, is it still flashing? (Table on page 6 of E52 manual.)

[Evan D]

I have Red solid- Basic Gain, Red Flashing Attitude lock and Blue and Purple on trainer mode. Basic gain is default without the mode plugged in.

[ggillila]

I was trying to find answer to this in the feed but its so dang long lol. I'm trying to set it up and am very unsure about what to do regarding the gyro. By default, it's in attitude hold(red flashing). Since that's the default mode and doesn't give us a card, I assume it's what is recommended? Basic gain sounded better but I could be wrong. Have you guys used attitude hold for it? Also, I hope there is a way to turn it off in case it craps the bed in flight.

[Aros]

Great box and I agree it's a very sound method to house and transport the model in. I just have mine (wings off) sitting on it's left LE at an angle up against the garage wall covered with a light blanket. Very low tech, lol.

[xviper]

Funny that we got to talking about the box. Reminds me of the old joke about keeping the box and throwing away the contents.
The team that designs the box should get paid almost as much as the ones designing the plane.

[Evan D]

I agree. I am sure a lot goes into each shipping box as shipping is a lot of the cost the end buy will pay for.

[xviper]

Putting it back in the foam "box" it stores away easy for me.

That's also what I do. I store and transport it that way. But it's a huge box. The main problem is that the main body of this plane is still very big, even with the wingtips off, thus needing such a box. With my other planes, most of them the wings come off, leaving a fairly slim fuse with thin wings that can be slid into any available space. My mid-sized planes, fully assembled don't occupy the dimensions of the B2 Box. BTW, it's a great box. I marvel at it almost as much as I do the plane.

[Evan D]

Putting it back in the foam "box" it stores away easy for me.

[xviper]

Anyway, it's been a while since I first got this plane. The original marketing was very well done, convincing and hyped. I don't know how sales are going on this now and even though this plane takes up a huge amount of space, I still really like it and will keep it long after others have been sold. It's a unique airplane with some distinct flying requirements and idiosyncrasies but once understood, very enjoyable. (But man, I wish I had the "Pimm" formula and shrink this thing down a bit for storage and transport.)

[xviper]

It's hit the "big time" (gross exaggeration ). It's odd that it took this long for these guys to get one and feature it. They're usually one of the first to get a new product, even before anyone in N. America.

[SanExup]

A bunch of us here got pics of the balloon, looks just like the moon...

Ha! Ha! I've been wondering if it was actually visible from the ground.

[Evan D]

A bunch of us here got pics of the balloon, looks just like the moon...

[xviper]

Great Scott!

That is deceptively fast. For a flying wing that's pretty quiet, a high speed approach by this plane is very eerie. It's like it's suddenly there and then ..................... gone. Tucking in those drag rudders on a level high speed pass might garner a few more mph. Gotta turn down the gyro gain for that. I've figured out how to deploy full drag rudders for brakes. Haven't figured out how to close them for a high speed run.

[ridgerunner]

... Fast pass, full power = 88 mph. ...
-GG

Great Scott!

[Aros]

Love the moon shot!

[rifleman_btx]

That sounds right, and looks really cool in that shot

[GliderGuy]

The guy with camera/phone had a speed gun. B-2 50% throttle = 73 mph. Fast pass, full power = 88 mph.

Pretty moon this evening and dead calm.

-GG

[Al Martinez]

Can someone explain the landing gear mod to make the rear landing gear shorter so that the front is a bit higher which helps for more scale take-offs?? Pics would be great. Thanks.

[GliderGuy]

Thanks guys!

I look forward to every calm or light wind day. The B-2 is VERY satisfying to fly and watch which kept me pressing onward as things were learned about her. The challenge of “every landing must be near perfect” also adds to the satisfaction of a job well done at the end of the day. And repetitive, near prefect landings are not that hard to accomplish because she flies so well.

A couple of points to make;
1) Nobody is perfect all the time. So, keep some nose gear hardware on hand. Repair can be as simple as replacing the nose gear retract servo. Or….as involved as a several hour rebuilding of the foam that gets ripped out along with the mounting hardware.
2) If you are not a pilot that gets satisfaction from a challenge or is not willing to accept 1), then the B-2 probably isn’t the bird for you.

How often? A low, LOW percentage of landings go south IF you are patient and WAIT for calm wind conditions (less than 5 mph). She lets you know when it is time to stop. If you notice her gyro wiggling the controls during a 1/2 throttle, low fly by….it is time to stop flying her. There are gusts just waiting to screw up your landing. LOL - I’ve leaned that going from a “just one more flight” to “Why didn’t I stop after the last flight” as the wind picked up is an internal conversation that is best avoided.

-GG

PS - Best time to fly a B-2? Sunrise!!!!! No wind, no thermal gusts. If you fly a bit before sunrise or after sunset, the wing tip strobes can give you the impression that she’s doing some odd banking behavior. You must ignore this visual illusion which can happen when she’s not close in.