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

[kallend]

Because I have had issues with these control boxes in the past. Not worth loosing a planes because of a 30 dollar piece that may fail. Also the built in becs often are not adequate as I have experience in the past.

Well, I'm sure you know far more about flying wing stability and control than Freewing's designers and test pilots.

[Herrsavage]

I think crashes will happen because some people fly it the way it WASN’T intended as was stated by one of the fellows who got this plane a year ago for testing. Or by those who overestimate their skill level. I’m not pointing any fingers as I’m guilty of that myself from time to time.
Having flown the also very large all black X8 wing, orientation wasn’t the problem. These things are shaped like a gigantic arrow head. The single pointy end is the front. The jagged pointy bits would be the back. If you can’t see that, I think maybe a visit to the eye doctor is in order. And if you ever wonder if it’s right side up or upside down, that means you missed this giant fat arrow head rolling over. You may then need an eye surgeon. Bright pink duct tape is a last resort. But then, the purists and the scale police will suspend your flying privileges.

I don't know. I reckon most people who fly a lot have had the experience of suddenly and unexpectedly losing top/bottom orientation for a fraction of a second.. Usually you might be able to guess real quick and react and get out of it.. Not always though.. ;) And I bet that will happen even more often with this plane.

Not bashing the plane - at all. On the contrary - it's very, very cool. But watching those videos I was just like, people are going to lose orientation and crash these..

[James]

I don't know. I reckon most people who fly a lot have had the experience of suddenly and unexpectedly losing top/bottom orientation for a fraction of a second.. Usually you might be able to guess real quick and react and get out of it.. Not always though.. ;) And I bet that will happen even more often with this plane.

Not bashing the plane - at all. On the contrary - it's very, very cool. But watching those videos I was just like, people are going to lose orientation and crash these..

But to kind of back up xviper here. This plane will not roll quickly and should really never be rolled, or inverted, or looped. It's a majestic, graceful B-2 Spirit BOMBER. I agree that to ever be in a situation where you couldn't know that you're inverted or not would take like 10 seconds of not looking at it while it rolled over to begin with.

I know people are going to do what they want with their purchase and their property now, but I hope people don't overthink this. But I think trying to take out the preprogrammed gyro and anything else is just asking for trouble that won't be covered.

At least maiden it as is and get some flights on it, then decide

[xviper]

I agree that to ever be in a situation where you couldn't know that you're inverted or not would take like 10 seconds of not looking at it while it rolled over to begin with.

Exactly! Large flying wings like my X8 and Phantom do NOT roll quickly even if you dial the travel and rates to max. A "fraction of a second" of inattention will NOT find this thing rolling upside down without your knowledge. To be realistic, the fastest I've ever seen any of my large wings roll is about 5 seconds and it is painfully slow. If your attention lapses for that long, I don't think you should be flying anything, not even a "slow as molasses" rolling wing. You might consider sticking with something a lot cheaper, made out of foam board with pink stripes and flown on "recovery mode" or SAFE at all times or add a RTH module. So as to not sound like I'm picking on old geezers, I imagine I'll be there in a few years or sooner. That's when I'll retire from this hobby because I'll know my "best before" date has come. I take up nerf darts.

[jasmith41]

Dammit - i still have 3 of their others in the box i haven't even thought about taking home yet... I'm out of room...

[ridgerunner]

... This plane will not roll quickly and should really never be rolled, or inverted, or looped. ...

I completely disagree! This looks to me to be a large, strong and powerful flying wing that is just asking to be wringed out!
If I break down and get one of these before the stock runs out, I'm one of those "old geezers" who will be flying it like I stole it!

That said, I'm also an engineer and very cautious real life pilot who will be following an uberly conservative flight test plan starting off with a mellow short maiden in optimal calm wind conditions using 100% stock recommended factory setup. This will gradually progress to more and more extreme maneuvers. And I'll also be adding dual functionality to the tip draggers; drag brakes and rudder.

I'm hoping that Alpha made (and will soon release) a video of the extreme flight testing that he undoubtedly performed on the prototypes before he committed to the final design.

[kallend]

But to kind of back up xviper here. This plane will not roll quickly and should really never be rolled, or inverted, or looped. It's a majestic, graceful B-2 Spirit BOMBER. I agree that to ever be in a situation where you couldn't know that you're inverted or not would take like 10 seconds of not looking at it while it rolled over to begin with.

I know people are going to do what they want with their purchase and their property now, but I hope people don't overthink this. But I think trying to take out the preprogrammed gyro and anything else is just asking for trouble that won't be covered.

At least maiden it as is and get some flights on it, then decide

If you want a heavy bomber for which a roll is a scale maneuver, I suggest the Avro Vulcan.

https://youtu.be/afj19PedlxE?t=7

[davecee]

A comment on disorientation. I really like flying wings and have flown quite a few smaller ones up to the 2 meter Opterra. So, I'm used to flying wings. I also fly gliders at pretty far distances. IMHO it doesn't take any inattention at all to suddenly be in a situation where you have a momentary doubt of which way the plane is going, or what position it is in, and it can happen with any plane, (some shapes are worse, no doubt). I don't usually have much trouble with flying wings with a pretty good span, but deltas can be tricky for me, and one one worst planes for me was the FW Mig 21. Get a bit far out, on a day without good light and any plane can just become a black shape. When I was inexperienced I'd panic if I got disoriented. These days, even at 75 with poorer vision than when in my youth, I understand that I knew what the plane was doing before I got disoriented. So I just hold my course and generally in a second, or a few, my brain catches up and I'm OK. In situations where disorientation lasts a bit more, I give a control input sufficient to cause a pretty good change in the flight path. The reaction of the plane to a known input helps greatly in reestablishing orientation. Altitude helps. I don't think experienced pilots will have undue orientation problems with this plane. It's on my sell some stuff to make room list. 😁

[Evan D]

Great post! I agree 100%.

[xviper]

I don't usually have much trouble with flying wings with a pretty good span, but deltas and be tricky for me

I think this is a key point. I agree with everything else your post says, keeping in mind that you've differentiated between a flying wing (and particularly this B-2) where it is much wider than it is long and "delta wings", where there is almost as much length (or more) than span. For me at least, flying wings are easier to discern, while deltas are less so. No matter what type of RC plane it is, the farther you go, the harder it is to tell what it's doing. That shouldn't be a surprise to anyone.
I'm the same as you with my sailplanes. Every sailplane I have are equipped with a RTH device. A RTH device also acts as a "recovery mode" when needed. Adding a RTH unit to this B-2 would be very difficult if not impossible due to how much the "box" and the gyro contributes to making it fly.

[jasmith41]

I'm guessing that the reason it has a preprogrammed unit is because it's a very sophisticated flying and programming set-up...(?)
Just dropping an AR637t in it and rolling her out could end in popcorn...?

[MeyerVW]

I'm guessing that the reason it has a preprogrammed unit is because it's a very sophisticated flying and programming set-up...(?)
Just dropping an AR637t in it and rolling her out could end in popcorn...?

The programming is already installed in the gyro. All you need is a basic 6 ch receiver. You dont want a receiver that has active stabilization. It will fight with the gyro for control.

[James]

I'm guessing that the reason it has a preprogrammed unit is because it's a very sophisticated flying and programming set-up...(?)
Just dropping an AR637t in it and rolling her out could end in popcorn...?

we just finished a 90minute live show going over every inch of the model. We speak about it in there extensively:

[jasmith41]

The programming is already installed in the gyro. All you need is a basic 6 ch receiver. You dont want a receiver that has active stabilization. It will fight with the gyro for control.

Exactly my point, with my minimal knowledge...

[xviper]

I'm guessing that the reason it has a preprogrammed unit is because it's a very sophisticated flying and programming set-up...(?)
Just dropping an AR637t in it and rolling her out could end in popcorn...?

Very likely. If you do go the 637T route, ensure ALL gains and other settings are set to ZERO. Also defeat SAFE. Now you have a very expensive, ordinary 6-ch. RX. The telemetry will be useless unless you use a smart battery and replace the ESCs with smart ESCs. Depending on how long a run it takes to stop after touchdown, I may elect to install reversing ESCs in mine (not Spektrum smart ones as those require a smart RX).

[jasmith41]

I'm not pulling the trigger on this one. I like it and all that, but my hangar is full and i need to focus on what I've already got. Maybe down the road...
Mud Duck and i are going to experiment with putting braked wheels on some birds this year. He's going to start with the NG on his F4 i think and i may put them on the mains of my SU30 once i've replaced the stock rx with the 8 ch ver I bought for it. should be interesting...

[James]

A quick checklist of what Jeremy stressed in today's video:



Happy maidens everyone. I probably wont be on here much over the weekend and I wish everyone the very best in your maidens.

You got this! Don't overthink it. Fly it elegantly. Marvel in her majesty.

Then bombing run on those nosy neighbors...

[kallend]

Very likely. If you do go the 637T route, ensure ALL gains and other settings are set to ZERO. Also defeat SAFE. Now you have a very expensive, ordinary 6-ch. RX. The telemetry will be useless unless you use a smart battery and replace the ESCs with smart ESCs. Depending on how long a run it takes to stop after touchdown, I may elect to install reversing ESCs in mine (not Spektrum smart ones as those require a smart RX).

An AR6110T will provide pack voltage and altitude telemetry without a smart ESC or battery, and does not have any built-in stabilization. Would seem like a good choice for the Spektrum folks. You can also add a remote rx, a mAh consumed sensor, and a GPS module to it.

[crxmanpat]

A quick checklist of what Jeremy stressed in today's video:

Happy maidens everyone. I probably wont be on here much over the weekend and I wish everyone the very best in your maidens.

You got this! Don't overthink it. Fly it elegantly. Marvel in her majesty.

Then bombing run on those nosy neighbors...

Add to the list:

Trim elevator up 2.5 - 3mm. I'll bet a lot of people are going to miss that in the manual.

[Aros]

Okay I couldn't take it any longer. I have been watching the inventory fall by the hour all day and when it got to 1 left I pretty much left my body and saw myself hitting the Buy Now button from above myself. I have wished for a superior (Freewing) version of the B-2 ever since I wasted my money on the LX version years ago. Prayed that one day I would finally get my wish. Well I tried to hold back, I have recently moved and am in the process of checking out a new RC field tomorrow (with a paved runway), not sure where I am going to store it but hot dang there's only so many models I HAVE to own and this is one of them (A Freewing SR-71 and Concorde would be the other two).

Maiden won't likely be for sometime so I will very much enjoy and entrench myself in all the knowledge, tips and tricks that are inevitably going to occur in this thread from those who will fly her before me. I simply cannot wait. Please post any and all photos and especially video of your maidens/flights!

Happy Friday indeed!!