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

[GliderGuy]

I'd still prefer an Avro Vulcan.

That would be VERY cool.

Xviper, I agree. Aside from the wind limitations to avoid landing issues, it is a well designed plane and has held up well to lots of flying hours.

-GG

[GliderGuy]

Here are a couple of tips….

Problem: Eventually the long rear spring on the main gear will break at the point where it is secured by the small screw to the main gear’s strut. The attachment loop breaks off the end of the spring.

Tips / Solutions: 1) You can delay or prevent this from happening by generously coating the area near the attachment screw with UV curing glue (like Bondic). Coat a few coils on the spring near the attachment screw and the attachment loop/screw area.

2) If the attachment loop at the end does break off the spring, simply unwrap the next spring coil and make another attachment loop from it (use needle nose pliers).

Happy B-2 flying!

-GG

PS Mentioned before, but will mention it again….
When gluing parts with a slow-setting glue like Foam-Tac or epoxy, align the parts and do a surface tack weld with Bondic to hold them in place. The Bondic instantly and securely maintains the parts’ alignment while the slower / stronger glue sets.
This is VERY handy when gluing parts that you cannot easily hold in place with a clamp, etc. If you wish, after the stronger glue sets, the surface Bondic tack weld beads can be easily removed with little damage.

[Aros]

GliderGuy I have to say again, thank you for all of your astute help and information for folks with this bird. I sure know when I finally maiden my B-2, I will have armed myself with sage advice from you which will give me extra confidence. Your help and experience has been invaluable in this thread so again, thank you.

[xviper]

GG gave us hints along the way that helped understand what’s going on with this plane. In the beginning, I was feeling regretful that I didn’t sell it when my buddy sold his. He sold it a couple weeks and only a few flights after getting it. I stuck with it and took his info and the B2 has become a very satisfying plane to fly. I know now when and when not to fly it and what and what not to do when I fly it. 3 thumbs up for him.

[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.

[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]

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

[rifleman_btx]

That sounds right, and looks really cool in that shot

[Aros]

Love the moon shot!

[ridgerunner]

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

Great Scott!

[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.

[Evan D]

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

[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.

[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.

[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.)

[Evan D]

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

[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]

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]

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.

[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.