Official Freewing 90mm F-104 Starfighter Thread

[gooniac33]

I figure if the F-5 gets off just fine then the 104 will have no trouble. I think the 104 will fit my flying style quite well. And, if the 104 works fine, then the F-16 will be next. I think they share the same or similar gear correct?

The gear is the same as far as I can tell. I am just not sure how well they will handle the landing in grass.

[DCORSAIR]

I think I would have went with the F-16 first, then the F-104, just my thoughts on that. I would say the F-104 is a whole lot harder to set up and maiden, the F-16 is very easy to set up and fly, landing is a problem if its your first jet maybe, now the F-104, you better have it all right the first time................;)

[seaviper]

Just curious as to why there is no official F-104 video such as those done by Ryan and Mike for other models?
I will video the grass operations and post the results when able.

Anyway, thanks for all the cool videos Gooniac. I especially like your fan balancing technique and plan to use it in the future.

Roger that DCorsair..

[urrl]

Too hard of a landing on the Mirage caused nose gear collapse, which actually needed no repair, but the F-104 did well.

[Westsider]

Love the Ace Combat music urrl, and that 104. Good stuff.

[seaviper]

urrl I love your videos. Nicely done sir! I was flying DF jets at Markham back in 1994 before it got crowded. Keep the videos coming!

[gooniac33]

I got lots of flying in over the weekend. Only was able to record some of the flights though since my hat cam died. Here is what I got...

[urrl]

Thanks for the comments guys. Much appreciated. Here's one more flight.

[gooniac33]

Lots of F-104 flights at Apollo over the weekend. I am getting more and more used to the way she flies and really like it!

[petefoss]

Probably going to pull the trigger if my batteries will fit. I have the Gens Ace 5500's for my pre-ordered A-10. Will they fit OK in the F-104? They are 138 mm by 62 mm by 42 mm. Weight about 28 oz (800 grams)????

An earlier post with Pulse batteries looks like they may fit. Are they too wide at 62 mm?

Thanks,
Pete

[Beeg]

Yes. I use Zippy 6200's in mine.

[petefoss]

Big box arrived yesterday. Took a quick look inside and wondered for a second why the vertical fin was white rather than silver like it was in the picture. Then I realized the fin was a FREAKING WING!!!!!

[gooniac33]

Probably going to pull the trigger if my batteries will fit. I have the Gens Ace 5500's for my pre-ordered A-10. Will they fit OK in the F-104? They are 138 mm by 62 mm by 42 mm. Weight about 28 oz (800 grams)????

An earlier post with Pulse batteries looks like they may fit. Are they too wide at 62 mm?

Thanks,
Pete

if I could use larger packs in mine I would. I am going to look into seeing if there are some that will fit. As it is right now I am using a China Hobby Line 6s 40c 5000mah pack with really good results. I would love some more flight time if I can!! I will have to look at Roaring Top and Gens Ace to see what compares... In my experience this plane prefers to fly at no less than 1/2 throttle and that requires a pretty decent battery. As soon as my 3 min time goes off I am setting up to land. I am usually on the ground by 3:30-3:45 and when recharged the batteries are taking no more than 3800mah. That is just barely enough reserve for a go around... I would like some more head room if I can...

[Beeg]

Yep, I fly mine pretty hard too and at 2:45 setup for landing just incase I need to make another approach so I don't toast my battery. Even with the zippy 6200's there isn't much wiggle room in this model.

[gooniac33]

Yep, I fly mine pretty hard too and at 2:45 setup for landing just incase I need to make another approach so I don't toast my battery. Even with the zippy 6200's there isn't much wiggle room in this model.

If there is a way to fit in the 6s 30c 6200mah china hobby line pack that would actually work best!! I will have to try it out and see if it works. if so then I would get a lot more wiggle room and flight time!

[petefoss]

My Gens Ace 5500 described above fit. Have no idea about CG though since I haven't even started assembly.

[petefoss]

• WING TANKS.
• Before screwing on the wing tanks, use the screw to tap the plastic mount on the wing tip.
• Plug in the wing tanksʻ LED wire, matching polarity appropriately.
• Align the wing tank to the wing tip, tucking extra LED wire slack into the hollow wing tank as you go to ensure the wing tank sits snugly and flush against the wing tipʻs plastic mount.
• Insert the two screws through the wing tank and tighten. Because you already tapped the plastic mount, the screws should thread right in and give you a positive lock. Do not overtighten.

But the screws are too short to catch in the boss on the wing? I also noticed that the bosses are a couple mm shorter than the pocket in the tank? Heck of a note when you can't get past step 1 in the instructions!

Fixed it with 12 mm screws.

2nd question, why is the wing tube so short at 300 mm. It could be at least 360 based on how deep the pockets in the wing are (85 mm deep vs. 55 mm of wing tube on each side when centered on fuse???

[petefoss]

1st full power up. It's ALIVE!

[urrl]

Morning flight. Thinking about installing my shelved inrunner since my batteries are usually jammed into the back of the cockpit. With my heavy handed throttle management my batteries may suffer though.

[urrl]

Second morning flight with F-104