Official Freewing Twin 80mm/90mm A-10 Thunderbolt II Thread

[TSHobbies]

an exciting time for sure...makes me feel a little guilty ,it being so close to mothers day..especially after just buying the Prometheus this week.... though, I did have to sell my B25 in order to do that ,so the guilt is a tad less lol

[dkalwishky]

Nice job on the video Ryan & Capt Mike! I cannot wait to get mine!

Freewing 1700mm A-10 Thunderbolt II Flight Review

[downwindleg]

Honestly I don't know why Freewing even allowed them to video record their factory and manufacturing process in the first place. Well, actually not manufacturing, more their assembly process, but still.

This whole thing with the video of the Freewing factory reminded me of something that's been in the back of mind for quite awhile. I'm hoping someday that all or some of these plane manufacturers can be competitive hear in the U.S. I've already seen it happening in other businesses. Between the higher wages in Asia,which they should be, and the cost of shipping, it seems like just a matter of time. Back in the 60s when I was flying control line planes most the manufactureres like Royal, Sig, K&B, Veco, etc. were based here. Just thinking out loud.....not meant to be a political discussion. Brad

[Aros]

An update from Alpha, in Freewing's defense they weren't clear on what the recording was for and they certainly were not expecting it to be put up publicly on YouTube. As for this A-10 I am crossing my fingers I get an email notification by the end of next week!

:Party: :a10

[0nemildot]

Ok fellas,

I like most have been patiently awaiting the ship notification on this bird. However, after watching the flight review video, I am very concerned about flight times.

I get around 5min doing 3D on a 700 class Heli on 12s 5000mah and the videos released of the prototype testing were right there, unless editing enhanced this time. I have a charging setup robust enough for repeated flights, but having a timer set for three minutes and overflying that to 4min seems a little short to me.

Could be be my expectations are unrealistic. Maybe I just need to adjust them, but I would like to get a best guess estimate about flight times. In testing, was 6000mah adding anything to flight time? I suspect we are getting heavy at that point.

I thought helis were short, but you are 100% focused and 5 or so minutes is enough. By the time the A10 is up and you get settled in savoring the awesomeness and scale vibe, you will be landing..

I guess short flight times are the sacrifice for such a beautifully flying plane.

[dkalwishky]

I have three EDF's and my timer is set to 3:30 for them. Others in my club have EDF's and the same flight times.

Short flight times are the norm with these planes.

[Aros]

Yeah definitely apples to oranges my friend I'm afraid. Any EDF jet is going to be in the 3 minute range per average. A 6000 mAh might push you to 4 minutes without LVC but that's just the reality of the given technology limitations. Of course with throttle management you can squeeze out a little more time but under 4 minutes is going to be the norm.

[Porkster]

Ok fellas,

I like most have been patiently awaiting the ship notification on this bird. However, after watching the flight review video, I am very concerned about flight times.

I get around 5min doing 3D on a 700 class Heli on 12s 5000mah and the videos released of the prototype testing were right there, unless editing enhanced this time. I have a charging setup robust enough for repeated flights, but having a timer set for three minutes and overflying that to 4min seems a little short to me.

Could be be my expectations are unrealistic. Maybe I just need to adjust them, but I would like to get a best guess estimate about flight times. In testing, was 6000mah adding anything to flight time? I suspect we are getting heavy at that point.

I thought helis were short, but you are 100% focused and 5 or so minutes is enough. By the time the A10 is up and you get settled in savoring the awesomeness and scale vibe, you will be landing..

I guess short flight times are the sacrifice for such a beautifully flying plane.

Most performance EDFs are in the 3 minute mark, 3 minute timer then set up for landing. (freewing F-15 and the F-16) my F-86 is a little longer at 4 minutes so I think you might get about the same out of the A-10.
On my maiden i'll be setting the timer for 3 minutes then go from there. Its the down side to EDFs, very inefficient.

[ryramZ]

Ok fellas,

I like most have been patiently awaiting the ship notification on this bird. However, after watching the flight review video, I am very concerned about flight times.

I get around 5min doing 3D on a 700 class Heli on 12s 5000mah and the videos released of the prototype testing were right there, unless editing enhanced this time. I have a charging setup robust enough for repeated flights, but having a timer set for three minutes and overflying that to 4min seems a little short to me.

Could be be my expectations are unrealistic. Maybe I just need to adjust them, but I would like to get a best guess estimate about flight times. In testing, was 6000mah adding anything to flight time? I suspect we are getting heavy at that point.

I thought helis were short, but you are 100% focused and 5 or so minutes is enough. By the time the A10 is up and you get settled in savoring the awesomeness and scale vibe, you will be landing..

I guess short flight times are the sacrifice for such a beautifully flying plane.

I went 4:40 with mixed throttle on two 5000 Admirals. Start at 3:30 and adjust accordingly. A little conservation goes a long way. For videos we usually stay in the power so you all can hear the motors.

[bill34207]

Ok fellas,

I like most have been patiently awaiting the ship notification on this bird. However, after watching the flight review video, I am very concerned about flight times.

I get around 5min doing 3D on a 700 class Heli on 12s 5000mah and the videos released of the prototype testing were right there, unless editing enhanced this time. I have a charging setup robust enough for repeated flights, but having a timer set for three minutes and overflying that to 4min seems a little short to me.

Could be be my expectations are unrealistic. Maybe I just need to adjust them, but I would like to get a best guess estimate about flight times. In testing, was 6000mah adding anything to flight time? I suspect we are getting heavy at that point.

I thought helis were short, but you are 100% focused and 5 or so minutes is enough. By the time the A10 is up and you get settled in savoring the awesomeness and scale vibe, you will be landing..

I guess short flight times are the sacrifice for such a beautifully flying plane.

If you fly without the ordnance flight times can be stretched further. Most of the early videos were without the ordnance attached. It can also be used as a pylon racer when flown clean. ;)

[Mike_Then]

Ok fellas,

I like most have been patiently awaiting the ship notification on this bird. However, after watching the flight review video, I am very concerned about flight times.

I get around 5min doing 3D on a 700 class Heli on 12s 5000mah and the videos released of the prototype testing were right there, unless editing enhanced this time. I have a charging setup robust enough for repeated flights, but having a timer set for three minutes and overflying that to 4min seems a little short to me.

Could be be my expectations are unrealistic. Maybe I just need to adjust them, but I would like to get a best guess estimate about flight times. In testing, was 6000mah adding anything to flight time? I suspect we are getting heavy at that point.

I thought helis were short, but you are 100% focused and 5 or so minutes is enough. By the time the A10 is up and you get settled in savoring the awesomeness and scale vibe, you will be landing..

I guess short flight times are the sacrifice for such a beautifully flying plane.

You can't compare a 3D heli to an EDF, two totally different disciplines. That being said, the A-10 is not a speed demon, and those that are looking to go fast with an A-10 need to look elsewhere. I am getting 4:30 on my 90mm F/A-18E and I get 5+ minutes on my 80mm Super Scorpion and my DH-112 Venom V2. I fully expect to get at least 5 minutes on the A-10 with my Pulse 5500 mAh packs.

[petefoss]

Key is throttle management. You would be amazed how little speed change there is with just a few clicks off full throttle with big changes in current.

[downwindleg]

If the airframe isn't designed for speed as this plane clearly isn't, then no amount of extra power is going to overcome that. At the Reno air races the unlimiteds are starting with a stock Merlin in a P-51, for instance, which produces about 1600 to 2000 horsepower depending on which variant and that equates to about 400+ mph at altitude. They tweak the stock merlin out to about 4000 horsepower and cut every bit of drag they can including shortening the wings, lowering the canopy, and cutting down the radiator scoop and if they're lucky, they might pick up a 20-25% increase in speed versus doubling the power. So I guess what I'm saying is just relax and fly it at half throttle ,which is still faster than scale, and enjoy the plane for what it is and use that extra battery time to have fun. You can always give it the occasional burst for the wow factor. In the real military planes, the faster plane pilots often joke about how the A-10 gets bird strikes...........from behind!!!!!LOL But if they get shot down over enemy territory, they are preying for some support from the Hog. Just sayin' Brad

[themudduck]

Terrific flight videos, that was fun to watch!

[EDFjetpilot]

Is that video the stock sound or does it have the Nerf whistles installed?

Sean

[ColtPilot]

ha

You can stop gloating any time. Must be nice to be one of the first. I'll be next. Will order another Model Sounds Inc. card tomorrow. It takes a couple weeks to get across the boarder from Canada.. I'll get the regular 2" speakers instead of the exciters.

[FastBob]

Yeah definitely apples to oranges my friend I'm afraid. Any EDF jet is going to be in the 3 minute range per average. A 6000 mAh might push you to 4 minutes without LVC but that's just the reality of the given technology limitations. Of course with throttle management you can squeeze out a little more time but under 4 minutes is going to be the norm.

I really worried then with my Admiral 4000 to go into this bird. My timer will be 2:30 range !

[0nemildot]

Gents,

Thanks for the input/clarification regarding flight times. This thing will be a scale flight exercise for me, and my first EDF. If I can reliably/safely achieve 5min flights, I will be very satisfied.

The excitement in Ryan's voice on the video was wonderful to hear. I think sometimes it's hard not to become a bit jaded in this hobby, but that was the most honest response I've ever heard/seen in any vendor review video!! Kind of reminded me of the videos of the guys making unreal basketball shots.

The flight review mentioned a receiver pack, is that required or do the ESCs have built in BECs?

[RCjetdude]

It has been mentioned before that it comes with a separate BEC and that the "battery" Ryan mentions was just for additional nose weight to get the CG right.

[Hammer007]

Just read this update. Some of us just got knock back to late June for our planes......

Pre-Order / Reservation Details - Please read this information carefully before ordering:

• If you order on or after April 1st, 2017, you are part of Pre-Order Group #2 for the Freewing A-10 Thunderbolt II 80mm Super Scale EDF Jet. Pre-order now and save $50 off the retail price of $599! The current expected arrival date of Pre-Order Group #2 is late June 2017. Any changes to the ETA will be posted on this page.
• If you ordered before April 1st, 2017, you are part of Pre-Order Group #1. The current expected arrival date of Pre-Order Group #1 is late May 2017. Any changes to the ETA will be posted on this page.