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

[T-CAT]

Awesome video! I can't wait for this jet.

Those look to be the F-15 trailing links on the A-10, no?

[Westsider]

That makes my dirt runway look like glass. First Rubicon rated RC EDF jet? Lol

[Alpha]

Hey OV10, the main gear suspension is stock, not a "mod", it's part of the design intent I discussed earlier to drastically improve the aircraft's ground handling on rough surfaces compared to Oleos. Because I'm asked with every plane we release "How does it do on grass?" we really focused on making this particular aircraft especially suited to grass fields more than any plane in our inventory. There are many big EDFs with super scale landing gear that can't handle the grass height this A-10 can handle. It's not perfectly scale, but it is far more functional in this size range, which immediately widens the appeal and suitability of the aircraft for a larger group of potential customers.

T-Cat, the design is very similar to the F-15's main gear struts, but the A-10s are much larger and suited to this airplane's size. We don't have a strut that large for any other Freewing plane, so these are a new SKU #.

[Grossman56]

Really impressed with the plug in wing design....Nice work.

I'm with Brandon, this is something that makes us 'Long Haulers' (Trips to Windyanna) smile, wish all my planes were like thaat!!

Grossman56

[AkumaZeto]

I would love to give this bird a realistic airbrush job that it deserves. I like the concept of the multi connector but I would use weatherpack connectors.

[Brandon Moon]

I like it...I did the same thing to the little 64mm version and the F-5 struts, and it was a big improvement. I also really like the fan Blade count combo and it's longer flight time and efficiency....BIG PLUS in my book. Most current available edf's have a bad rap for this very thing alone.

This plane is going to be a trip to trick out and air-brush weather up.

[T-CAT]

Hey OV10, the main gear suspension is stock, not a "mod", it's part of the design intent I discussed earlier to drastically improve the aircraft's ground handling on rough surfaces compared to Oleos. Because I'm asked with every plane we release "How does it do on grass?" we really focused on making this particular aircraft especially suited to grass fields more than any plane in our inventory. There are many big EDFs with super scale landing gear that can't handle the grass height this A-10 can handle. It's not perfectly scale, but it is far more functional in this size range, which immediately widens the appeal and suitability of the aircraft for a larger group of potential customers.

T-Cat, the design is very similar to the F-15's main gear struts, but the A-10s are much larger and suited to this airplane's size. We don't have a strut that large for any other Freewing plane, so these are a new SKU #.

Excellent, that's what I was hoping. This jet is large and in charge, so it needs it, ha-ha. However, it flies like it's not, and I love that.

Were the strut pins enlarged to 5mm compared to the 4mm like other 90mm jets, and have the pins been rock solid so far even going off-roading?

[Lon]

Xplaneguy,
So appreciative of your videos and input on this A-10. Can hardly wait to get my hands on this plane!

[Alpha]

Do you think the 90mm would be an even bigger battery drain?

Hey Xviper2, that would depend on what kind of 90mm setup is used. We've tested four different 90mm 6s setups, from "scale" setups with lower amp draw to "hot" setups with higher amp draw. We try to find a balance in the stock PNP, but ultimately it is up to the pilot's thumbs and flying style that is the biggest determinant to flight duration. Because the difference in efficiency is so close to each other percentage wise, it's not like any give 90mm setup with the same battery setup will fly twice as long as another setup where the only variables are motor size/kv and blade count/shape. The gap is closer to 20% in flight duration. I can fly a "hot" setup for just as long as a lower amp "scale" setup, by using energy management and efficient flying. I find this to be more true of heavier EDFs, where you can use their mass to maintain energy. I rarely fly my EDFs at 100% throttle, because most of them perform just as perceptibly quickly at 70%-80% throttle.

I really enjoyed the video Tony posted because it shows a wide flight envelope and how the aircraft accelerates, decelerates, and preserves its energy in a dive, a turn, and a level line. Tony really put those batteries through their paces, especially powering up to full power right before that vertical climb, and also five minutes into the flight. Great flight because it was so informative! And Evelyn, wow, superb job keeping that big bird in frame as your maverick dad kept buzzing the tower! Is that a new camera?

The "Going after the Taliban" and "Brrrrrt" were my favorite comments. :D

[OV10]

Hey OV10, the main gear suspension is stock, not a "mod", so these are a new SKU #.

Very most excellent Alpha. Those mains look like a good start for the Bronco mains ;)

[Alpha]

Were the strut pins enlarged to 5mm compared to the 4mm like other 90mm jets, and have the pins been rock solid so far even going off-roading?

There are 5mms on this specific prototype that I left with Tony and Evelyn to evaluate the handling at his field. We've tested 5.5mm and 6mm pins, but frankly they're overkill. Pins are still a designed failure point for any retract because they're the cheapest and easiest to replace. We don't want those forces transmitted up inside the retract itself where more things could break. To mitigate most of that concern, the most important refinement we've been testing in the struts is the spring tension. We want a spring tension that is sufficient to support the aircraft with a visually "straight up" strut, like the real A-10. If the A-10's main struts sagged rearward like the T-45, it would look strange, and too much of a visual sacrifice. As a compromise, the main strut springs are tensioned such that they only actuate when taxiing on rough surfaces, or during the moment of touchdown upon landing. Oleos are great for many full size aircraft, but trailing links are more practical in many size ranges for many RC aircraft. As always, it just depends on the plane, size, weight, intended surface operation, etc.

[Alpha]

Very most excellent Alpha. Those mains look like a good start for the Bronco mains ;)

Ha, you're right, except for length and tension, they would be. ;)

[OV10]

Maybe since this Warthog is still not totally past the dev stage that the mains could use a more scale strut like the FMS P-40B??
Those buggars are 100mm in length and beefy with 5mm pins and scissor links ;)

[T-CAT]

There are 5mms on this specific prototype that I left with Tony and Evelyn to evaluate the handling at his field. We've tested 5.5mm and 6mm pins, but frankly they're overkill. Pins are still a designed failure point for any retract because they're the cheapest and easiest to replace. We don't want those forces transmitted up inside the retract itself where more things could break. To mitigate most of that concern, the most important refinement we've been testing in the struts is the spring tension. We want a spring tension that is sufficient to support the aircraft with a visually "straight up" strut, like the real A-10. If the A-10's main struts sagged rearward like the T-45, it would look strange, and too much of a visual sacrifice. As a compromise, the main strut springs are tensioned such that they only actuate when taxiing on rough surfaces, or during the moment of touchdown upon landing. Oleos are great for many full size aircraft, but trailing links are more practical in many size ranges for many RC aircraft. As always, it just depends on the plane, size, weight, intended surface operation, etc.

That is exactlyyyyyy what I was hoping to hear on everything you said. Loving the effort man. Thanks for working hard.

[xplaneguy]

Thanks Lon & Alpha!

Do you ever sleep Alpha? LOL I know, who needs sleep! Heck, you could pull double duty at Dunkin Donuts. ;) Haha!

[T-CAT]

I need to bring us all some Krispy Kreme, LOL. Maybe the next time we all get together at the field to fly. We'll celebrate the new jets :D.

[xplaneguy]

I wish I could partake, my breakfast now consists of eggs, yogurt or a banana. Dang diet! LOL

[T-CAT]

Welcome to the club my dude. It's like witnessing a miracle when I have unhealthy food since it doesn't happen often. LOL