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

[ColtPilot]

I thought you were in Mississippi :Silly:

I think that would be MS. :PLOL My wife's cousin lives Nashville and one in Knoxville.

[ColtPilot]

Wonderful news Tim!!!
God be praised...
God bless you and your family...

Thanks, may see you at E-Jets and Warbirds as I was there last year, and thanks for your thoughtfulness.

Tim T

[ColtPilot]

I just signed up for the AMA Foundation Jet Rally in Iowa. Since I'm the JPO District VII Representative I hope to get good coverage of the event. I will have just completed the Centennial of Selfridge ANG Base the weekend before and will bring the FW A-10. Anyone else from out that way going?

[Shirty]

I sure can. The LiPo's in the picture are the Turnigy 6S 5000mah 65C. Keep in mind though that I have heavier power systems installed (the Freewing 80mm EDF 12-blade with 1820kv motors), so I had to ensure these had to be moved forward enough to balance. With the stock lighter system, you may need to see how much further aft to achieve proper CG. I also have an aftermarket pilot installed, and chopped quite a bit of the foam away from the center section of the canopy, but you will see how much is needed (if at all) with your install. The bottom LiPo is has hook and loop (Velcro) secured to it and the plywood floor for added security since they are heavy batteries. I also added two more screws in the center section plywood (one screw on each side) also for added security. The top LiPo sits on top of the other with a small rectangular cut piece of kitchen cabinet mesh non-slip material, and the velcro used (to ensure it was long enough) is the One-Wrap long roll cut to proper length and width with plenty of extra (much more than needed) just so I can easily grab onto it secure it properly. I didn't like the 3/4" width Velcro roll, so purchased the 1.5" and just trimmed a little width off it to fit perfectly in the oremade velcro strap slits on the plywood battery floor. The link to the velcro is below. I found the velcro at my local Home Depot.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00404ULFQ..._xYkvzbQD8Q1M9

Hey tcat, I bought the same batts for my a-10, and just checking, but from your pics and comments I'll need to stack these batts (so you don't use the front tray?), and get them a bit more rearward than your pic to get cg with the stock 80mm system?

Also general question: re calibrating the throttle, does it matter which you do first? (Bec or the no Bec one?)

cheers.

great news tim. Great to hear. Wish the young fella all the best

[401 FOOT CEILING]

Connecting leads from the module to the receiver (Spektrum AR610) and the connectors appear to be ~.012 larger than the opening. Anyone encounter an issue like that?

[petefoss]

Good news on my Grandson Noah, there is an exact match and the marrow transplant will be done soon. Thanks for all the prayers and well wishes. I plan on seeing my daughter and grandson the end of September. They live in Southern Vermont. May bring a plane out that way to fly.

Tim T

Come out to the NEAT Fair with us Tim! Plenty of room in the camper. We drive there straight from E-jets and stay a week. You're welcome anytime as long as dogs in the camper don't bother you.

[petefoss]

I just signed up for the AMA Foundation Jet Rally in Iowa. Since I'm the JPO District VII Representative I hope to get good coverage of the event. I will have just completed the Centennial of Selfridge ANG Base the weekend before and will bring the FW A-10. Anyone else from out that way going?

Are EDF's welcome Tim? I thought that was a turbine focused meet.

[Fast Eddie]

That looks excellent! Really makes the plane stand out. What's your technique?

I took the advice and tips from Alpha and others. Sand down and round off end of a bamboo skewer to about 1mm. lightly make shallow depressions.
Try not to push too much so you don't puncture the foam. Takes a steady hand. It's a tedious process.
Not sure if I'll do the rivet "bumps" on the bottom and rear of fuselage. That would take way too long, for me anyways.

[bill34207]

Connecting leads from the module to the receiver (Spektrum AR610) and the connectors appear to be ~.012 larger than the opening. Anyone encounter an issue like that?

All the time. Spektrum wants to make life hard if you are running any servos other than theirs. Easy enough to fix by cutting (or filing) a little bevel on the servo connector. The bevel should be made on the "solid" side where it does not show the pins.

[ColtPilot]

Are EDF's welcome Tim? I thought that was a turbine focused meet.

There is no mention one way or the other. I'm going to get informed and to see some cool jets that just might entice me. Will take the A-10 anyway. Already signed up and have reservations. Besides since I'm the district JPO Rep I should be there anyway. Just put the tail section together with the verticals to the horizontal stab. Need to get painting on the fuse and nacelles. Then the graphics. Hope to have it finished for the Giant Scale flyin at RCCD then to Skymasters for the air show event.

[ColtPilot]

Come out to the NEAT Fair with us Tim! Plenty of room in the camper. We drive there straight from E-jets and stay a week. You're welcome anytime as long as dogs in the camper don't bother you.

Unfortunately I won't be able to as I started a new job and will need to be at work Monday morning.

[T-CAT]

Hey tcat, I bought the same batts for my a-10, and just checking, but from your pics and comments I'll need to stack these batts (so you don't use the front tray?), and get them a bit more rearward than your pic to get cg with the stock 80mm system?

Also general question: re calibrating the throttle, does it matter which you do first? (Bec or the no Bec one?)

cheers.

Hi Shirty. Chances are you will have to stack them with this amount of battery weight, and with a lighter power system (the stock is pretty light overall), as well as move them further aft than mine show. I am not using the front battery tray at all, only for placement of my telemetry equipment. I originally had the batteries with one on the front tray and one on the rear tray, but I was still nose heavy even after moving them to a point where the front battery didn't have much of the strap left on it to secure it. Still being too nose heavy and the placement of the LiPo's at that point made me uncomfortable, so I decided to stack them to ensure proper CG, and have more room to adjust from there if needed.

The best way I found to calibrate and sync the power systems is to plug in the LiPo to the ESC leads without the BEC, then plug in the second LiPo to the ESC with the BEC.

[401 FOOT CEILING]

I took the advice and tips from Alpha and others. Sand down and round off end of a bamboo skewer to about 1mm. lightly make shallow depressions.
Try not to push too much so you don't puncture the foam. Takes a steady hand. It's a tedious process.
Not sure if I'll do the rivet "bumps" on the bottom and rear of fuselage. That would take way too long, for me anyways.

Have been using a nail punch for larger rivets and a hollow point match bullet for the smaller rivets particularly found on the vertical stabs. Gives you a slightly raised center to mimic the appearance of the larger real flat rivets. WOW and others make raised rivet stencil patterns, too. May just make an impression and fill it with thick enamel with a fine hobby brush to mimic a raised rivet.

[DCORSAIR]

The issue on my gear (which hasn't flown yet) and all of them, I suspect, is the gap between the trunion and "actuator". I tried bonding in a shim but it wouldn't stay in place, so the fuel tubing idea looks good AS LONG as it doesn't stop movement before the limit switch does, causing an over-amp stoppage with each gear extension. I chose to use Tirediron's solution- an additional aluminum plate with a slightly smaller cut-out that takes up the free play (Sorry can't find a link just now).
I'm disappointed that MRC is saying this sloppy gear has been designed this way- hard to steer a jet with the front strut wandering around so much- and this on an otherwise STELLAR airplane. (Oh, and us grass flyers need the trailing link nose strut the prototype had- I hope it's made available soon.)
Tom

This hog is to heavy to have a weak nose gear like this, it needs to have a nose gear strong enough to with stand side loads, I knew when I put mine together and lowered the nose gear it was going to be a problem on steering, some people laughed at the FMS A-10 for this problem and here this one has it to, mine is so sloppy already and it has only 6 easy landings. This thing should track like an arrow but instead you see a wobble from side to side when you try to steer it for a scale takeoff, there, I finally got that rant off my chest, but other than that problem it is by far the best EDF out there right now.......:)

[dkalwishky]

I just signed up for the AMA Foundation Jet Rally in Iowa. Since I'm the JPO District VII Representative I hope to get good coverage of the event. I will have just completed the Centennial of Selfridge ANG Base the weekend before and will bring the FW A-10. Anyone else from out that way going?

I'm in Iowa and have not heard of this, got a link to a website or something?

[ColtPilot]

I'm in Iowa and have not heard of this, got a link to a website or something?

AMA Foundation Jet Rally.org

[WAY BAD]

Opened mine up today, and was pleasantly surprised to see the spinners painted...

[T-CAT]

That's good to know. I wonder why that wasn't done on the first preorder A-10's.

[Aros]

That's good to know. I wonder why that wasn't done on the first preorder A-10's.

My guess...Somewhere after the first batch went out someone in the factory said "Oh crap!" LOL

[T-CAT]

My guess...Somewhere after the first batch went out someone in the factory said "Oh crap!" LOL

LOL, probably.