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

[ColtPilot]

Yep that awesome tim. Happy to hear it mate.

I told my daughter that Noah went global and is known in Australia.:)

[Shirty]

Noahs a rock star at my club. ;)

[Porkster]

I don't think that's too dirty, but just right- looks really good! Show us the bottom...:Cool:
Tom

heres the underside

[Pogo]

heres the underside

Excellent! Now those low dirty passes will really be, well, you know.....:):Cool:
Tom

[Twowingtj]

Looks great Porkster.

Excellent news Tim!

[Legman01]

They do get pretty nasty with gun gas.

[Itgordon00]

I have been able to find a combination of landing gear mods which work for my landing style so now I can focus on flying the beast. She is amazing.

The mods I used are:
500000wt diff fluid in the nose strut
Soften the Mains springs

Note. I did not come up with these Mods myself. Big thanks to all of the guys for sharing their mods.

[Porkster]

They do get pretty nasty with gun gas.

Woah! That's one dirty hog belly! LOL. Thanks for sharing that, at least I know I haven't over exaggerated it!

[Porkster]

Got my first flights in today after the weathering and reversing the main struts. Three out of three for smooth no bounce landings. At last some confidence returns to what is such a great flying plane. My technique hasn't changed so clearly this mod works, it still absorbs that initial weight on touch down but then locks to stop the pogo effect.
Top idea TiredIron and great results from what is a simple mod to do.

[themudduck]

See the photo for where I place my RT 6250s...sounds similar to where Mudduck's are placed.

I can fly a scale 5:30 actual air time flight and the cells come down at 3.78v per cell. I've been able to get a scale 7 minute actual air time flight and the batteries come down at 3.72v per cell.

Hope this helps,

Sean

Sorry for the delay, I was out of town for a few days. Sean already posted his picture, but here's the promised picture of my A-10, with the RT6250's installed. Sounds like I fly mine just like Sean!

[themudduck]

If anyone is having trouble with bounced landings it may be because the aircraft is too nose heavy. There’s absolutely no design flaw in the airframe/landing gear.
https://youtu.be/qnNXiXiAJKg

Great job Ruth, this is what I've been saying... and this video shows what I've been harping about... coming in with the nose up, and the plane just slows down to a crawl and lands like a feather, no bounce.
This is the way it lands with full flaps, when the plane is not nose heavy. No problems. You don't need all those mods, if you land like this.

[Porkster]

Great job Ruth, this is what I've been saying... and this video shows what I've been harping about... coming in with the nose up, and the plane just slows down to a crawl and lands like a feather, no bounce.
This is the way it lands with full flaps, when the plane is not nose heavy. No problems. You don't need all those mods, if you land like this.

I am genuinely glad that this plane is working for you. Please watch my video and tell me what you think, I'm being honest.I came in nice and slow at a decent angle of attack with the nose high as you said and watch the plane pogo down the runway, see how the suspension just builds up momentum making what should have been a small little hop into plane wrecking high bounces.
This suspension set up just doesn't work for me and the reversed struts which TiredIronGRB suggested work.
also please take into consideration that I'm not flying off a full size runway like the video above, I have 200ft to land in or face another bent strut as it runs off in the tall grass.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUR5mZAvlK0

go to 4:12 to see the landing.

[bill34207]

I understand where you are coming from Porkster. For those of us who are less than perfect Tired Iron's mod is a blessing.
There are two types of pilots flying this A-10, those who have experienced the death dance and those who have not "yet". One time is all it should take to serve as a learning experience.

[Lon]

I am genuinely glad that this plane is working for you. Please watch my video and tell me what you think, I'm being honest.I came in nice and slow at a decent angle of attack with the nose high as you said and watch the plane pogo down the runway, see how the suspension just builds up momentum making what should have been a small little hop into plane wrecking high bounces.
This suspension set up just doesn't work for me and the reversed struts which TiredIronGRB suggested work.
also please take into consideration that I'm not flying off a full size runway like the video above, I have 200ft to land in or face another bent strut as it runs off in the tall grass.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUR5mZAvlK0

go to 4:12 to see the landing.

My only advice from watching that landing is "if you would have extended your flare for another 1/2 second, you would not have had a bounce" , at the most the nose wheel would have had a very little bounce. My first EDF was the FW F-86. It was with it that i learned the importance of holding off as long as possible up to and during flare, to bleed of energy or be ready for a bounce. Another thing to try, move a battery back aft a little bit. That just may get the CG in that sweet spot for more consistant no bounce landings.
200ft runway....I have one place that i fly my A-10 and F-86 that is only 200ft. I've flown there twice this year. With many "Go arounds" when landing. I have to be on top of my game, or the help of a good headwind. I fly very often, have the option of long runways. That's why only twice at the 200ft location. Longer runway gives you the option to extend your flare and avoid possible bouncing.
Here's a couple vids of some A-10 landings this year https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqB2lbC1S6Q
Dont get me wrong, I have had some landings with some small amount of bouncing.

[TiredIronGRB]

I understand where you are coming from Porkster. For those of us who are less than perfect Tired Iron's mod is a blessing.
There are two types of pilots flying this A-10, those who have experienced the death dance and those who have not "yet". One time is all it should take to serve as a learning experience.

Lol, no one lands perfect every time...

[Clearblue]

Another successful day thanks to TI! I would like to move the CG back a little bit more, but using his modification to the gear that’s not possible. No word about these “ Replacement Gear” we were told about? I’d like to try them, just to see? This plane is so sweet! And now thanks to T.I. It’s been broke from the Bronco Bill Day’s!

[Shirty]

I am genuinely glad that this plane is working for you. Please watch my video and tell me what you think, I'm being honest.I came in nice and slow at a decent angle of attack with the nose high as you said and watch the plane pogo down the runway, see how the suspension just builds up momentum making what should have been a small little hop into plane wrecking high bounces.
This suspension set up just doesn't work for me and the reversed struts which TiredIronGRB suggested work.
also please take into consideration that I'm not flying off a full size runway like the video above, I have 200ft to land in or face another bent strut as it runs off in the tall grass.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUR5mZAvlK0

go to 4:12 to see the landing.

That's a really good example porkster. I'd agree it's pretty dramatic for what would be a very nice landing on most planes. It's such a small envelope to get right. I've had two bouncy landings in 20 flights, no damage or drama and managed to set it down softly both times, but it's such a small margin for error. Both bounces the nose touched bout the same time as the mains, or a fraction of a second early. If I get it right like my maiden vid and keep a decent high alpha all the way to the Tarmac, it's greased in. But the slightest bit out and hellooo skippy the bush kangarooo.

Not critising motion, freewing or the testers of this plane, but I am very curious how the model made it to production in its current arrangement, surely this was picked up during testing? Just curious about the process more than anything.

[Kurtzz]

I've pretty much have read this whole A10 forum and I don't think I've seen where anyone's plane with a stock setup exhibit any tail heavy tendencies. Is it possible with a stock setup and batteries like Admiral 5000's to be tail heavy? I have A5000's jammed as far back as I can get them, then I see pictures of people's planes with batteries in the 6000+ range that are way forward of where I have mine, somebody has to have balance issues. Maybe balance is a good reason why people are having problems landing and bouncing this plane. It's harder to slow down a nose heavy plane.

[themudduck]

I've pretty much have read this whole A10 forum and I don't think I've seen where anyone's plane with a stock setup exhibit any tail heavy tendencies. Is it possible with a stock setup and batteries like Admiral 5000's to be tail heavy? I have A5000's jammed as far back as I can get them, then I see pictures of people's planes with batteries in the 6000+ range that are way forward of where I have mine, somebody has to have balance issues. Maybe balance is a good reason why people are having problems landing and bouncing this plane. It's harder to slow down a nose heavy plane.

I agree! I firmly believe that with the 5000mah stock batteries in the center of the trays, the model is nose heavy. It flies perfectly fine but it doesn't want to flare easily and will come in faster. With each of the two batteries pushed back (front battery to the rear edge of the front tray, rear battery pushed back all the way to the circuit board) the plane is no longer nose heavy. I don't believe its tail heavy. It flares much more nicely with the batteries pushed back, but does not show anything that would indicate it's tail heavy.

As I have mentioned in earlier posts, I also increased the flap throw and with the flaps all the way down and the batteries back, the model lands really nicely, just floats gently in with the nose up and makes perfect landings... no issue with bouncing. Just like what RuthR showed in his video https://youtu.be/qnNXiXiAJKg . If you fly the model with the batteries forward, you will tend to contact the runway with the nosewheel first (at a faster landing speed, exactly as you said Kurtzz) and it will most certainly bounce and set up the dreaded "bunny hop" effect. (That did happen to me on my second flight, then I moved the batteries back)

I just watched Porkster's video, I agree that is an excellent example of how the model bounces even with a perfect landing. Porkster, I certainly don't think you made any error! Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with the TI mod because it does seem to work really well for many of us. But I've been flying mine all summer, stock (with the batteries back) and have not had this bouncing problem. I fly from grass and also a black-fabric covered dirt runway (basically the same as a paved runway). I probably have 40-50 flights now. So why haven't I had this problem? My opinion is that its probably the balance and perhaps the flaps. My flaps go waaay down, all the way until they contact the back of the nacelle, and then I cut a little foam out to go even a bit further than that. Of course with that much drag, you need to come in with the throttle cracked open a bit. Not enough throttle and the model will do a hard carrier landing!

[1horse59]

That's a really good example porkster. I'd agree it's pretty dramatic for what would be a very nice landing on most planes. It's such a small envelope to get right. I've had two bouncy landings in 20 flights, no damage or drama and managed to set it down softly both times, but it's such a small margin for error. Both bounces the nose touched bout the same time as the mains, or a fraction of a second early. If I get it right like my maiden vid and keep a decent high alpha all the way to the Tarmac, it's greased in. But the slightest bit out and hellooo skippy the bush kangarooo.

Not critising motion, freewing or the testers of this plane, but I am very curious how the model made it to production in its current arrangement, surely this was picked up during testing? Just curious about the process more than anything.

If you look at the test Videos, you will see a different nose gear being used.