Official Freewing 80mm Avanti S Sport Jet Thread

[Adrian-M]

Hi There I'm about to preorder mine what would be the max size 6s that would fit in this jet?
By the way I just love the vids that are out so far:):)

[Donu]

What are you guys using as far as paint brand for the inside of the canopy of the Avanti and are you scuffing it first to promote adhesion? Thanks looking forward on getting mine!

[AceMigKiller]

Hi There I'm about to preorder mine what would be the max size 6s that would fit in this jet?
By the way I just love the vids that are out so far:):)

The battery bay is pretty cavernous... you could fit a 6000 in there.
However, the biggest I've personally flown in the model (and not sacrificed impressive vertical performance) is a 6s 5500.

[xviper]

What are you guys using as far as paint brand for the inside of the canopy of the Avanti and are you scuffing it first to promote adhesion? Thanks looking forward on getting mine!

Isn't it blue from the factory?

[T-CAT]

As far as I remember from the last update, Alpha stated that the canopy will come clear with a very slight tint, and the it will have the white outlines already on it. This will allow customers to paint it from the inside to whatever color they desire without worrying about masking it off, etc. Then you can glue the canopy on the cockpit.

[T-CAT]

What are you guys using as far as paint brand for the inside of the canopy of the Avanti and are you scuffing it first to promote adhesion? Thanks looking forward on getting mine!

Any canopy I've painted seems to do well with almost any paint I've tried, acrylic, water based, etc. I always paint it from the inside and provide even coats and light coats until enough builds up to provide the look and coverage I'm going for. I've never had to use any adhesion promoting techniques or chemicals. Just make sure the surface is clean before painting and it should be good to go.

[Kloverzero]

I have my pre-order in!! Lets see what this thing will do off of grass!! This is my first sport jet, and I am really looking forward to it. I am a scale guy, but something about this one just grabs me. I love how the intakes are fashioned, and how the nose is shaped coming away from the canopy. Any way, I will report on grass readiness as soon as I get it!!

[Aros]

Funny how this jet has seemed to bring out the "scale only" guys like myself. The Stinger 90, as great of a flyer as that is as I have so often heard, just wasn't enough for me to pull the trigger. This one was able to for some reason. Agreed on the intakes and shape...

[Twowingtj]

I was always a scale guy too. I like the looks of scale jets, but watching them lumber along, struggling to get airborn, then fly OK for two minutes left me uninterested. Then several guys picked up and started racing the 64mm HP Stingers. That got my attention. They flew like, well....jets:)

Having hung on every mention or post about the Avanti S, I could not wait to pull the trigger. Now I've got the Stinger HP 64, F-16 70mm Pro, the Avanti pre-ordered and soon the 80mm A-10. Happy, Happy.

[Tom]

The canopy will come with a light gray tint. This was a decision we agonized over - probably too much. After trying MANY paint options we all liked one of three options (there were far more than this at one point):
1) Tinted canopy which allows you to see the cockpit. For people who want to detail the cockpit, we thought this was important.
2) Tinted blue canopy - still see through. We ruled this out because it added something ridiculous to the price - like $15 or so from memory. We felt that offered no value for the money.
3) Blue painted canopy (like our test plane) which is not "see through".

Option 2 was ruled out due to high cost. We eventually agreed in option 1 because those who wanted a scale cockpit could detail the cockpit and those who want a blue canopy can paint the inside blue. If left alone, it still looks great.

[Beeg]

Canopy tinting is not hard or expensive as a DIY project. A pan of warm RIT dye of any color you choose. We used to tint our sailplane canopies this way. Not sure what type of plastic the canopy is made from but most clear plastics receive RIT dye. Timing and water temperature in the solution is the hard part. Too long and it's too dark. Too cold and it may never take the dye. The warmer the better but you don't want to warp the plastic.

[Adrian-M]

The battery bay is pretty cavernous... you could fit a 6000 in there.
However, the biggest I've personally flown in the model (and not sacrificed impressive vertical performance) is a 6s 5500.

Thanks for that, another question Is the fan factory balanced I have purchased several PNP Jets including a Stinger 90 and have always been disappointed with the fans every single one have been out of balance and needed hours spent on them to get them right.
I have watched all the videos of this jet on youtube and I have to say the EDF fan sound well balanced.
Can't wait to get my hands on this baby love the look of the Avanti S
Cheers
Adrian

[Donu]

I've always used a 3M adhesion promoter on all of my canopies without ever a problem of peeling but just wanted to see if there was anyone else doing it also. Thanks

[Shirty]

I didn't realise till the posts above that the blue canopy is not on the production model. I'd humbly suggest the pop up adds for pre-ordering should show the correct one, otherwise without a doubt there's going to be people who don't read these threads and order one, then complain it's not like the picture advertising it. I know it's easy to paint the canopy in whatever colour you like, but people being people, you may get a lot of "that's not what I paid for", or" it's not what is advertised"... In Australia, consumer law says if it's not what was advertised you are entitled to a full refund on returning the product. (Yes, even if the colour is different, all advertising must accurately reflect what the purchaser receives). Don't know the USA laws on this, but just saying this could cause some issues....

im also a "scale only" fan, however the flght envelope of these sportjets has changed my opinions. I've flown quite a few of late (mainly turbines though), and I'm now convinced I need more sportjets. ;)

[Pheonix]

I per-ordered mine. This really looks like a good flying plane.

[T-CAT]

We had some excellent weather today, and with the forecast predicting a good chance of rain tomorrow I figured it would be a perfect opportunity to get some flying in for the weekend. The Freewing Avanti 80mm EDF jet and Freewing A-10 80mm EDF jet were (among others) at the flying field, and it was great opportunity to check them out and see them take to the skies. I had the honor of taking the Avanti up for a flight, and let me tell you, it didn't disappoint :Cool:. Thanks again for the opportunity.

My friends know the two planes I feel that have the best all around flight characteristics in the Freewing 80mm and above jet arena are the Stinger 90 and the F-86. I have owned or flown many others in that size foam jet market (Freewing and others), and as of this writing, the two I mentioned I still enjoy flying the most. With that said, many of the Freewing jets fly fantastic (especially in the 80/90mm size, just some are overall better flyers than others from a predictability and versatility standpoint. I tend to fly the one's that provide me with the most enjoyment, and that usually steers me toward bringing sport jets most often to the field (although I do love my scale jets, but they are just a different type of fun), specifically the Stinger 90 in this case. I have been looking for a new sport jet for some time now, as the Stinger 90 is one of the most fun and versatile jets I've ever flown, but it's an older design now.

Once a person gets a taste of what these foam sport jets can do, it's hard not to love them and take it to the field every time. They tend to be very predictable in virtually ever flight maneuver and a variety of weather conditions, provide great efficiency for a given throttle setting, doesn't require a cheater in most cases if designed well (so not as much worry of turbulence to the fan, added drag, speed loss, having rocks, grass, etc. getting sucking up into the fan through cheater vent(s), etc.), perform aerobatics to an amazing degree, tend to hold larger capacity batteries for longer flight times, tend to be lighter than our scale jet counterparts, and are often less expensive, have a better power to weight ratio, and can be flown all out ballistic or pattern like depending on how you feel on any given day. Sport jets in my opinion are true-winners from many standpoints, as can be seen.

This Avanti really shines from start to finish, and after only one flight I can honestly say that it's the best jet (not just sport jet) I've ever flown in PNP form I have been waiting to see it in the flesh ever since the released information of it's existence. I like the engineered clean ducting to eliminate the need for a cheater vent, and without the wing tube or wiring in the duct. I noticed the redesign of the canopy latching mechanism. The new lock has a larger round thumb pin on top and larger locking pin in comparison to previous FW models like the F-15 latch, etc. The easy wing connects are a huge plus, and provide quick assembly, and good reliability. The fact that they can be seen is another great design that adds to the safety of the flight (there is a little clear window on the wings above the quick-connect to ensure it's properly secured via visual reference). With a jet, let alone sport jet, I always look for a large battery bay, and this Avanti has come through for me in that regard. I flew the plane with an Admiral 5000mah 6S LiPo, and it CG's with ease, and still left plenty of room to continue moving a battery back if needed and still easily allowed the use of the velcro strap. The battery bay design is very clean since the wiring runs underneath the wooden battery tray (tray is secured via screws), and therefore leaves plenty of space for the receiver and other gadgets like a gyro, telemetry, etc. Fitting a variety of capacity of batteries is one thing, but allowing space for numerous battery capacities and leaving plenty of space to properly place your receiver and other electronic accessories is a whole other thing. It's excellent to see this type of space being engineered into new jets for us customers. The long underbelly spine damage guard is a great idea, and allows better durability for those real low :Scared:upright passes, transportation to/from the field, and gear retracted landings. The lighting package with the strobe on top, beacon on the bottom, and wing navigation lights are bright enough to be seen in daylight, and adds good detail to the model. The nose cone is magnetic and easily removed or attached for transportation/storage and flight. The assembly of the wings, horizontal stab., and vertical stab. all look to attach via screws (and the quick-connect for the wings). The color scheme shows up well in the sky, and is something I enjoy because I'm a bit "over" red color schemes at the moment. The retracts, struts, and wheel size are a great change since the wheels are rather large for a model of this size, and paired with the trailing link struts should allow the jet to be flown off a wide variety of surfaces. The spring tension on the struts seemed just right, even with the added weight of the 5000mah battery over a 4000mah 6S. The nose gear doors being spring driven instead of servo operated can be seen as a plus to save some complexity and weight with no need for door sequencing units (or an added channel) and potential failure points.

Flying this Avanti was a treat. It took off with absolute ease, tracked straight as an arrow, and had plenty of power (which was easily felt shortly after takeoff). With a 5000mah battery and it's added weight compared to a 4000mah battery, I wasn't sure what type of power to weight ratio I'd have available to me. With it's good acceleration, vertical ability, and "light on it's feet" type of feeling in the air, I had absolutely no issues being comfortable enough to push things a bit further on a first flight. The added weight of a 5000mah battery seemed to be of no concern, as it had great power, phenomenal agility, and an incredible glide ratio. Its nice long wingspan, lightweight structure, and great power system really shine since it could do virtually any non-thrust vectoring aerobatics you throw at it, do it predictably, recover like a champ, and keep asking for more. It goes vertical with authority, whether that be upright or inverted, and from a slower or faster speed. The plane flies great fast or slow, and can easily glide to extend battery life, or allow ample time to setup for an emergency landing should that ever occur. It knife edged very predictability with no coupling effect that I could sense, and it held it level across the field, transitioned to inverted flight and a vertical negative push over, followed by a power-off stall and it practically recovered itself. Flight time is great performing aerobatic flying, especially on a 5000mah battery. When it comes time to land, it's very easy to do so gracefully. The wing area and light weight really seem to allow this jet to excel at slow speed handling, and it comes in predictability, even with my no flap landing since we had decent head wind today. It settles nicely on the mains and roll-out distance is very respectable. The trailing links help absorb uneven terrain, and look fantastic on the jet.

So, basically what I'm saying is that I despise the jet, LOL LOL. After only one flight, it has officially taken the crown off my favorite all time sport jet (and jet in general), and is now King. With the newer technology and better engineered attributes (battery bay, quick-connects, belly spine guard, etc.) of this Avanti in comparison to the Stinger 90, the less expensive cost (a $299 pre-order price is just downright bananas, and worth absolutely every penny, and so is the regular price), it's even better flight characteristics (which is very difficult to imagine), this jet is a must-buy for me. I already pre-ordered mine the day it was available to do so, and that was without ever seeing or flying the plane. After flying it, it just added to the excitement of it being delivered next month, and solidified my decision for purchasing it. I only have so much room for new planes, so I chose carefully, and this is one I'm more than happy to add to my flight hangar. I am looking forward to more flights and evaluating it further. In addition, this is my own findings after a single flight. I don't get paid by MotionRC or anyone else, nor am I obligated in any way to share my opinion/review. I enjoy this hobby a lot, love seeing new products and advancements in RC (especially jets), and was fortunate enough to get to fly this jet and others occasionally before they hit the "shelves". I really enjoyed the jet, and wanted to share my thoughts on the matter, so take it for what it is (my opinion).

[Alpha]

Thanks for posting your impressions of the Freewing 80mm Avanti S, T-Cat! I just realized I didn't get any still photos of the Avanti flights today. Frankly I was content just to watch Xplaneguy haul this bird around see how long he could tempt the inverted power off stealth pass. We're happy you got a ride in the Avanti to see for yourself that it's everything we've intended it to be. You flew it well and confidently right out of the gate as if it had been yours for years, just imagine once you're truly fully comfortable with it. Thanks for violently snap rolling the bird six times without any flex or damage... seeing is believing!! ;)

[T-CAT]

LOL :Cool:! If it can handle that type of aerial abuse like a champ, it's a full beast-mode jet.

Seeing XPlaneguy haul around that A-10 was a site to see! Brrrtttttt!! Hahahaha

[xplaneguy]

Thanks gents! Everytime I fly the Hog, I think about the A-10 Demo Team perfomances I've enjoyed at airhows across the country. I feel compelled reenact them but just need the pyrotechnics to really bring the heat. ;)

Avanti photos from my morning flight, courtesy of our good friend Mike Gaasch.

[Aros]

Man T-CAT if I wasn't sold on the Avanti before, I sure the heck am now! :Cool: