Official Freewing 80mm Avanti S Sport Jet Thread

[Hugh Wiedman]

Hey all,

I've had my Avanti for over 2 years at this point, probably 70+ flights. But I'm starting to get frustrated because it seems to develop new gremlins every 15 flights or so. So here is a list of the problems I've been having, a few of them are common known Avanti issues:
1. Left flap gets stuck for no reason, super common issue (Solution: Bypass board?)
2. Right aileron begins to vibrate around center if moved at all manually, really weird issue
3. Nose gear steering will not work after gear deploy unless the rudder is cycled fully in both directions 2 times, which isn't a good idea on final
4. Landing gear have a LOT of slop after so many grass op flights, and plane is hard to keep in a straight line on the ground as a result (Solution: New Gear?)

In conclusion it seems like replacing/bypassing the blue box will tell me more about these issues. The landing gear probably just need to be replaced. I also have everything on the plane powered by a Castle BEC.

Agree with mshagg, replace the servo and gear that you can. My Avanti from the get go had a flap servo that would stick full down more often than not. Rewiring around the blue box is difficult and would add another connection when installing/removing wings. Instead, try reducing the delay on the flap deployment to 0. Worked for me, as well as both my B-24's which had the exact same issue. I replaced the servo at first, didn't help, and changing delay to 0 (not 1 or 2 or 3 seconds but 0) did the trick.

[Patriotic_Banana]

I dont think there's many servos like being horsed around manually when they're powered up lol. But that said the servos the avanti ships with arent exactly bullet proof. I probably wouldnt tolerate a questionable aileron servo, given the cost of replacing - and 2 years seems like a respectable service life.

Not sure bypassing the junction box is all that easy given the electronics in the wing are connected via a ribbon cable, but it's doable. I've heard it said that using a slowdown on the Avanti flap servo contributes to the problem so you could try disabling that if you use it.

The struts do get a bit sloppy, grass takes its toll even on this fantastic gear, but you need to identify where the slop is. If it's between the strut and the trunion then might just be the grub screws.

For the misbehaving aileron servo I'm talking the movement created when you place the aircraft on the ground. It is a really weird behavior that doesn't effect flight, and I'm not inducing it with violence.

I will run my servos with no delay for a while and see what I get, but I may also replace the Blue box just as a cautionary measure.

For the gear, I've tightened all the screws I could find to no avail, I think it's just at the end of it's useful life. Grass is hard, especially since the Avanti doesn't have very ridged gear. My F-22 and F-18 behave very well on grass.

[Beachsideflyer]

I’m just wondering what people are using to darken or black out there canopy?? Or what spray is best.

If you paint the cockpit flat black and glue on the canopy it will appear very dark.

[Hugh Wiedman]

If you paint the cockpit flat black and glue on the canopy it will appear very dark.

Why black out the canopy. Build it out with pilots and cockpit instruments instead.

[Beachsideflyer]

Looks great Hugh, how about zooming out for some more pics? Here is what I mean about just painting cockpit floor making stock canopy look darkly tinted.

[Hugh Wiedman]

Looks great Hugh, how about zooming out for some more pics? Here is what I mean about just painting cockpit floor making stock canopy look darkly tinted.

I know, just foolin around. You asked for more pics, well I hate to post my photos , but OK. Added an afterburner also.

[Beachsideflyer]

Looks like EDF heaven Hugh!

[Hugh Wiedman]

Looks like EDF heaven Hugh!

And that's not all of my EDF's, and to think I said just 2 years ago that I would NEVER get an EDF, to fast and not enough flight time. Fly everything now on a 6000mah and flight times are not too bad 4-5 minutes.

Also have the SU-30 and F-18 hornet in build mode, so the fleet is expanding. It's primarily due to the Avanti S, which gave me confidence and experience in flying jets so I could fly others. The Avanti is such a sweet flying jet, almost a trainer, yet so much more.

Still love the WWII and 3D prop planes, but every other trip to the field is Jet Day, with at least 4 climbing in the truck for some fun.

[Beachsideflyer]

And that's not all of my EDF's, and to think I said just 2 years ago that I would NEVER get an EDF, to fast and not enough flight time. Fly everything now on a 6000mah and flight times are not too bad 4-5 minutes.

Also have the SU-30 and F-18 hornet in build mode, so the fleet is expanding. It's primarily due to the Avanti S, which gave me confidence and experience in flying jets so I could fly others. The Avanti is such a sweet flying jet, almost a trainer, yet so much more.

Still love the WWII and 3D prop planes, but every other trip to the field is Jet Day, with at least 4 climbing in the truck for some fun.

[Beachsideflyer]

Yup, I’m really liking the EDFs lately but just picked up this Blitz rc Skyraider at a garage sale for $10. , whatcha Gonna Do?

[Beachsideflyer]

Has anyone used the Optipower Ultra Guard in their models yet? I want to run a backup power system for the receiver and this setup looks the ticket.

[MrVoyagerx]

Yup, I’m really liking the EDFs lately but just picked up this Blitz rc Skyraider at a garage sale for $10. , whatcha Gonna Do?

Sell it to me for $11...

Nice find!

[AFTERBURNER]

Hugh, what kind of paint and clear coat did you use on your Avanti?

[Hugh Wiedman]

Hugh, what kind of paint and clear coat did you use on your Avanti?

For the additional yellow and red, I used testors gloss yellow enamel (TES1114TT) (hand painted) and gloss red enamel (TES1103TT). First I put down a flat white primer. Spray Rustoleum ultra coat flat white primer from Home Depot on the canopy, and hand painted testors flat white primer (which is now discontinued, although I think Tamiya makes it too) on the wings and elevators. I sprayed the canopy with the Rustoleum Ultra Coat gloss Golden Sunset yellow first, then hand painted the red. I could not get the paint to adhere very well on the raw foam so when I masked the area to paint the red over the yellow, it peeled everything when removing the trim tape, so the areas on the wing and elevator (picture with the afterburner was before I added red) needed 3 coats of Varathane exterior Spar Urethane gloss first over the yellow (should have done this first before priming with white). Then I could mask the area and get sharp edges without peeling any paint. The entire jet is coated with 4 coats of the Spar Urethane gloss, which really helps preserve the paint, gives it a hard shell and kind of glistens in the sun. You may see it better in the following photo on the nose, but in the sun it really stands out. The gloss also shows any imperfections, so if you like, you can use semi-gloss, satin or matte, but I like gloss. Hand spread it on with a foam brush, light coats each time, drying 2 hours between coats (keep it away from servos, linkage, hinges or anything where 2 coated surfaces come together - mask those areas).

Hope this helps, any questions and I'd be happy to help out if I can.

[Hugh Wiedman]

To give you a better idea of how the surface looks after coating, see below:

[AFTERBURNER]

Thank you Hugh. Much appreciated.

[rpellicciotti]

Has anyone used the Optipower Ultra Guard in their models yet? I want to run a backup power system for the receiver and this setup looks the ticket.

There is no need for a $50 solution. Here's what we do with our EDFs: We take the throttle lead from the ESC (which also supplies the voltage to the receiver) and we push the red wire pin back out of the connector and tape it off. This way, it could be put back in the future. With this pin pushed out, the ESC/BEC no longer supplies power to the receiver. I have a few 1100mah LiFe receiver batteries. These are small and lightweight. They cost $8. I install a standard receiver switch in the airplane and run the lead back to the back of the battery area. In the Avanti, this is the area where the plywood piece is located for the gyro. This way, the radio is powered from a seperate battery than the flight battery. The size of the battery is sufficient for 3 flights at least. If you happen to have a flight battery fail or run it down in flight, you still have control.

[AFTERBURNER]

"LiFe receiver batteries cost $8." Where? Please tell me where I can get LiFe batteries for 8 bucks.

[rpellicciotti]

"LiFe receiver batteries cost $8." Where? Please tell me where I can get LiFe batteries for 8 bucks.

These are the ones I paid $8 for a year or so ago. Looks like they have gone up a little since then.

https://www.buddyrc.com/glacier-1100...r-battery.html

Here are some for $7:

http://www.valuehobby.com/power-syst...h-2s-life.html

[AFTERBURNER]

These are the ones I paid $8 for a year or so ago. Looks like they have gone up a little since then.

https://www.buddyrc.com/glacier-1100...r-battery.html

Here are some for $7:

http://www.valuehobby.com/power-syst...h-2s-life.html

THANK YOU MUCH APPRECIATED