Official Freewing 80mm Avanti S Sport Jet Thread

[Scott Page]

Here are some lessons learned that others may benefit from.

I was painting my next Avanti -- Had just finished application of clear coat - the final step in the job and when hanging the fuselage I dropped it on the nose (without nose cone on). To make matters worse - when trying to catch it I missed the catch and propelled if even faster into the the concrete floor. (insert angst here)

From the RCG Avanti thread I learned that the optimal temp to water bath this foam is 170F. At 180 the foam will gator. So I used my sous vide water bath to precisely set the temp to 170 and bathed the nose for about 5 minutes. It worked -- except when it dried the clear coat had become cloudy. (insert angst here).

So I applied another fairly heavy coat of polycrylic to the affected area and the cloudiness went away. (insert much joy and dancing here).

Other lessons learned:
Clear coat painted parts BEFORE masking. The stock paint comes off the foam fairly easily.
Tamiya 10mm and 6mm masking tape is the bomb! Very sharp paint lines even on foam.
Liquitex spray paint is the bomb - no nasty vapors and a huge pallet of colors - however needs to be clear coated to seal.
Liquitex overspray can be easilly cleaned off the foam with ethanol AKA methylated spirits or denatured alcohol. ]
Minwax Polycrylic overspray can be cleaned off eye glasses with ethanol.

Here is the nose after my painting accident.

This is the nose after the water bath.

Left side (the worst) after water bath and re-applying Polycrylic


Right side after all was said and done. This side looks almost as good as new.



Reply

[Hugh Wiedman]

I have recently purchased a Hobby Eagle A3-L V2. Upon using the gyro for the first time, I took off and then adjusted the gyro by using the front right knob on my Spektrum 9 transmitter and successfully brought the jet to smooth flight. I could not have been flying for more than 2 minutes when my Avanti jet began to loose power which ended badly as the plane could not climb above the tree line thereby losing my jet. Has anyone experienced a loss of power when using this gyro, or a shortening of flight time??? The jet had been flown numerous times by me and the battery was fully charged. All cells were full. Can anyone help me here??? Gary

Gary, I use a gyro in everything, all are the Spektrum AS3X RX, and I would have to say the gyro absolutely has nothing to do with your loss of power (and sure that any other gyro including the Hobby Eagle would not have any affect either). One of two things, first a potential bad battery. Even though it may charge fully with 4.2 volts per cell, doesn't mean that all cells are good. Once had a bad battery and it did the exact same thing, charged fully (each cell to 4.2 or 4.18) and even after use, all cells were close in voltage, but half way through a flight I seemed to lose power. Finally tested it on an IR meter and could see at least one cell had 2-3 times the internal resistance of the others, so into the ocean it went.

Second thing is a loss of signal. On your Spektrum TX (assuming you are using a Spektrum RX-may also show on other RX's but doubt it), use the roller and go to one of the telemetry screens (I think it's the 2nd or 3rd) and it will show the number of signal frame losses (100 or so after 4 minutes not too bad) but also it shows the # of Holds. A Hold is very very bad, meaning you lost signal at some point and then may have gotten it back. 1 is bad, so anything over 0 is potential disaster.

Regardless, first make sure your RX antennae is as far from the battery as possible and as far from other wires as you can. In my Avanti, I located my RX in the very front, with the antennae going up into the nose. Then fully charge that same battery. Set the plane on the bench, hold it down, and run through a 3-4 minute simulated flight, full throttle taking off, mid throttle cruising, a few more full throttle climbs, etc. If the battery is bad, it will at some point (maybe 1/2 way through your simulated flight) start pulsing the EDF and losing power. If it's not the battery, then I'm betting it's a signal loss.

[GaryBoya]

I have recently purchased a Hobby Eagle A3-L V2. Upon using the gyro for the first time, I took off and then adjusted the gyro by using the front right knob on my Spektrum 9 transmitter and successfully brought the jet to smooth flight. I could not have been flying for more than 2 minutes when my Avanti jet began to loose power which ended badly as the plane could not climb above the tree line thereby losing my jet. Has anyone experienced a loss of power when using this gyro, or a shortening of flight time??? The jet had been flown numerous times by me and the battery was fully charged. All cells were full. Can anyone help me here??? Gary

[Eliminator]

Eliminator Nice footage of having fun with the Avanti, this is definitely one aircraft that makes formation flying easy!

Hey Hug

Definitly yes and the best EDF Entry plane in my opinion. The same power setup and conversation through flying makes it alot easier then with different airframes.
Rico

[Hugh Wiedman]

Eliminator Nice footage of having fun with the Avanti, this is definitely one aircraft that makes formation flying easy!

[Eliminator]

Hey guys wanted to share one of my latest videos. Found some cool footage flying the Freewing Avantis in formation. Enjoy...

https://youtu.be/w6aGf9aCpNE[/COLOR]

[Hugh Wiedman]

My last flight with my Avanti S resulted in a minor molecular alignment at the front end so I decided the best way out was some minimal filler and yellow paint.. I also lost one of the tension springs and not wishing to pay a fedex £12 admin fee from the EU to UK ( excluding the cost of the spring and postage ) I found some piano wire of the right size and strength in my scrap box and made one. A bit of epoxy on the door tabs and the main spring to keep it in place along with a couple of balsa guides for the spring plus a bit of cf rod to stiffen the doors and I am ready to go.

Very creative on the balsa to keep the spring lined up, you architects are just too clever to be allowed to roam around freely. I also put cf tubes on the doors to keep them from bowing in and it seems to have solved that issue.

[paulrkytek]

Hi Mate

There is a simple mod by using a rubber band to hold the front door spring so it doesn't invert forward & also it keeps it up so it doesn't move or spring off.

Some simple mods link below

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Op0rQsZGJHI

Cheers

Thanks Con , I thought of that but rubber perishes, the way I have set the epoxy on the main spring does stop it from inverting or moving forward, the balsa is just belt and braces

[Con Papaioannou]

My last flight with my Avanti S resulted in a minor molecular alignment at the front end so I decided the best way out was some minimal filler and yellow paint.. I also lost one of the tension springs and not wishing to pay a fedex £12 admin fee from the EU to UK ( excluding the cost of the spring and postage ) I found some piano wire of the right size and strength in my scrap box and made one. A bit of epoxy on the door tabs and the main spring to keep it in place along with a couple of balsa guides for the spring plus a bit of cf rod to stiffen the doors and I am ready to go.

Hi Mate

There is a simple mod by using a rubber band to hold the front door spring so it doesn't invert forward & also it keeps it up so it doesn't move or spring off.

Some simple mods link below

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Op0rQsZGJHI

Cheers

[paulrkytek]

My last flight with my Avanti S resulted in a minor molecular alignment at the front end so I decided the best way out was some minimal filler and yellow paint.. I also lost one of the tension springs and not wishing to pay a fedex £12 admin fee from the EU to UK ( excluding the cost of the spring and postage ) I found some piano wire of the right size and strength in my scrap box and made one. A bit of epoxy on the door tabs and the main spring to keep it in place along with a couple of balsa guides for the spring plus a bit of cf rod to stiffen the doors and I am ready to go.

[Mach9]

First post here people!


I'm really keen on working towards an Avanti S. I've already got two 3300mah 6s batteries and would rather not have to buy more specifically for the Avanti.

I've noticed that the recommendation is to fly on minimim 4000mah packs. Will she fly on 3300's without messing aroung with adding weight to maintain balance at CG?

Thanks, folks!

Nick

I would put in both 3300mAh packs in parallel. I like more than 2 minutes of flying and not just gliding a jet.

[AFTERBURNER]

Since no-one else has chimed in, I am very happy with my FMS PRO with the 3280 2100kV motor. It's around $80 and provides a very noticeable increase in especially acceleration and climb for a minimal increase in current.

I have put those units in my Mirage, Gripen and EFlite F-4 too.

Between your Mirage and your Avanti, which one do you like best overall? Is the Mirage faster? Does the Mirage do well on grass? I like my Avanti and I am considering the Mirage.

[Hugh Wiedman]

Con Papaioannou love your printed nozzle with the afterburner. Great installation of the aluminum foil; makes a big difference on this one with the long exhaust tunnel. Wouldn't have an EDF without AB's, even if it's not "Scale" and the only EDF I don't have them in is the A-10. Even one in my Stinger 90!

thundercracker, the Avanti is such a versatile airframe that it will fly exceptionally well with just about any battery and weight, assuming you can achieve your desired balance point. So it's a trade-off with flight time. I fly mine with a Roaring Top 6250 mah (weight 794 g) shoved all the way aft just under the foam ledge. It balances there at 110 mm and gets off grass quickly (and I don't even use TO flaps-no need to) and will knife edge with no elevator mix and high alpha all day long very stable. I'd go to 115mm if I could, but with that set-up I'm getting just under 5 minutes of flight time. Very rarely am I at full throttle and with that extended flight time it allows a very extended acrobatic routine (I'm not just cruising around in a level oval). But it's all about what works best for you, but if I were you, I'd put the largest battery you have in it and get as much flight time as you can. Just my 2 cents.

[Hemidoo]

First post here people!


I'm really keen on working towards an Avanti S. I've already got two 3300mah 6s batteries and would rather not have to buy more specifically for the Avanti.

I've noticed that the recommendation is to fly on minimim 4000mah packs. Will she fly on 3300's without messing aroung with adding weight to maintain balance at CG?

Thanks, folks!

Nick

I fly mine with 6S 3300's 4000's and 5000's , all the way forward as i can with the 3300's . I do say tho she fly's best with 4000's ..IMO

[mshagg]

First post here people!


I'm really keen on working towards an Avanti S. I've already got two 3300mah 6s batteries and would rather not have to buy more specifically for the Avanti.

I've noticed that the recommendation is to fly on minimim 4000mah packs. Will she fly on 3300's without messing aroung with adding weight to maintain balance at CG?

Thanks, folks!

Nick

Hi Nick. It's an amazing all rounder of a plane but I think you would be disappointed with the experience on a 3300mah, both in terms of runtime and perhaps difficulty getting a good CG.

Have you considered the FMS Avanti 70mm? It's a similar flying experience and it loves that size battery.

That said if you're getting into the 80mm class EDFs you will likely end up with a flock of 5000mah packs anyway. The freewing Avanti is worth buying some for, I guarantee it.

[Con Papaioannou]

Hi Hugh

I have also put in a Center burner that i have made my self, similar to the Light burner it has a 12v 144smd led light and is super bright in the day,Check i out.

The 3rd pic of the led on only at half throttle so will go brighter at full throttle.

Cheers

[Con Papaioannou]

First post here people!


I'm really keen on working towards an Avanti S. I've already got two 3300mah 6s batteries and would rather not have to buy more specifically for the Avanti.

I've noticed that the recommendation is to fly on minimum 4000mah packs. Will she fly on 3300's without messing around with adding weight to maintain balance at CG?

Thanks, folks!

Nick

Hi Nick

She will fly nice on a 5000mah pack just adjust according to the cg in the book don't copy exactly where mine is because i have a center burner in the rear also the 3d printed exhaust so mine is a little more forward.
Cheers

[Con Papaioannou]

Hi

This is my Freewing 80mm Avant with 3D printed Exhaust Mod & 3D printed detailed pilots with instruments in the cockpit cheers.

[thundercracker]

First post here people!


I'm really keen on working towards an Avanti S. I've already got two 3300mah 6s batteries and would rather not have to buy more specifically for the Avanti.

I've noticed that the recommendation is to fly on minimim 4000mah packs. Will she fly on 3300's without messing aroung with adding weight to maintain balance at CG?

Thanks, folks!

Nick

[kallend]

Best overall power system?

As this model has been out and flown with many different power systems (out runner, in runner, 9-12 blade)
what is the consensus on the best overall style of motor and number of blades for general sport and mild aerobatic flying?

Considerations are thrust, longevity of motor, efficiency, and battery consumption.
Top speed is not a consideration.

Thanks in advance.

Since no-one else has chimed in, I am very happy with my FMS PRO with the 3280 2100kV motor. It's around $80 and provides a very noticeable increase in especially acceleration and climb for a minimal increase in current.

I have put those units in my Mirage, Gripen and EFlite F-4 too.