Freewing 80mm F-5....Any thoughts?

[gooniac33]

I flew my FMS 70mm Avanti with my buddies F-5 this past weekend. I am ordering a new set of retract assemblies and will have all new stuff soon. All of the flying had worn out my gear... so it will be back in the air soon...

[DCORSAIR]

Well now, got my F-5 transfered over to a new radio (Futaba 8FG) from a 7C and flew it to get it all set up the way I like it, the take off was all over the place and when I landed it was like a squirrel trying to keep it straight. Of course it was nothing to do with the new radio but it got me wondering if some new rubber tires would help, oh yeah guys, put some new rubber tires on it and wow what a difference, tracked down the runway like it was on rails and when I landed it stayed put, the foam tires were my problem all this time, it will still skid if you turn it to fast but nothing like those foam tires would do, you guys having trouble might want to try some rubber tires. I found some rubber Hanger 9 wheels about the right size, don't look the best but they work, going to find some better looking rubber tires for it, I do think the front nose wheel from the 90mm F-16 will work and fit good for the mains, nose wheel might be harder to find, haven't shopped for any yet, I had these Hanger 9 tires in my parts bin. :Cool:

[AZFlyer]

Very cool! Most people wouldn't notice the different nose, but this looks great! Outstanding job.

[wvrailfan]

Yeah, that's why I asked about it. I was worried that I was going to damage the door trying to get the spring loose. It also had some type of contact cement applied to it.

I looked but didn't find an "Official" Freewing F-5 thread, so I guess this thread is it.

I have flown mine twice now and I like it. Much more stable than I expected it to be. As someone else said, it flies like a larger plane. I modded mine to pass as a T-38. It is still not a great representation, but it is different than the other F-5s at my club, and looks pretty cool in the air.

[Alpha10]

Thanks Alpha10. I finally got it pried loose.

Suckers on their tight man! Ha! I normally just cut the spring and press it back on with a little CA...

[wvrailfan]

You just pull it off. It's a tight fit

Thanks Alpha10. I finally got it pried loose.

[Alpha10]

How is the spring that closes the nose gear door attached to the door? It looks like a press fit and I can't see any glue on it, but for the life of me I can't get it loose. I'd like to remove the door for painting.

You just pull it off. It's a tight fit

[sfninerfan69]

https://news.usni.org/2017/08/09/navy-reserve-f-5-crashes-off-key-west-pilot-good-condition-coast-guard-rescue

[wvrailfan]

How is the spring that closes the nose gear door attached to the door? It looks like a press fit and I can't see any glue on it, but for the life of me I can't get it loose. I'd like to remove the door for painting.

[wvrailfan]

I'm a little late to this plane, but I am becoming a big believer in Freewing jets.

I am wrapping my plane with Oracal 751 series vinyl film. It will add about 90-95 grams overall once I am done.

I have most of the rear half of the fuselage complete. I'll post more if this works as planned;-)

[Evoman]

Well #2 had the expiration date come sooner than I'd like.....hazy day and got a little too far out as I was setting up for landing...disoriented and lost her......don't think I will get another one.....it's just too small for me to see .....getting old I guess....

I have found that flying at dusk or at dawn with good navigational lights actually makes it easier to keep track and tell the orientation of the plane. I have found the GT Power light kit available from MRC to work really well.
Just make sure to put the red and green LEDs on the wing tips facing forward and the blinking white strobs on the rear of the wing tips. That way when the plane is flying away from you only the white stobes and red tail light can be seen. And when the plane is flying towards you, you see the solid red and green LEDS.

Me and a friend were able to fly further away with more confidence with full navigational lights at night than during the day.
I will see if I can add a pic or video of my T-28 latter to show how it looks.

[Rick227]

Well #2 had the expiration date come sooner than I'd like.....hazy day and got a little too far out as I was setting up for landing...disoriented and lost her......don't think I will get another one.....it's just too small for me to see .....getting old I guess....

[StewW]

As you say, it will happen only once. I now secure them also and check several times to make sure they are nice and tight.
it is amazing how much suction those motors can generate.
thank you so much for the tips.

[gooniac33]

The F-5 is my first EDF and though the winds have kept it on the ground since I got it a few weeks ago, I look forward to the forecast calm weather this weekend. I plan on the maiden flight being in Las Vegas as they have a wonderful dry lake bed near Boulder City that a local group of enthusiasts has marked and maintained a great playa runway. Lots of runway plus lots of area to land if things go crazy the first time.
I don't know if I am the only person who has had this problem though, so just words to the wise. Yesterday when I was checking all the settings I noticed the rudder stopped responding. Nose gear was fine. A little investigation revealed the servo cord had been cut inside the fuselage. Based on the location it appears it got sucked into the fan and neatly sliced. Luckily I have plenty of spares from previous projects over the years. So while I could not find any specific mention in the instructions, make sure you pull the slack on the rudder servo into the wooden ESC shelf when you install the tail. This should help protect it. I am probably just an idiot for this but I have found that we are very rarely the only idiots in the world. :)

All it takes is one time...LOL It has happened to me....ONCE!! I am really a stickler about getting all of the wires tucked away after it cut both elevator servo wires on a plane that only used elevator servos...LOL The fans produce lots of suction and most people doen't even realize how much! I zip tie them or make sure that they are taped/glued in a manor that prevents this from happening

[StewW]

At first I thought the shroud has cut it, but if you look at the cut it doesn't seem possible. There appears to be a triangle shape taken out of it rather than just cut across. Oh well, live and learn.

[seaviper]

Yeah when I build these planes I am very cognizant of where my wires are and whether they are being pressed against any sharp edges. It was probably cut against the edge of the fan shroud. If it had been sucked in the fan you would have known it.
Fun plane. Floats on landing unless you slow her down.

[StewW]

The F-5 is my first EDF and though the winds have kept it on the ground since I got it a few weeks ago, I look forward to the forecast calm weather this weekend. I plan on the maiden flight being in Las Vegas as they have a wonderful dry lake bed near Boulder City that a local group of enthusiasts has marked and maintained a great playa runway. Lots of runway plus lots of area to land if things go crazy the first time.
I don't know if I am the only person who has had this problem though, so just words to the wise. Yesterday when I was checking all the settings I noticed the rudder stopped responding. Nose gear was fine. A little investigation revealed the servo cord had been cut inside the fuselage. Based on the location it appears it got sucked into the fan and neatly sliced. Luckily I have plenty of spares from previous projects over the years. So while I could not find any specific mention in the instructions, make sure you pull the slack on the rudder servo into the wooden ESC shelf when you install the tail. This should help protect it. I am probably just an idiot for this but I have found that we are very rarely the only idiots in the world. :)

[Rick227]

Well ......I'm on #2 now as #1 found a tree......Still.......one of my favorite EDFs....

[Alpha10]

The F-5 is sounds good and flies great. It's just too small for my taste. The factory paint/sticker job was horrible on mine as well.
Alpha10 you talking about the 80mm Super Scorpion or another one?

Yup. The FW 80mm SS. Don't get me wrong, it was a dream to fly once you got it in the air, but... That was the hard part haha!

It was hands down the worst NON-tracking plane I've owned.

I put a Mirage 80 double nose wheel strut on it for a while, and that helped a lot, but it was still a PITA compared to the rest.

[seaviper]

The F-5 is sounds good and flies great. It's just too small for my taste. The factory paint/sticker job was horrible on mine as well.
Alpha10 you talking about the 80mm Super Scorpion or another one?