Official Freewing 64mm EDF A-10 Thread

[TSHobbies]

saw your static vids in the other thread..those engines do sound good...which ones were they?

I modified mine to 12 blade as soon as I got it back in 2015. First was a set of change sun 12 blades with 2800kv outrunners. then I found these awesome fans on ebay that had more thrust and made really nice noises when balanced properly!! It is one of my fave planes now!! Here is a video from this past weekend...

[gooniac33]

I got a killer couple flights in after thanksgiving... here they are...

[setxwarrior]

I just caught up on this thread, and wanted to give a true novice input on the FW A-10. I moved from the Apprentice to the HH F4U (easy transition). Saw the FW A-10 and knew that had to be my next plane. I maidened the A-10 very successfully, and followed up with another successful flight and landing before it got too dark! I did install and used the flaps for takeoff and landing. I'm using the Admiral 4S 3600 with a 3 minute timer (which went by way too fast).
What would be a safe, expected flight time with this battery?
Great flier (on a DX9), however the aileron roll rate scared the crud out of me the first flight! I was most worried about the landing speed, but with full flaps was not an issue at all.

[Oxotnik]

Ron, I just noticed that you're a retired ATC. Our club president is also a retired ATC and has some great pilot and airplane stories to tell. I bet you do, too. :-)

[Oxotnik]

Ron, that grass that your V1 is on looks very similar to our grass runway.

[F106DeltaDart]

F-86 has 50mm mains and 45mm nose wheel (all approximately 2"). The P-40 has slightly larger wheels, around 2.25".

[Ron1950]

found this old pic of v1 off grass

[Ron1950]

flew my v1 off short grass field and flew very well...just checked my v2 plane and it is a 12 blade model but now I cant build it as I have no room lol still !!!!

[Oxotnik]

DD, what size are the wheels on the F-86 and the P-40?

We keep the grass cut pretty low in front of our flying area. It gets pretty thick during the summer though. We've been having a pretty serious drought for the last couple months; so, the grass is pretty thin and low right now and hardly anything is struggling on it. I like 3" wheels on my tail draggers, to help avoid nose overs, which isn't a problem for trike gear planes. But, I think that my Ta-152, P-47, and FW-190A have ~2.5" wheels, and they sometimes struggle in the summer grass (again, the struggle is avoiding nose overs) but haven't been having any trouble in the drought-stricken grass.

[F106DeltaDart]

Just for reference here are a few pics of the grass field where I have flown mine. If the grass is longer at your location, you might have issues taking off as Alpha said.

[Alpha]

Happy to help, Oxotnik. If your planes need 3" or larger, that's far larger than this plane or most in its size range can handle. I've seen guys throw down a roofing tile mat over grass to aid takeoffs with 64mm or 70mm jets, or heck even hand launching the Freewing 64mm A-10 without gear and ordnance. But ultimately, every field is different. If you're seeing guys in your club struggling to takeoff with similarly sized jets, I'd guess you'd have the same struggle with this bird.

[Oxotnik]

Thanks, Alpha. I've been wanting to add one of these A-10s to my Arsenal of Freedom, but I haven't popped on one yet because I fly almost exclusively on a an active grass-strip runway. I like 3" or larger wheels, but can usually get away with 2.5" on my tail draggers, if the grass isn't too tall or thick. I only have one trike-gear plane (FLRC P-38); it's wheels are almost 3" and it handles the grass field with no problem, especially with the shock-absorbing struts. I don't really have a feel for the smallest wheels that'll work on our grass runway. Other guys in my club have EDF jets in this size class, and they sometimes struggle to get their planes into the air.

[Alpha]

The Freewing 64mm A-10 has nearly scale sized wheels, which for a 1:16 scale aircraft translates to being very small, around 1.25" tall or so for the nose wheel. In general, grass shouldn't cover more than 50% of a wheel, otherwise it cannot consistently roll. Accordingly, I've always regarded the Freewing 64mm A-10 as an aircraft better suited to paved surfaces, rolled surfaces, Geomat or similar, or at worst packed dirt. I have flown it off of grass, but that grass was closer to a putting green in height and levelness than the average grass RC field I see around the country.

[Oxotnik]

see..the gear cant handle hard landings ...great flier though

So, would the gear be prone to fail on grass fields?

[TSHobbies]

see..the gear cant handle hard landings ...great flier though

[TSHobbies]

Id second the good plane for a first EDF..easy flier without worrying about it being too fast for reaction. and I know it can get disoriented when you get out too far..already did it, if you do, just keep your cool, make small movements to see which direction its headed in. I will note that the gear mounts (little white plastic things the retracts screw into) barely had any glue on them, and my came loose very easyily..so make sure to check yours, and reglue if needed, especially flying off grass.

[Oxotnik]

DD, thanks for confirming that the A-10 would be a good introductory EDF. I've been really tempted by the new UMX A-10 that is coming out, but for $70 more, I could get the really cool Freewing A-10. Decisions, decisions... Knowing me, I'll probably end up getting both.

[F106DeltaDart]

No, I didn't install flaps at all. I think it takes off and lands well without them. The A-10 is a great first jet for sure, second only to the little Freewing Panther. Visibility is definitely an issue, I recommend not flying on an overcast day. In a nice blue sky it's not a problem at all, especially with its distinctive silhouette.

[Oxotnik]

Thanks, F106. To date, I've been a prop warbirder, with no experience with EDFs. I picked up a GWS ME-262 at a swap meet, but haven't put it together yet. I think that the A-10 would be a good introductory jet, based on its real-life mission and flying characteristics. The Freewing A-10 looks phenomenal, and the features look great, although I'm worried a bit about the visibility. The only reason that I haven't bought it yet is that the small wheels have been worrying me since I fly on a grass runway. I've seen other jet flyers in my club really struggle to get their jets into the air. Did you need the flaps for grass takeoffs?

[F106DeltaDart]

I'm thinking very seriously about getting the 12-blade Freewing A-10. How well does it handle a grass runway?

I flew my V1 off short cut grass without any issues.