Official Freewing 64mm EDF F9F Panther Thread

[rifleman_btx]

Anyone add a rudder to this plane? I been eyeing it, but would like it more with a rudder on it.

[thishobbieisamoneypit]

I love my f9f panther, just push the battery forward as far as it'll go and it will fly great. Once you get used to it, drop in a 4 cell. What a difference. I've found that the further forward battery is the better it'll fly.

Do you need any esc exchange to put a 4s in it? I’ve bee wanting to 4s it, but didn’t know if I should stick setup.

[MajorHavoc]

Has anybody else experienced a tail “waggle” at speed? I’m setup stock, balanced & no crashes or hard landings.
Thanks

[SanExup]

I admit, I roll my eyes when people gush about a plane that they haven't flown yet. And the F9F never really has done anything for me. Until I opened the box. This plane is beautiful! The photos and video really don't do it justice, seeing it in person makes me want an 80 or 90mm. I know it is similar to the L39 and the T33, but really, it's not. I would love to have a Panther with retracts and lights, and a functional tailhook. But regardless, I am really looking forward to setting up and flying this beauty!

[MJ58]

I admit, I roll my eyes when people gush about a plane that they haven't flown yet. And the F9F never really has done anything for me. Until I opened the box. This plane is beautiful! The photos and video really don't do it justice, seeing it in person makes me want an 80 or 90mm. I know it is similar to the L39 and the T33, but really, it's not. I would love to have a Panther with retracts and lights, and a functional tailhook. But regardless, I am really looking forward to setting up and flying this beauty!

I'm with you SanExup! I unboxed my Panther a couple of days ago and am putting it together now and it is beautiful! I really like the bright Yellow and Blue-gray combo, along with the silver trim. Looking forward to taking it to the field and getting it in the air :)

[SanExup]

Yeah, my initial thought when ordering it was that if it were in a larger scale that I would paint it. After seeing it, I most certainly would not!

[MJ58]

I’m planning on flying the maiden tomorrow morning. Wish me luck!

[MJ58]

Well my maiden with the F9F Panther went well. I made two flights and another attempt with no damage. I had a friend help with the hand launch on the two successful flights. On the one were I tried to launch it myself, it came down after a couple of seconds. I flew with an Admiral 3 cell - 2200 mAh battery pushed all the way forward. I partially cut the battery tray so it would fit easily. I didn't use any landing gear. The CG checked out fine.

Upon the toss, she dipped a bit and then come up smoothly. That first flight was a bit nerve-racking as it was all I could do to keep it in the air while I got the trim set. I had set my low rates to 45% with 30% expo and it was still a little too "responsive" for my preference and skill level. In fact, my friend who tossed the plane stood next to me and worked the trim sliders for me as I gave verbal input. Once the Panther was trimmed it was easier going. After a few easy turns I was able to land without incident. I will say, the Panther glided well, so give it room to land. The second flight was smoother as I got used to how she flies and my nerves settled down :) I will say, be careful to keep her in close as she is small and can get away before you know it. Thank goodness for yellow wings!

Regarding hand-launching, I'm afraid my hand isn't big enough to securely grasp it over the canopy and underhand it (my preferred method on the 850 mm Dora and P-510) and holding the rear underside of the fuselage and tossing it just doesn't feel right either. So last night I decided to cut a couple of the cheater strips out from the belly (an earlier reviewer's idea) so that my thumb and fingers can get a grip and I can toss it with either hand. I will probably use my left hand to toss so my right hand is on the elevator. We'll see how that goes.

I have also reduced my low rates a little more and increased my expo to 40%. I am looking forward to flying her again soon so I can see how she flies with these changes and to see if I can hand launch her myself.

MJ58


Flying since Feb 2020 and am somewhere between a beginner to intermediate flyer. I've flown the Apprentice, AeroScout, and 850 mm FW190 Dora, P-51 and F4F Wildcat, as well as some micro planes.

[MJ58]

I am trying to figure out a way to replace the right wing servo. It is the original servo and is securely attached, so much so that with much prying it feels like it will tear a hole on the topside of the wing. Any suggestions or videos?

[SanExup]

Have you carefully cut around the sides?

[MJ58]

I sure did, but that was easy. It is getting the attached bottom of the servo to come free from the wing. I can’t figure out a way to pry or cut it free without damaging the wing itself.

[SanExup]

Yeah that's a tough one. I have flexed them in their 'holes' before and popped the glue and little bits of foam, after cutting around the servo. I've also pulled too much foam and had to glue and fill.

[MJ58]

Well the problem took care of itself. . . sort of 😀 The bad news was the wing broke. The good news was it gave me easy access to the servo and I was able to replace it. After that I glued the wing back together. So, now it’s fixed! LOL

[SanExup]

MJ58 Well, the upside is now you can fly it without worrying about scratching it!

[redjet]

Hi. What size lipos are you using on the f9f please?
I'm yet to maiden but aiming for the cg of 38mm from the intakes.
On 3s I need to use a 2650mah lipo in order to get the cg. The FW website proposed a 1600!
I promise I didn't stick a potato on the back anywhere. (just checked)


Hoping to eventually move to a 4s setup too if anyone has recommendations for 4s as well as 3s.
.

[MJ58]

I use the Admiral 2200 3S and it works fine. However you have to do a little modification on the battery tray to get it to fit better. If you don’t want to cut the tray, then use a 1600 to 1800 mah battery which fit better without any mod needed.

Beware that when you upgrade to a 4S battery you’ll almost surly need to modify the tray do to its thicker size. I also use a 4s 2200 and it works well.

A question out of curiosity. How will you be launching your Panther?

[redjet]

I've a 4s 1800 so will try it, thank you. I've modified the tray to allow for larger batteries at a slight angle into the nose. I've installed inav on an f405 WSE and planning to use autolaunch and a hand throw, then autotune and use acro mode - fingers crossed for some really smooth flying :)

[MJ58]

Good luck Redjet! Let us know how it goes.

[redjet]

Quick check. Cg at 45mm without landing gear and 38mm without?

[Marko the jet guy]

A flying buddy and I ordered the F-9 Panther as our first EDF jet back last spring. We enjoyed assembling the models and after some hair raising takeoffs (till we got the CG correct) we really love the little planes. Perfect first EDF nice flyer and not at all gnarly on a hand launch. I did add some grippy tape pads to the rear of the fuselage for a more positive hand launch. After flying many flights this summer and progressing through a few more jets I had the misfortune to hang the poor panther in a tree at our flying site. A quick pass through the sun left me and my spotter momentarily searching for the plane which we found about 1 second before it hit the tree. The plane was perched about 30 feet off the ground with the right wing destroyed but the rest surprisingly intact. Fortunately the club memg=bers organized a rescue party and with a great effort by the guys the panther was recovered. Thanks again guys!. After surveying the damage I decided that I was going to follow up on a conversation I had with our club president about what it would take to convert the Panther into a swept wing Cougar much the same way that Grumman Aircraft did with the full size plane. I also have the Freewing Lippisch and absolutely love the way it flies so the thought was to get a set of Lippisch wings and graft them onto the Panther fuselage. My buddy Joe was ordering and added a set of wings and a 9 gram servo to replace the one the lead pulled out of and the project was under way. I repaired the fuse and tail and carefully cut the wings off the Panther leaving the original tabs intact on the fuse. Then when the wings arrived I cut the wings to match the tabs on the fuselage. I also drilled the fuse for the carbon tube that the Lippisch uses for a wing spar. With the wings grafted onto the Panther fuse she was starting to look like a Cougar. After the wings were mounted a couple of filler pieces of EPP foam blende the wings to the rear fuse fillets. I also added some filler here ad there where the fuse had some hits from the branches. The plane is now done except for some gray touch ups on the fuselage. The wings are still yellow but the plane did gain quite a few square inches of area. The CG was also moved back a bit due to the sweep angle. The plane balances very well with an 1800 3S pack on the tray. I will get the touch up done this week and perhaps if the weather gods up here in the New England are good to us we will do some test flights next weekend. Here are some pictures of the transformation. These 64mm jets are fantastic, they flight great and the inexpensive parts make a little "Jet Bashing" possible without breaking the bank.