Official Freewing 64mm F/A-18 Hornet Thread

[WildBillG]

oh yea. It only took an ounce of weight added under the tail to balance the FW 64mm F-18 with a 6S.

[270win]

New to the forum but been flying RC for 28 years. I'm more into scale airplanes but wanted to try this as my first EDF. I'm interested in moving into some of the larger and more scale appearing EDF models.

My F18 is the Royal Maces version with the 12 blade fan. I have yet to maiden this one. I fly from a paved runway and decided to put the landing gear on mine. I'm hoping to fly it soon.

[270win]

I've got 6 flights on it now. For an airplane that floats in for landing this thing takes quite a takeoff roll to get airborne. I'm running 2200MA 35C 4S 12 blade fan. It flies well but is a dog in the vertical and isn't very fast. I've also noticed that the elevator servos don't seem to center well every time, this has caused an un-nerving "tuck" on short final on two occasions. I also have to re-trim from flight to flight. I'm not sure if upgrading the servos would help this or not.

[rifleman_btx]

Yeah replace them, looks like the reostat is walking on you. I wouldn't fly again until you do that.

[270win]

Yeah replace them, looks like the reostat is walking on you. I wouldn't fly again until you do that.

Any recommendations on a good alternative?

[rifleman_btx]

I'm assuming both sides are doing this? Can you take a video or anything so we can see it? The servos I would use is https://www.motionrc.com/collections...ad-md31093-300
And

https://www.motionrc.com/collections/servos/products/freewing-9g-digital-metal-gear-reverse-servo-md31092r-300

I also assumed the horns and all the linkage is solid.
the only other thing I can see causing this is if the elevator is hanging on something on the bar it rotates on.

[270win]

I'm assuming both sides are doing this? Can you take a video or anything so we can see it? The servos I would use is https://www.motionrc.com/collections...ad-md31093-300
And

https://www.motionrc.com/collections/servos/products/freewing-9g-digital-metal-gear-reverse-servo-md31092r-300

I also assumed the horns and all the linkage is solid.
the only other thing I can see causing this is if the elevator is hanging on something on the bar it rotates on.

Thanks for the servo recommendations!
Good point on your assumptions, yes, the linkage doesn't have any play in it and there are no obstructions. But I have seen the elevators center higher or lower depending on which direction they are returning to center from. (i.e. from up elevator, center the stick and the leading edge stops slightly lower. from down elevator input it centers slightly higher.) I'll remove the elevators and make sure they are mounted on the bar properly and can move freely. Do you tighten your retaining screws to the point of any resistance or do they move freely?

[rifleman_btx]

They must move freely, if they don't the servos will bind up on you. That little screw just needs to be in enough to keep the elevator locked onto the rod but no resistance to rotation

[270win]

They must move freely, if they don't the servos will bind up on you. That little screw just needs to be in enough to keep the elevator locked onto the rod but no resistance to rotation

I'll check mine, I might have installed the screws too far. They move fine but may have a'little friction. I will probably still get the better servos.

[rifleman_btx]

Good deal!

[Blaze0021]

Any advice on hand launching this plane? I just picked up one of the Freewing F/A-18 64mm High Performance "Royal Maces" and still putting it together. I'm going to perform the maiden flight with the gears on, but am also polycrylic coating the airframe at this time, prepping it for belly landing operations after its been trimmed out.

I also fly the Freewing F-8 Crusader (on 4S) as well as the Freewing F-22 Raptor HP (4S) - both hand launch and belly landers. I'm thinking gears off (including nose wheel servo), full throttle, grab the mid section of the intake nacelles and go for a javelin toss at about 25-30 degrees up, and get on the stick asap?

[Blaze0021]

I finally completed the assembly and setup on mine. It took me a day to complete 2 coats of Minwax Satin Finish Polycrylic and an evening after work to assemble and tune (see photos below). All of the parts were individually coated prior to assembly.

The polycrylic process is always a hassle, but so worth it in the end. The finish looks awesome. I'll be using Pulse 4S 2250mAh 45C lipos which balance perfectly to the 65mm CG and have my rates set with a starting point of 80% on the Aileron and Elevator with 30% Expo on both. Timer is set to 3:10 mins. I also set up the gain settings on the Lemon RX 7-Ch Diversity Stabilizer / Receiver to the same gain settings that I use on my FW F-22 Raptor 64mm HP (which I believe has similar performance).

I did have a question on the Elevator angle... I have just 1-2mm of Up Trim on the Elevator Angle (just below the fuselage seam and on the "Navy" Decal). The manual didn't specify on this model specifically but I remember it calling for some Up Elevator angle on the FW F-22 Raptor. I wasn't sure if the F/A-18 required some Up Trim as well, so I just added a little bit. Is this correct?

Please let me know if I'm missing anything in my setup as well. I am intending this model to eventually be a hand launch / belly lander type (unless for some reason, the performance with the gears isn't as horrible as I think it will be.. though I doubt it since I was very underwhelmed when I flew my FW F-22 Raptor HP with the gears on.. it wasn't until I took the gears and the nose gear servo off that I was impressed). Thanks in advance!

[bbaumer]

I'll check mine, I might have installed the screws too far. They move fine but may have a'little friction. I will probably still get the better servos.

i experienced a similar issue on my BaE Hawk, using a spectrum A636, it turned out to be the receiver.

[Blaze0021]

Maiden Flight Success! I took (4) Pulse 4S 2250mAh 45C lipos with me for the first flights today.

Flight #1 was spent trimming out the plane. Just 1 click of left aileron and 13 clicks of up elevator (-26 on the trim). After the flight I corrected the trims by using the Sub Trim function on the DX8 (G2). Landings with the Hornet can be deceiving.. it likes to float forever with 0% throttle, until it hits a critical slow speed point and then the sink rate suddenly increases. I had to abort the first landing as I overshot the double-wide lacrosse astroturf field I was flying at. I cut the altitude that I used in the first attempt, and had very minimal throttle until touchdown. Greased it in with a high alpha landing.

Flight #2 gave me a near scare on take-off. It all started normal, but midway through the roll-out, the Hornet rolled right on a smooth bump on the astroturf seam that separates the double wide astroturf field which acted like a ramp. Just at that time, I was pulling up on the elevator. These two actions caused the Hornet to lift off and rotate excessively right into a harrier / high alpha 10 feet off the ground. I quickly corrected by pushing down on the stick to drop the nose, and the Hornet responded, and I was able to avert a possible disaster as the Hornet accelerated into the sky. The rest of the flight was uneventful and spent getting a feel for the initial rates that I set according to the manual. Using the High Rate settings, I felt that 70% was too mild of a roll rate on Ailerons, so I bumped it to 80% and kept the Expo at 30%. Much Better. The Elevator however was very touchy and backed that down from 80% to 72% with 30% Expo. Now I felt the Hornet was significantly dialed in to my preference. Landing touchdown was more predictable with less of a high alpha touchdown and overall more greasy.

Flight #3, I decided to get creative and use that sloping seam "hillish" bump in the middle of double wide astroturf field to my advantage as a "take-off" ramp (like some of the ramps used on aircraft carriers). Full throttle on the rollout, the Hornet accelerated towards the sloping bump and as it rolled right over the bump, I stayed off of the elevator as the wheels gently lost its contact on the turf reaching takeoff without having to pull up on the elevator. A natural land-based takeoff ramp.. How useful is that?? The rest of the flight was spent wringing out the Hornet for flight characteristics as well as testing the gyro gain settings on the Lemon RX 7-Ch Diversity Stab/Receiver. Very stable and no oscillations with all the pots set at 10 O'clock.. the same settings used on my Freewing F-22 Raptor 64mm HP. Just perfect.

Flight #4 was spent just enjoying what the Freewing F/A-18E Super Hornet can do with the gears on. Its actually quite agile and spunky, despite it having 93 grams of landing gear weight (including the nose servo..). I'm eager to see how this performs as a hand launch / belly lander.

All flights were with the Timer set to 3:30 seconds, ending with roughly 30 seconds left on the timer and leaving the batts with an average of 3.80/cell. With the temp today currently at 97'F, the Hornet performed admirably in the hot Colorado air. Photos below taken post-flight.

[Blaze0021]

This is an assembly overview and flight video of my Freewing F/A-18E Super Hornet 4S High Performance 64mm EDF Jet. This is also another flight video footage that my fellow RC Pilot buddy Mike decided to sneak in and capture on his iPhone 7 while I was simply enjoying my flight (the first candid video Mike took was of me flying my Freewing Rebel V2 EDF Jet.. he’s getting good at sneaking these video captures now, as I’ve been lazy as of late making these in-depth flight videos). Fortunately I had taken a photo timeline of the assembly process of this model and added them to this flight video.

https://youtu.be/VLgsJqQU1mI

This Freewing F/A-18E Super Hornet 4S High Performance 64mm EDF Jet has quickly become my go to and favorite EDF Jet on the flying field. This Freewing model is completely stock, with only a few minor modifications listed below. Thanks again Mike for managing to catch this one and thank you to Freewing and Motion RC for providing this brilliant model!! Hope you enjoy the video and flight footage!

MODIFICATIONS:

1) Nose Cone Ballast: 16 grams of weight epoxied to the hollow nose cone to achieve 64mm CG.
2) Minwax Satin Finish Polycrylic Triple Coated Airframe: Maximum paint and finish protection.
3) Custom Plastic Landing Gear Insert Covers: To cover the exposed nose gear foam attachment points for belly landing configuration.
4) JB Weld 5-Minute Clear Epoxy Coated Air Intakes: For belly landing abrasion protection.

TRANSMITTER, RECEIVER, & SETUP:

Transmitter: Spektrum DX8 G2
Receiver: Lemon RX DSMX 7-Channel Diversity Stabilizer / Receiver
Rates Used: 83% Aileron / 30% Expo, 72% Elevator / 30% Expo
Center of Gravity: 64mm back from the leading edge of the main wing
Battery: Pulse 4S 2250mAh 45C Lipo
Throttle Timer: 3:40 Minutes
Total Flight Time: 3 Minute(s), 22 Second(s)
Lipo Final Voltage: 15.21 Volts out of 16.80 Volts (3.80 Volts / Cell) at 33%

ADDITIONAL INFO:

Camera: iPhone 7 at 1080P / 60 FPS
Cameraman: Mike “Deuces Wild” Frontiero

Thanks for watching!

[thetrooper236]

I'm fairly new to the hobby. Been flying for about 1.5 years, but already have multiple warbirds and this is my second EDF jet. My first EDF was the F9F Panther (may it rest in peaces wherever it is...) Anyways, I recently bought the 4S Tophatters and I absolutely love it! I've been hand launching it with ease and really enjoying the way it flies and the way it glides into belly landings. I know there is a bunch of information on this thread already, but it is always nice to hear another persons' point of view so I figure I'd throw mine in here. If you have any questions on my set-up, I'd be happy to help.

I've been flying on 4S 2200 45C gold Admiral packs pushed all the way fwd, using an Admiral RX600SP receiver. I think the only change to the gyro was to reduce the roll channel sensitivity due to a nasty "speed wobble" caused from the gyro trying to overcompensate in the wind. Honestly I hardly ever use the gyro function, but I bought it for the safe mode button after I lost the profile of my F9F in the sun and caused a nice death spiral into the forest.... Thanks to Blaze0021, I set up my controls very similar to his - then fine tuned things after the first few flights. As for the CG, it is right around 65mm. After removing the nose gear strut, you can install the gear plate with weight stuck to the inside of the plate. (It works out great, because if you need to change weight, you only need to remove the 4 screws on the plate and change what you need to. The only other thing I did was apply 2 coats of Polycrylic to protect the bottom of the airframe, although I might add one or two more since I've been getting moss caught in the seams of the foam recently.

Anyways, I didn't want to bore anybody with what they already know... Just wanted to hopefully lend a hand to anybody with this great flying plane. I absolutely love it!

[thetrooper236]

OH! And thanks everybody for posting on this thread! You guys have been a great help with my set-up and giving me a (mostly) stress free maiden flight.

[Rayant]

[Rayant]

I'm surprised by how well this plane flies.
I have placed a heatsink in the ESC.

[Phantom]

I purchased the royal mace high performance with the 12 blade fan for 4s PNP last year, and have enjoyed about 40 flights and 3 crashes on her. All flights were with the gear because one of my favorite things to do with her is to fly touch and go patterns. Well after the lastest crash rather than fixing the fuselage again, she was kind of getting ugly, I decided to replace the fuselage and the vertical stabs, since they're glued on. I contemplated just purchasing another PNP, but since I had already modified the wings with flaps and they were still in great shape, I thought I would use the funds to upgrade instead. So I purchased a 70mm 12blade from Motion RC, gambling that I could make it fit. I always thought this bird was a little under powered for aerobatics so more power to hopefully solve this issue. I also decided to mod it with rudders because I prefer coordinated flight over yank and bank. To get the 68mm CG I needed I just had to prop the battery up on the forward wooden plate separating the battery compartment from the nose wheel steering area. Re-maiden is tomorrow, wish me luck.