Freewing A-10 Thunderbolt 64mm Twin??

[Rocketeer]

Greetings Gang,

Does anyone have any history/experiences/pros/cons on the Freewing A-10 twin 64mm EDF they could share?

The posted reviews on the aircraft are very strong in its favor but, as one reviewer mentioned, many of the reviews are from folks who own the A-10 but have never actually built it (yet) or flown it.

Thanks in advance.

Clear Skies

Bill L.
in Okla.

[CT]

Re: Freewing A-10 Thunderbolt 64mm Twin??

Hi Bill,
I am on my second A-10, and can tell you it is a workhorse. The build itself is rather straightforward with this typical Freewing where all the components are already completed, just have to screw on the wings and tail. I recommend installing the flap servos which are not provided as the flaps do make for a shorter landing roll out. There are 2 negatives with this bird;
1. lack of rigidity in the airframe, mainly flexing of the wings which can be noticed when in a steep turn. If you are an expert/professional pilot you would likely notice some degree of control movement/erosion. I myself do not notice any change of flight characteristics. I would consider this a non-factor unless you intend on flying this bird 3-d.
2. There is very little space in the bat compartment for a 3600 lipo, receiver, and wires. I have installed the lipo both under the receiver pack and over, both are workable. Be aware this bird is very cg sensitive, and can achieve this by placement of the 3600 lipo alone without extra weight.

Having said this, the A-10 is a joy to fly, the dual 70mm fans while not a true turbine sound like 90's, do emitt a characteristic sound only a twin can make that is very cool. While not a speed demon, it flies fast for its size. My first airframe sustained 2 major incidents when the ground rose to impact the fuse. After major surgery was back flightworthy with the original retracts still operable, needless to say the gear on this is bulletproof.
Obviously since I am on my second A-10 I would highly recommend this, but not as a first time EDF, since the controls can be a litttle sensitive, just dial in the right amount of expo. I have yet to fly any EDF by Freewing which I am not happy with, just cant go wrong with both Freewing and MRC!!!

[Rocketeer]

Re: Freewing A-10 Thunderbolt 64mm Twin??

Greetings CT,

Thanks for the much appreciated input.

From reading various forum posts, I was familiar with the flexing issues and the reported 'sensitivity' of the declared CG however, I am far from a maniac flyer when it comes to stunts and 3D posturing. I'm mostly the scale/cruise/sport type and just enjoy flying planes.

This would actually be my second EDF, but my first twin. You mentioned 70mm fans... were you rounding up on the 64mm fans or have you replaced the stock fans?

Which brings me to another question or curiousity really, are there or is it even possibility to drop in a larger blade-count impellor(s) to give it more of that turbine effect so characteristic of the 10-12 blade impellors?

Thanks again,

Clear Skies

Bill L.
in Okla.

[CT]

Re: Freewing A-10 Thunderbolt 64mm Twin??

My mistake, A-10 is 64mm, not 70mm. I have changed out the fans on a couple 64mm and 70mm planes to a 12 blade hoping to increase thrust and to eliminate the whining sound. For some reason, after changing to a 12 blade it actually appears that I lost some thrust. Additionally, the sound did improve but not to the extent of what a 80mm or 90mm 12 blade sounds like. I now stay with the factory set ups on my 64's and 70's.
I was making a very low level pass on grass when the ground again came up (hate it when it does that) the A-10 bounced hard and continued to fly. I noticed the bird was acting strange so made one more loop and brought it in. To my amazement both engine pods broke from the fuse from the impact and were literally hanging loose. Repaired and reattached to fly another day. Just like the real thing, the A-10 can take abuse and battle damage and just keep flying.

What is also interesting is the sound from the 80mm F-86 and the 80mm A-6. The 86 has a more pronounced turbine sound even though both have the identical power set ups. The only explanation is the 86 has a straight thrust/exhaust outlet, and the A-6 is split into 2 exhaust outlets. If you do get "EDF Fever" I would highly recommend the Stinger 90, it is fast, well designed and built, sounds awesome, handles like on rails, and takes off and lands very easily. I found it far exceeds the Taft Viper and other
90mm EDF's in both performance and value.
CT

[Rocketeer]

Re: Freewing A-10 Thunderbolt 64mm Twin??

Greetings CT,

Great points on the impellor change out. I agree that on the 64 and 70mm setups stock is the way to go or stay.

As you may have read from my other posts, I'm chomping at the bit for the restocking of the 80mm F-86 and the A-10 both here at MRC. I'm hopeful they'll both make a return appearance in August.

Unfortunately, if my EDF experience(s) prove half as enjoyable as my other fixed wing prop flying, I'll expect the old temperture to begin to rise for EDF's.

A friend of mine has the Taft 90mm Viper and it's a beauty all the way around!! I've not had an opportunity to see the Stinger 90 in action. I'll definately look in to it.

Thanks Again,

Clear Skies (which it is anything but today in Oklahoma)

Bill L.
in Okla.

[Marco Polo]

Re: Freewing A-10 Thunderbolt 64mm Twin??

There is a review of the Freewing A-10 in this month's Model Aviation Magazine as well. There is a short write-up here: http://www.modelaviation.com/A-10ThunderboltII.
The full write-up is on page 75 of the magazine.

Mark

[Rocketeer]

Re: Freewing A-10 Thunderbolt 64mm Twin??

Greetings Mark,

Thanks, I have indeed read the full article which added plenty of fuel (I suppose I should say Electrons) to my A-10 fire and was influential in instigating my post. Now that I know re-stocking is not far away (from your other reply) this is turning out to be an even better day!!

Clear Skies

Bill L.
in OKla.

[StarHopper]

Re: Freewing A-10 Thunderbolt 64mm Twin??

Re flexing,
A friend of mine maidened his new A-10 at the Raleigh Fly For Tots event last fall.
Wings flexed so much he was going around 'striking the pose' saying it looked like this guy:



One of those 'rest of your life' moments. <smiley image="smiley_happy.gif"/>

.

[Rocketeer]

Re: Freewing A-10 Thunderbolt 64mm Twin??

Greetings,

Thanks for the input.... Love the photo!!!

I'm wondering if it might be possible to cut a channel and incorporate some carbon flat-stock somewhere along the main wing. I'll need to look in to this when I receive mine.

Clear Skies

Bill L.
in Okla.

[Guest]

Re: Freewing A-10 Thunderbolt 64mm Twin??

The Freewing A-10 flies very well and is fantastic representation of the Warthog in my opinion. I was most impressed by the sound of the fans. They are much smoother out of the box than I have seen from other 64mm fans. I tend to recommend against flaps, since the model lands stably without the hassle of adding them. The wings do have some flex during high-G turns, but nothing which would cause a wing failure unless excessively and extensively abused. A couple of minutes with a hobby knife and some carbon rectangle out to the nacelles would be an easy remedy.

[Rocketeer]

Re: Freewing A-10 Thunderbolt 64mm Twin??

Greetings Alpha,

A great handle by the way!!!

Thanks for the input and admittedly I am NOT an aggressive flyer/pilot. I'm more your cruise and gawk at the beauty of the aircraft kind of guy (with a loop and a roll thrown in here and there mostly just to show that I can).

I'm sure that the stock bird would be more than sufficient for my needs but, I'm pleased to know that if I choose to become a bit more robust in the future adding the carbon stock would help as I believed it would.

Now, I'll continue to patiently await the re-stocking of this plane.

Thanks to everyone at MRC for all you do to keep us in the air.

Clear Skies

Bill L.
in Okla.

[Rocketeer]

Re: Freewing A-10 Thunderbolt 64mm Twin??

Greetings Gang,

Now that the A-10 is back in stock and as I await delivery, I was wondering, has anyone attempted to fly the A-10 on less than a 4-cell 3600mAh pack? Mostly courious, as I have a couple of 4-cell 3000mAh, 30C packs already and I was hoping perhaps I could make use of them.

Clear Skies

Bill L.
in Okla.

[Boom Operator]

Re: Freewing A-10 Thunderbolt 64mm Twin??

I maidend my A-10 today on the 4s 3600mAh 50C Admiral Pro battery and it flew a grand 2min 45sec and the battery was depleted, did not fly wide open because I too like a scale flying bird, but I was surprised at how much juice these two 64MM fans suck and I truly doubt a 4s of that size would do much in the way of long flying times. This being what it is, it would be great if a 6s lipo would work, but as is the battery compartment is full with batt and receiver already and you won't get much more of anything else in that small compartment. All in all I would buy this model again fly it like the real one flies, less time and be happy, it is very cool and takes off of our grass field well you just need a little more elevator than what the book suggests. Landing went well with just one problem, the mount that the nose gear is affixed to(plastic) came loose from the foam mount area so re-glued it in place and hope next time I fly it it will be enough to hold it in place, otherwise back to the work shop for some 30 min epoxy. Get have fun you won't be disappointed.

[rc4ever]

RE: Freewing A-10 Thunderbolt 64mm Twin??

First of All i want to thank MotionRC for this friggen awesome Forum. As for the A-10 I only have about 12 flights on mine and its still going strong.
From the gitgo i installed Don's RC balanced 64mm EDF units , they put out more thrust and lower amps than the high priced 12bladed fans.
i also get 4 minute flying with Motions Admiral 4000mah Lipos. I have a grass runway and with the power plant i rotate in about 100feet, top speed is est 85mph.
This EDF jet fly like a plane simply because it doesn't have swept back wings, very scale flying.Some of you noticed that the gears are made of plastic....they are Not.....they  have a plastic over metal frame, so there is no real negative i can say about this bird. Lets say this if i ever lose this plane, i will directly order a new one!  :D

Cheers
Steven

[Rocketeer]

RE: Freewing A-10 Thunderbolt 64mm Twin??

Greetings Gang,

Well, it's 6-7 months now since i've been flying the Freewing A-10.

I have to say that it has been a blast!! From the maiden until now it has been and continues to been one of my all time favorites.
And the scale appearance on the ground and in the air???? Forget about it!!!! A thing of beauty!!


Clear Skies

Bill L.
in Okla.

[Hippie 64]

RE: Freewing A-10 Thunderbolt 64mm Twin??

First of All i want to thank MotionRC for this friggen awesome Forum. As for the A-10 I only have about 12 flights on mine and its still going strong.
From the gitgo i installed Don's RC balanced 64mm EDF units , they put out more thrust and lower amps than the high priced 12bladed fans.
i also get 4 minute flying with Motions Admiral 4000mah Lipos. I have a grass runway and with the power plant i rotate in about 100feet, top speed is est 85mph.
This EDF jet fly like a plane simply because it doesn't have swept back wings, very scale flying.Some of you noticed that the gears are made of plastic....they are Not.....they  have a plastic over metal frame, so there is no real negative i can say about this bird. Lets say this if i ever lose this plane, i will directly order a new one!  :D

Cheers
Steven

R4ever welcome to the forum. Glad to have you here .

Bryan

[tsgt wilfong]

RE: Freewing A-10 Thunderbolt 64mm Twin??

I will try to find that site on carbon fiber rods

and post later today its sunny n nice flying day in Mississippi todayguess where I going retired lol

Re flexing,
A friend of mine maidened his new A-10 at the Raleigh Fly For Tots event last fall.
Wings flexed so much he was going around 'striking the pose' saying it looked like this guy:



One of those 'rest of your life' moments. <smiley image="smiley_happy.gif"/>  

.

Hey giys the flex problem can be resolved by adding carbon fiber rods to wings major issue so I would recommend a nice raiing windy cold day !! Also I found a site and lost it where you can buy carbon fiber rods and such far below retail . I would recommend adding full length rods from tip to tip and do sum math here as estiamtinb tbe true center of wing.. also be advised that the wing plan form has that angle of incidence , so plan well ahead here you may have to place two rods ... I hope this will help , use rod rods guys.. flat ones may work butbrequire more cutting and tnat distracts from looks..

[Rocketeer]

RE: Freewing A-10 Thunderbolt 64mm Twin??

Greetings,

Perhaps I lucked out but I'm not experiencing issues with massive wing flex.

I'm very happy with the way mine flys. At least for my style of flying.

Bill L.
in Okla.

[thesteam]

RE: Freewing A-10 Thunderbolt 64mm Twin??

love the looks of this one!

[Alpha]

RE: Freewing A-10 Thunderbolt 64mm Twin??

I haven't seen considerable wing flex, either. There is some flex during steep dives, as is to be expected, but during a normal flight, which is still far more spirited than scale, I haven't had any problems. The foam never flexes to the point where it deeply wrinkles the paint and foam.

The fun thing to me about the A-10 is that it is deceptively quick for a 4s jet with retracts and a less than aerodynamic shape. We've radared them at 80mph, with the armament mounted. Stock power system, Admiral 4s 4000mAh PRO. And yet it still lands gently at a predictable descent and speed.