Official Freewing 80mm A-4E/F Skyhawk Thread

[RCjetdude]

First post here, cant wait for the a4s to arrive!! :) still having massive internal conflict on what scheme to do lolol i take it the arrival date is still mid sept?

Welcome to the Squawk. Haven't heard anything to the contrary at this time Brent. I plan to go with one of the supplied liveries and just fly it initially. Maybe a little weathering but keep it simple. I will put my effort into the second ARF+. Eventually I will get a JHH Kfir if Motion/Freewing will ease up a bit on awesome releases. :Dizzy:

[Corsair nut]

I might try a 8s 90mm in there....its a big ol model...surely tgeres room :p but it will fly stock for a bit. Ive got 6 6s packs from my f14 days that need to get used. Callie already has a massive sellection of schemes ready to go. If you dont follow her in FB you should. Shes always posting new schemes.

[RCjetdude]

I might try a 8s 90mm in there....its a big ol model...surely tgeres room :p but it will fly stock for a bit. Ive got 6 6s packs from my f14 days that need to get used. Callie already has a massive sellection of schemes ready to go. If you dont follow her in FB you should. Shes always posting new schemes.

I have considered swapping over my JP90 on 8S from my Stinger. It has performed flawlessly in it and would really make the A-4 sing. Callie is the best!

[xplaneguy]

I had the pleasure of seeing the Draken A-4Ls fly at the LA County Airshow, back in 2014. Dale Snodgrass, famed F-14 pilot was one of the pilots. He and his fellow pilot flew an awesome display of formation flying. These former Draken A-4Ls are now with Sky Resources. Note the second photo, from Sky Resources website with Draken digitally removed from the tail.

[xplaneguy]

Sky Resources A-4L, walk-around and flying.

[bill34207]

Just ran across this over on RCG. A little something for the history

https://youtu.be/BLMM_jf6Lwc

[Corsair nut]

Bill, thats a great video. Just watched it the other day. Lots of great info, amd cool footage

[xplaneguy]

Thanks for sharing the video, Bill!

[buffetbob]

Bill, Great vid. Brought me back to my days on the line as a Hyd Mech for VMA-142. Loved working on that plane!

[xplaneguy]

Just saw the Motion RC A-4 Skyhawk ad in Model Aviation Magazine. Looks great guys!

[HellHathNoFury]

Jester's time to TURN & BURN.. :).. A little Eye Candy to get this Thread back on track..Quality looks excellent so far.. Outstanding packaging .. Gotta check those servos yet..

[HellHathNoFury]

Outstanding first.. Plastic Flaps & Flap Lips..:Cool:

[RCjetdude]

Jester's time to TURN & BURN.. :).. A little Eye Candy to get this Thread back on track..Quality looks excellent so far.. Outstanding packaging .. Gotta check those servos yet..

Excellent! Nice to see someone with one in their possession. Keep us informed. I keep hoping for an early surprise shipping notice. :Cool:

[TomPatton]

Hey, where's ours!!!:Confused:

[RCjetdude]

I am sure they won't be much longer.

[Alpha]

Hi HellHath, good to see you received yours. Our Stateside containers are anticipated to arrive later this week, and before they do I want to publish some insider information so it's fresh for all of you as you take delivery of your Skyhawks. Consider the following as Essential Tips from the Design Team. We've put years and over 500 flights by now on these aircraft, so, please take them to heart.

Throws, Neutral Positions, and CENTER OF GRAVITY. I've summarized the manual's information into the image, below. Note that early versions of the printed instruction manual may be unclear as to the forward location from which we measure the CG. The inset picture shown here is correct, as are these real life photos that also show the relative neutral positions for your maiden flight.







Aileron neutral point. The upper surface of the aileron is flush with the upper surface of the wing. Note that this causes the aileron's TE at the outer tip to angle upwards. This is reflex, and this is normal.







Elevator neutral point. Flush, as shown. Use the mold lines on the TE as visual reference. Sometimes I end up trimming ~1mm up elevator.



Battery placement. Like many of our other 80mm EDFs, we designed this aircraft with the Admiral 6s 4000mAh and 5000mAh in mind. Recognizing that some of you hotrods may see the A-4's potential for an 8s 80mm setup so we designed the layout so the stock PNP 6s batteries (lightest recommended) would be near the front of the bay, not the far back of the bay. I recommend maidening with the heavier battery, if you're concerned about overcontrolling this agile aircraft. Note the battery position. We measure the CG without the ordnance attached. With or without the hump doesn't matter. Whether the gear up or down and whether the model is balanced upright or inverted does not significantly alter the CG point when balanced on fingertips (less than 5mm). When you've flown the model as much as we have, it's usually just "shove forward and fly" for anything between 4000-5000. But obviously for the first few flights, we recommend checking your model. Using too much epoxy to secure the tail, for example, can throw off the balance, so always check your own model before ascribing to my personal generalities.



Landing:
As shown in the flight videos posted thus far by Ryan, Tony, and others, the A-4 is a nimble aircraft that above almost anything else is designed to land as easily as possible for an aircraft of this layout. It's not a rocketship, nor did we design it to be. Early prototypes traded away too much slow speed stability for straight line speed. The Mirage and MiG-21 taught us that the majority of our customers appreciate a model that lands well, not just one that flies quickly in a straight line. I strongly, strongly suggest every A-4 pilot-to-be studies Ryan's video that shows, up close, just how slowly and stably the Freewing A-4 can land. DO NOT land hot. DO NOT over-control the elevator. Recall three years ago when I talked openly about each new Freewing aircraft being a progression in terms of handling and skill. The A-4 will reward pilots that fly the aircraft down slowly with minimum elevator input. If you find yourself pulling too much back pressure in your descent, you're going too fast. Recommend going around for another shot. The one thing that is tricky about landing the A-4 is that, as a delta [essentially], it can fly slower/steeper than it wants to land. The MiG-21 is a good example of an aircraft that can fly to a near standstill at 40 degrees nose high. The A-4 will do the same. Obviously both models can't land at that attitude, so the key to a greasy A-4 landing is the same as the MiG-21 --managing your speed in a near flat descent with nose ~5 degrees up. I don't land with flaps, but that's just me. I prefer to bleed speed off on my base to final then manage descent with small blips of throttle while holding the very slightest amount of back pressure. The smallest of flares just as the mains touch will grease a landing every time assuming your speed is correct.

Faster or steeper approaches, or over-controlling the elevator, will cause problems. A good rule of thumb is, if the aircraft is ever below your head's height and the nose is greater than 30 degrees up, POWER TO FULL, STAY LEVEL, AND GO AROUND.




Flying:
Flying the Freewing 80mm A-4 Skyhawk is a bit of a non-event, by design. I've flown a bevy of A-4s.... GWS, LX, Jepe, YA, BVM, Tam, Skymaster. Our intent was to bring, as always, a good balance between price, performance, scale fidelity, and accessibility for as wide a range of EDF pilots out there. In the context of other 80mm EDF Scale Jets (the fantasy Avanti doesn't count!), I'm happy with the final result. For anyone who has flown one or two of our 80mm or 90mm EDFs and flies them comfortably, the Freewing 80mm A-4 Skyhawk should be well within your comfort zone. Just keep an eye on it. Let us know what you think! I

[themudduck]

Alpha - that's great news! And thanks for those tips and pictures, that's very helpful and makes sense. I am really looking forward to this jet just for the landing characteristics you described!

[OV10]

Not too keen on the battery strap location.........looks like an immediate mod is required for a more central secure location like at the center area of the battery. ;)
How'd that get past ya Alpha??

[TiredIronGRB]

Hi HellHath, good to see you received yours. Our Stateside containers are anticipated to arrive later this week, and before they do I want to publish some insider information so it's fresh for all of you as you take delivery of your Skyhawks. Consider the following as Essential Tips from the Design Team. We've put years and over 500 flights by now on these aircraft, so, please take them to heart.

Throws, Neutral Positions, and CENTER OF GRAVITY. I've summarized the manual's information into the image, below. Note that early versions of the printed instruction manual may be unclear as to the forward location from which we measure the CG. The inset picture shown here is correct, as are these real life photos that also show the relative neutral positions for your maiden flight.







Aileron neutral point. The upper surface of the aileron is flush with the upper surface of the wing. Note that this causes the aileron's TE at the outer tip to angle upwards. This is reflex, and this is normal.







Elevator neutral point. Flush, as shown. Use the mold lines on the TE as visual reference. Sometimes I end up trimming ~1mm up elevator.



Battery placement. Like many of our other 80mm EDFs, we designed this aircraft with the Admiral 6s 4000mAh and 5000mAh in mind. Recognizing that some of you hotrods may see the A-4's potential for an 8s 80mm setup so we designed the layout so the stock PNP 6s batteries (lightest recommended) would be near the front of the bay, not the far back of the bay. I recommend maidening with the heavier battery, if you're concerned about overcontrolling this agile aircraft. Note the battery position. We measure the CG without the ordnance attached. With or without the hump doesn't matter. Whether the gear up or down and whether the model is balanced upright or inverted does not significantly alter the CG point when balanced on fingertips (less than 5mm). When you've flown the model as much as we have, it's usually just "shove forward and fly" for anything between 4000-5000. But obviously for the first few flights, we recommend checking your model. Using too much epoxy to secure the tail, for example, can throw off the balance, so always check your own model before ascribing to my personal generalities.



Landing:
As shown in the flight videos posted thus far by Ryan, Tony, and others, the A-4 is a nimble aircraft that above almost anything else is designed to land as easily as possible for an aircraft of this layout. It's not a rocketship, nor did we design it to be. Early prototypes traded away too much slow speed stability for straight line speed. The Mirage and MiG-21 taught us that the majority of our customers appreciate a model that lands well, not just one that flies quickly in a straight line. I strongly, strongly suggest every A-4 pilot-to-be studies Ryan's video that shows, up close, just how slowly and stably the Freewing A-4 can land. DO NOT land hot. DO NOT over-control the elevator. Recall three years ago when I talked openly about each new Freewing aircraft being a progression in terms of handling and skill. The A-4 will reward pilots that fly the aircraft down slowly with minimum elevator input. If you find yourself pulling too much back pressure in your descent, you're going too fast. Recommend going around for another shot. The one thing that is tricky about landing the A-4 is that, as a delta [essentially], it can fly slower/steeper than it wants to land. The MiG-21 is a good example of an aircraft that can fly to a near standstill at 40 degrees nose high. The A-4 will do the same. Obviously both models can't land at that attitude, so the key to a greasy A-4 landing is the same as the MiG-21 --managing your speed in a near flat descent with nose ~5 degrees up. I don't land with flaps, but that's just me. I prefer to bleed speed off on my base to final then manage descent with small blips of throttle while holding the very slightest amount of back pressure. The smallest of flares just as the mains touch will grease a landing every time assuming your speed is correct.

Faster or steeper approaches, or over-controlling the elevator, will cause problems. A good rule of thumb is, if the aircraft is ever below your head's height and the nose is greater than 30 degrees up, POWER TO FULL, STAY LEVEL, AND GO AROUND.




Flying:
Flying the Freewing 80mm A-4 Skyhawk is a bit of a non-event, by design. I've flown a bevy of A-4s.... GWS, LX, Jepe, YA, BVM, Tam, Skymaster. Our intent was to bring, as always, a good balance between price, performance, scale fidelity, and accessibility for as wide a range of EDF pilots out there. In the context of other 80mm EDF Scale Jets (the fantasy Avanti doesn't count!), I'm happy with the final result. For anyone who has flown one or two of our 80mm or 90mm EDFs and flies them comfortably, the Freewing 80mm A-4 Skyhawk should be well within your comfort zone. Just keep an eye on it. Let us know what you think! I

Thanks so much for the info and pictures, this is really all the manual most of us need ;)

[TomPatton]

Thanks for the great info on setting up and flying the A-4...
Can't wait to take delivery!!!:)