FLEXJET SUPER PNP

[fhhuber]

As an alternative, to all the Y harness and the likes, you could install a couple of Spektrum satellite RX's and just bind them to the Aura and your TX. It's covered in the manual but not recommended by David since it is a jet. I've heard of many people doing it on the smaller 3D foamy models they sell..

I used to do multiple RXs with 72 mhz. It does a lot of good to clean up installations.

You have to take care with placements (distances of RXs from each other and antenna orientations) because every RX also has some RF output that can mess with the other RXs being that close
Do very thorough testing before flight.

I plan to do this on a Top Flite B-25 so I only have to plug a power lead to the wings when assembling. One RX each wing and one for the fuselage. 2.5 ft between wing and fuselage RXs

[xviper]

As an alternative, to all the Y harness and the likes, you could install a couple of Spektrum satellite RX's and just bind them to the Aura and your TX. It's covered in the manual but not recommended by David since it is a jet. I've heard of many people doing it on the smaller 3D foamy models they sell..

I read the information about the needed update for the twin sat RX's and some of the related material on the subject. I found it very daunting to understand what was going on. Additionally, for the cost of 2 Spek sats, I could buy almost 4 Lemon 10 channel RX's. Since I had one sitting here, I didn't see the economics of going the twin sat route. I'm new to Aura and the complexity of it scares me a bit. I would have preferred going the old fashioned way of just a simple stabilizer like HobbyEagle. I know I will never do any alterations to the Aura in this plane, maybe a different one in the future.

Well, it's all done. Hanging in its final storage place, waiting for the weather to dry up the field.

[dribbe@gmail.com]

All FlexJets Shipped in the USA are/were shipped with the latest FirmWare (1.6b). No need to update any US sourced FlexJet.

Generally firmware updates are very straight forward. Use the Config Tool, Click update firmware. Follow the onscreen instructions....

Best Regards,
David

[Alpha]

Thanks for the clarification, David! Much appreciated.

[dribbe@gmail.com]

Thanks for the clarification, David! Much appreciated.

Your welcome.... pretty much in the opening of our WIKI....
http://wiki.flexinnovations.com/wiki.../LatestUpdates
...

Our guys also did a pretty extensive build video for those who like these things.... the youtube page has an index of times...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTJxbuKcS1I

[Rosytime]

Mine needed a lot of right trim at first. When I finally got it to fly hands off there was a lot of deflection in the stabs. I was a little concerned about that much trim and contacted Flex about a possible warped fuselage or other problem. Another flier at my field flew his and it needed no aileron trim at all. Dave got back to me and suggested that I go ahead and manually put some trim in the ailerons so that when quick trim is used there will be very little deflection. Remember, when quick trim is used it puts the ailerons back to the neutral position and moves the stabs in the appropriate way. I checked my ailerons relative to the fuselage chine and found that I had a 6mm difference between the two even though they were lined up on the wing tips. I evened them out and then went out to fly it again. Much less right was needed so I manually moved the aileron clevises to put in a bit more right trim. I'm pleased to report that today the jet flew hands off and there is very little deflection in the stabs. As Aros stated, these foamies can have subtle differences in a production run so I'm not at all worried about it.
I also want to add that using the Aura Config tool is a great way to get all the surfaces at a neutral position rather than trying to turn a clevis in a thrust tube. I too suffer from big hand syndrome. I also used it to put subtrim in the ailerons while dialing it in. Remember though, the subtrim is used to make small adjustments, not major ones. You should do that mechanically. I know that I sound like I might work for Flex, but I don't, I just have 4 other Flex planes and I am familiar with the Aura and what it can do.
And finally, this jet is the best sport jet I have flown so far. The thrust, flight time and maneuverability are awesome. Today I was again able to get it hover for a few seconds before I had to fly out of it. My fellow fliers are now asking what one I like better, the Flex Jet or the Avanti S. I told them that as I get more comfortable with the Flex Jet, other than having no flaps this jet is a winner hands down. You just have to let the speed bleed off a lot sooner to make a nice landing. And Xviper, don't worry about the Aura, it's easy to use and adjust once you look at how it works. Being able to trim and also change flight parameters without going on the computer is a plus. I've been flying RC since the early 70s and love all this new stuff.

[Cpl. Sli]

Mine needed a lot of right trim at first. When I finally got it to fly hands off there was a lot of deflection in the stabs. I was a little concerned about that much trim and contacted Flex about a possible warped fuselage or other problem. Another flier at my field flew his and it needed no aileron trim at all. Dave got back to me and suggested that I go ahead and manually put some trim in the ailerons so that when quick trim is used there will be very little deflection. Remember, when quick trim is used it puts the ailerons back to the neutral position and moves the stabs in the appropriate way. I checked my ailerons relative to the fuselage chine and found that I had a 6mm difference between the two even though they were lined up on the wing tips. I evened them out and then went out to fly it again. Much less right was needed so I manually moved the aileron clevises to put in a bit more right trim. I'm pleased to report that today the jet flew hands off and there is very little deflection in the stabs. As Aros stated, these foamies can have subtle differences in a production run so I'm not at all worried about it.
I also want to add that using the Aura Config tool is a great way to get all the surfaces at a neutral position rather than trying to turn a clevis in a thrust tube. I too suffer from big hand syndrome. I also used it to put subtrim in the ailerons while dialing it in. Remember though, the subtrim is used to make small adjustments, not major ones. You should do that mechanically. I know that I sound like I might work for Flex, but I don't, I just have 4 other Flex planes and I am familiar with the Aura and what it can do.
And finally, this jet is the best sport jet I have flown so far. The thrust, flight time and maneuverability are awesome. Today I was again able to get it hover for a few seconds before I had to fly out of it. My fellow fliers are now asking what one I like better, the Flex Jet or the Avanti S. I told them that as I get more comfortable with the Flex Jet, other than having no flaps this jet is a winner hands down. You just have to let the speed bleed off a lot sooner to make a nice landing. And Xviper, don't worry about the Aura, it's easy to use and adjust once you look at how it works. Being able to trim and also change flight parameters without going on the computer is a plus. I've been flying RC since the early 70s and love all this new stuff.

It would be nice to see some video of your hover!? Is it easy to Hich Alpha with it?

[Bajora]

Here is a short video with a couple clips of ours flying ...

[Cpl. Sli]

great vid Bajora. Keep um coming

[bill34207]

I put 6 flights on mine today bringing the total to 22. Recorded 4 of them with my latest "toy"
I finally got a chance to test my SoloShot 3 camera today. Initial thoughts are it's not quite ready for prime time yet. At least not for a fast moving model that is performing aerobatics. This is a merge of 4 videos shot today with most of the empty sky edited out. The timer on my radio is set for 4-1/2 minutes. The 1st video shot at medium frame ends around the 2:40 mark. The second one shot at the wide setting runs through 7:40 so it worked better on it. Number 3 and 4 were back to medium and finish out the compilation. Number 4 starts at the 10:55 mark but was the only one where the camera actually caught the moment of touchdown while landing.
Video quality is much better than a hat cam video but still not up to the model following specs of a good human camera man. I do like the smoothness of how it tracks and it appears the latest update has taken care of focus issues.

https://youtu.be/pd39pj4PiIM

[crxmanpat]

I agree with you on the SS3. Friend of mine has one and we tested it with my FW A-10, and at times it just could not keep up. Especially when doing low passes or when landing. The camera kept angling down not realizing the plane had leveled out. Did not matter which settings we used. Maybe SS4 will be better. ;)

[bill34207]

I decided to do a remake that used the take off and landing from the last video today with the 2nd one that was shot in the wide setting between them. The middle section (some portions removed) gives a decent idea of how the tracking was working for me. I think I need to try to set the base up further from the runway next time out. Shortening it down to a typical flight time makes it more "watchable" too. ;)

https://youtu.be/VfIF9o4sGdg

[crxmanpat]

Pretty much done with paint. I need to add a few minor details, find a pilot, and get a decal order in with Callie.

[rifleman_btx]

That looks dang good Pat!

[crxmanpat]

Thanks! I wanted something different as 3 guys at my field have it also.

[rifleman_btx]

When they brought that thing out I told a friend of mine it looked like someone shoved a f16 up a f/a18s butt, and out came this demon love child. Lol! But that's what makes it so dang cool!

[bill34207]

Put another 6 flights on mine today and recorded 5 of them.
This was the 1st video shot this morning in wide mode. Basically unedited other than to remove the beginning footage of me walking to the flight line and footage walking back. I was flying conservative for the most part and trying to keep it smooth with gradual transitions to vertical maneuvers. It did pretty good and only lost the plane a couple of times. The most aggravating thing is how it likes to shoot video of the ground when the plane is landing.

https://youtu.be/KbdYz75TtfE

This was flight 6 (Video 5 since I forgot to start the camera on one of the earlier flights) One more shot in extra wide mode which is about like hat cam for model size. This one was a little better than the 1st E/W I shot (video 3) and even almost caught the landing. (Figures since it was my worst of the day.)

https://youtu.be/CVpBX_mTg3M

[xviper]

Finally got a chance to maiden this plane. I usually do a trimming flight and a "familiarization" flight before doing the video but this time, what you see is my maiden flight. Video was captured on an Iphone held by a friend.

My maiden flight was done on "mode 1" - no gyro. Wind was around 10mph. Take off was easy and relatively uneventful. As with others, mine needed a lot of right roll trim to fly level. It kept wanting to roll left. Elevator was near perfect, with only a click or two of trim. I didn't do anything fancy on this first flight, just flew it to trim it and get a bit acclimated to it. The plane has lots of power and climbed effortlessly, even at part throttle. Being on "mode 1", I found the plane to be quite twitchy on the controls. I'm going to have to go in and dial it down a bit and increase expo. You can see in the video what my landing looked like. The first attempt, it came in too fast for me and I went around. The actually landing was OK, with lots of input from the lumps and bumps in the newly thawed out ground. I also found the ground handling was very twitchy but I think that was mostly due to the rough and uneven terrain. I will, however, dial down the rudder a bit. Speed wise, keep in mind that I'm at 3500 feet elevation. I did full throttle runs both with the wind and against. Averaging the two, I'm guessing the speed to be in the 100mph range. I didn't have the opportunity to use my GPS tracker as the RX ports were difficult to reach. I'll add an extension and try next time. Even with the wind, I doubt mine could reach the 130mph that some have reported. My Mig 29, Avanti S, Freewing 70 Yak 130 and Mirage 80mm are all faster, not that "fast" is my sole objective. My 70mm Freewing F-16 is pretty darned quick, too.

My second (unrecorded) flight was in "mode 2" and I found the gyro helped tremendously with that wind and was a more enjoyable experience. The twitchiness of "mode 1" decreased somewhat but was still there. The second landing was picture perfect and feather light and smooth - the gyro helped a lot. After tweaking the programming a bit, I think I'll fly it mostly in "mode 2".
The rest of my comments are purely personal and I can only compare with other planes I have. I'm going to compare the FlexJet with my Avanti S, SebArt Mig 29 and Freewing/Flighline A-10. I use these because of their similarities in style of aircraft and/or in terms of price. All of these (except for the Avanti S) are within $70.00 of each other, so a comparison of "value" is always in my mind.
Perhaps my opinion will change with more flights on the Flex, but for now, with only two flights, you must give me a bit of leeway.
The FlexJet takes off and lands the best of all my EDFs. Flying characteristics, I find my Avanti to be more "controllable" and stable (no gyro on the Avanti). Enjoyment wise, my SebArt is way more fun as I can do more things with it than the Flex. Value wise (and of course this is in the eye of the beholder), the Mig 29 and A-10 are much better value, with the A-10 taking the lead. I would have said the Avanti S is the best bargain and bang for the buck, but it's somewhat in a different ball park pricing. It has an almost unfair advantage being so relatively cheap. I also have the 90mm F/A-18 from Freewing, 90mm ViperJet, 90mm Eurofighter and a few smaller EDFs that are in a different class altogether, so I won't even draw any comparisons with them. My old Stinger 90 was a terrific plane also, but it was replaced with the Avanti S with absolutely no regrets.
If I had to get rid of ALL my EDFs, save one, I would pick the Mig 29 hands down. Nevertheless, I'll keep flying the Flex and see if it grows on me more. For now, I'll be keeping the Avanti S as that's the one the Flex was supposed replace. For now, I still like the Avanti more (in that style of plane).

[bill34207]

Tried my 1st ever negative G (or outside) loop today. FlexJet makes it easy. Wish I had a good camera man, he might have caught the whole thing.

https://youtu.be/h9BA6lvPqmo

[ZCOL]

Just wanted to share my unfortunate experience with the Flex Innovations FlexJet:

It was my first time buying a plane from Flex Innovations, I'm running the AURA 8 open stock in my YAK 130 with outstanding results. The FlexJet goes together well, however the carbon fiber rod will break the surface of the wing if your not extremely careful on the insertion process. No big deal right, put some CA on the crack and carry on. I finished assembly and waited for the 6s 5200mah Potenza battery to come in. Once I received the battery I made all necessary adjustments in accordance with the manual (IOW). The following day is maiden I take both the Yak and Flexjet to the field, I put two batteries through my YAK with no issues, now its FlexJet time, I took off (Mode 1) with no issues the jet needed very little trim and she was solid. About a 3 min flight time with transition between all flight modes and I'm ready to land to ensure all surfaces are still secure, I bring her in working the throttle to control altitude. Upon the main landing gear touching the grass both main landing gear rip out of the fuselage the Jet comes to a sliding halt once the nose gear shoves back into the wheel bay. I'm thinking well that didn't seem right, upon further inspection I notice it was a clean rip Zero foam came out with the landing gear. I checked the landing gear and the entire plastic mount separated from the foam with little to no glue on the surface of the mount. I asses the rest of my damage the right wing mount (screw point) separated from the Fuselage (once again Zero glue). The gentleman who purchased the other FlexJet in my area had the exact same happen to him, I mean the exact same. We have contacted Flex Innovations and where very politely told to go pound sand, it must have been pilot error. OK. very well I have applied epoxy to all faulty surfaces and carried on with more flights. Did the same thing happen to me after I epoxied, no it did not. I share my story to give those individuals on the fence something to consider.

I've posted this same comment on RCGROUPS as a BOLO to all who purchase this model. I'm editing due to the fact I'm not sure what I expected Flex Innovations to do. I'm not going to ruin Flex Innovations name, I take it as a lesson learned as a customer you assume all risk once purchase is complete. Flex Innovations is fully aware of their GLUE ISSUE based off what I have seen in other RC forums discussing this EDF.