New E-Flite AT-6

[goosekiller1]

Saw (and shot) my first local AT-6 today ... thanks Goosekiller!

Bajora, I didn't think you got any shots of my AT-6 that day thank you again Goose. PS Justin & I pulled the trigger this evening we split the cost of the 90mm F4-Phanton. well keep ya posted.:f4phantom Best wishes Mike aka Goose.;)

[Bajora]

"Split" the cost?! Hmmmm ... now there is an interesting way to buy new models. LOL And I bet each of you will tell your wives: "This plane? No, this one is <insert other guy's name>"! :Cool::P

[goosekiller1]

"Split" the cost?! Hmmmm ... now there is an interesting way to buy new models. LOL And I bet each of you will tell your wives: "This plane? No, this one is <insert other guy's name>"! :Cool::P

Ya that sounds about right ;)

[rifleman_btx]

"I'm just holding on to it for this week.." lol

[goosekiller1]

Kinda bumpy day I stalled my AT-6 on landing today. She went invert then hit dead nut on the propeller Nut real hard. Got real lucky all it did is break the prop. What a Tough bird check it over for more damage none Even my fellow pilots were shocked. Real happy all I have to do is replace the prop. HAPPY GOOSE!

[OV10]

Kinda bumpy day I stalled my AT-6 on landing today. She went invert then hit dead nut on the propeller Nut real hard. Got real lucky all it did is break the prop. What a Tough bird check it over for more damage none Even my fellow pilots were shocked. Real happy all I have to do is replace the prop. HAPPY GOOSE!

Be aware that a lot of the times during an impact of this nature that the front bearing in the motor does not play well afterwards.
The front side of the bearings side plate ball retainers usually get compressed in on the balls creating interference friction.
Only on really severe compressions can the compression be felt by turning the motor shaft slowly by hand.
The ones that can't be felt usually show up within a couple minutes of operation in normal flight throttle ranges whereas the grease in the bearing race get heated out and then the noises from bearing friction begin.

[goosekiller1]

Be aware that a lot of the times during an impact of this nature that the front bearing in the motor does not play well afterwards.
The front side of the bearings side plate ball retainers usually get compressed in on the balls creating interference friction.
Only on really severe compressions can the compression be felt by turning the motor shaft slowly by hand.
The ones that can't be felt usually show up within a couple minutes of operation in normal flight throttle ranges whereas the grease in the bearing race get heated out and then the noises from bearing friction begin.

Thank you sir I'll check it out. Much appreciated. Goose.

[Bob Symes]

In the video it appears the AT-6 is stock. I do not recommend just tossing a 4s in!

The stock motor in the bird is the venerable 15-980kv that was originally used to power all the heavier ParkZone warbirds on 3s with 10” props. Using a 12” prop on 4s loads it up way too much!
I agree with TomC that these motors will take a beating and the prop will have to be downsized to accommodate the added load. Keep the amp draw at 50-55max for sure. Anything over 55amp and the motor will cook.
Due to the larger airframe and slightly added weight of the AT-6, I have pulled both stock esc and motor out. I installed a 60amp Turnigy Plush esc with a FlightLine 3648-880kv motor and will run those on a 4s 4500mAh battery. I can now also use a 12” prop to help get around the big cowl. The airframe is plenty big enough to handle it all and any added weight will be welcome on windy days. Don’t know if any of you have weighed the stock spinner on this plane but at 2.5ozs it’s another bandaid to add nose weight flying a small 3s system on what should be a 4s bird.
Ill use the stock motor n esc to power a smaller model.

Amp tests with a 12x8 prop

20amp 1/2 throttle
36amp 3/4 throttle
55amp wot

The weather here is warming up so perhaps I can fly it before long.

Hi, do you have any details/photos on the mods required to fit the FL3648 880kv motor?
thanks
Bob

[Ole-Timer]

Get rid of the stock 2.5oz collet and spinner, replace that with a light aluminum version, I believe mine is from an old PZ T-28.
Remove the stock motor and pull the aluminum mount off. The FL3648 will bolt directly to that. Before you reinstall that, The esc is bigger so I use a small fish fillet knife to carefully open up the esc bay under the battery tray by reaching through the plastic motor mount. Remember to allow airflow around the entire esc for proper cooling. I also eased the motor mount open just slightly with a dremel so the esc would slide in. In the battery bay I added a piece of dowel at the aft end to raise the battery above the AS3X Rx. You could move the Rx aft a bit but I just used a dowel to make space. My canopy fit on with no trimming required.

[Bob Symes]

Get rid of the stock 2.5oz collet and spinner, replace that with a light aluminum version, I believe mine is from an old PZ T-28.
Remove the stock motor and pull the aluminum mount off. The FL3648 will bolt directly to that. Before you reinstall that, The esc is bigger so I use a small fish fillet knife to carefully open up the esc bay under the battery tray by reaching through the plastic motor mount. Remember to allow airflow around the entire esc for proper cooling. I also eased the motor mount open just slightly with a dremel so the esc would slide in. In the battery bay I added a piece of dowel at the aft end to raise the battery above the AS3X Rx. You could move the Rx aft a bit but I just used a dowel to make space. My canopy fit on with no trimming required.

Fantastic, I was hoping it would be reasonably straightforward, with little mods for mounting the motor.
thanks very much Ole-Timer, time to order some parts.
Regards
Bob

[Evoman]

Rather peculiar offering from E-Flite. It was not just that long ago that Freewing discontinued their 1450mm AT-6 for no apparent reason.
The ones I saw were good fliers powered by 4S. The only reason I can imagine for the shut down by FW is because they were not a huge market share.
They were also not Newb RC warbird pilot friendly due to the tip stall characteristic design of the AT-6 wing which was very similar to the full size.
Be interesting to see how this E-flite at same size will do on 3S.

I had been looking into the AT-6 a while ago because a friend really liked them. But of all the reviews I read no matter the brand they all suffered from suddenly tip stalling if flown too slow.
Which is absurd for an airplane meant to train pilots.
The Freewing model was also hard to get the CG right according to the reviews.
And since my friend is still a newbie that still has a dependency on AS3X and SAFE on his Apprentice I advised him this was not an ideal plane for him to move up to next.
But since this new E-flite model can be had with AS3X and SAFE it might just be an ideal plane for him after all. Hopefully the AS3X stabilizer will prevent any nasty tendency's.
The only thing keeping him now from buying this one now is that it does not come in yellow and he has no experience painting a model of some sort. I would mostly likely have to help him out painting it.

[Ole-Timer]

Many models are produced with little or typically no wingtip washout. This causes the entire wing to have the same angle of attack and therefore stall at the same time span wise. The term tip stall was never used in the aerodynamics class I attended in college. It’s a stall... Calling it a tip stall would indicate the wing tip has a greater angle of incidence than the wing root and therefore stall first. Full sized utility and trainer aircraft wings are designed with washout. Flying wings must have it!!! Stunt planes with symmetrical wings do not.

I flew the crap outta this AT-6 a month ago on 3s. this model can be slowed down to a crawl and hang above stall. My cg was at the forward most point. I was slowing it down so much doing full stall three point landings in calm conditions that I would loose effective airflow over my control surfaces as it sat down. It’s a ***** cat. Looking at the wing, it appears to have a small amount of wingtip washout molded in and this would certainly account for the wing stalling at the root first and not the entire wing stalling at the same time which would cause abrupt rolls at stall. With full flap and some wind, it will need to ride the prop in with some power.

I will say for the record, that when I fly, the rudder is the primary turning control surface. I always lead with rudder and follow with appropriate aileron control, whether it’s a normal input or cross control. Whatever is required for conditions. That way the fuselage is kept straight in flight and not sideways as in slipping, causing a drag source. I can takeoff, fly, and land without using the ailerons if need be. Practice that by setting a three channel model up with throttle n rudder on the left stick and only elevator on the right stick. Or, try n refuse to use aileron on the 4 channel set up.

Forget burning holes in the sky
With any new rc airplane, during maiden and initial flights, the most important thing you should be doing is testing how the model responds at stall. Several times!
Does it shudder or give any noticeable movement as it approaches stall, roll on a wing, or pitch straight forward during stall.
Exactly what does it do
Clean... with gear and flaps up
Dirty... with gear and flaps down
Dirty in a turn to final two mistakes high
Feel the model out entirely like you would do when you fly a real airplane.


Washout pictured...

[MikeT]

I had been looking into the AT-6 a while ago because a friend really liked them. But of all the reviews I read no matter the brand they all suffered from suddenly tip stalling if flown too slow.
Which is absurd for an airplane meant to train pilots.
The Freewing model was also hard to get the CG right according to the reviews.
And since my friend is still a newbie that still has a dependency on AS3X and SAFE on his Apprentice I advised him this was not an ideal plane for him to move up to next.
But since this new E-flite model can be had with AS3X and SAFE it might just be an ideal plane for him after all. Hopefully the AS3X stabilizer will prevent any nasty tendency's.
The only thing keeping him now from buying this one now is that it does not come in yellow and he has no experience painting a model of some sort. I would mostly likely have to help him out painting it.

The AS3X will not prevent a air frame from stalling. I agree that all the previous AT-6 offerings from other vendors had a bunch of nasty flight tendencies this ones a *****cat. Landing is straightforward but not for the new chop and glide in in guy.
Mike

[Ole-Timer]

Get rid of the stock 2.5oz collet and spinner, replace that with a light aluminum version, I believe mine is from an old PZ T-28.
Remove the stock motor and pull the aluminum mount off. The FL3648 will bolt directly to that. Before you reinstall that, The esc is bigger so I use a small fish fillet knife to carefully open up the esc bay under the battery tray by reaching through the plastic motor mount. Remember to allow airflow around the entire esc for proper cooling. I also eased the motor mount open just slightly with a dremel so the esc would slide in. In the battery bay I added a piece of dowel at the aft end to raise the battery above the AS3X Rx. You could move the Rx aft a bit but I just used a dowel to make space. My canopy fit on with no trimming required.

I flew this 4s set up today several times. Winds were 5mph straight down the runway with mild gusts. The airframe was right at home with the added weight and the power was just what was needed. No flap three point full stall landings were still a snap. Such a *****cat... She loves 4s way more than 3s and so do I...!!!!

[Bob Symes]

I flew this 4s set up today several times. Winds were 5mph straight down the runway with mild gusts. The airframe was right at home with the added weight and the power was just what was needed. No flap three point full stall landings were still a snap. Such a *****cat... She loves 4s way more than 3s and so do I...!!!!

Great to hear Ole-Timer,
my motor and esc arrived Friday last week, just have to find the time to complete the modification.
How does the landing gear hold up to the extra weight?

[Ole-Timer]

The airframe is large enough that 4s is a non-issue weight wise. I always upgrade tires to Robart scale wheels. Hard foam factory tires absorb little shock. On this bird I trimmed off about 1/8 inch or so of the lower strut plastic so 3 inch Robart scale wheels would fit. It tracks great, gives better shock absorption, and looks much more scale now. I fly from a rough surface and the gear are doing just fine.
Once you upgrade to 4s it’s going to be obvious that this is where the model should be.

[Bob Symes]

The airframe is large enough that 4s is a non-issue weight wise. I always upgrade tires to Robart scale wheels. Hard foam factory tires absorb little shock. On this bird I trimmed off about 1/8 inch or so of the lower strut plastic so 3 inch Robart scale wheels would fit. It tracks great, gives better shock absorption, and looks much more scale now. I fly from a rough surface and the gear are doing just fine.
Once you upgrade to 4s it’s going to be obvious that this is where the model should be.

Sounds good, I think I have some dubro trend wheels in the spare parts draw.
can’t wait to get it in the air. Thanks again for your mods information Ole-Timer
regards
Bob

[Bob Symes]

I flew this 4s set up today several times. Winds were 5mph straight down the runway with mild gusts. The airframe was right at home with the added weight and the power was just what was needed. No flap three point full stall landings were still a snap. Such a *****cat... She loves 4s way more than 3s and so do I...!!!!

Hi Ole-Timer,
does the turnigy plush esc plug straight into the FL motor pins?
i was going to use a spare FMS 70A esc but the plug holes are too small for the pins on the FL motor.
thanks
Bob

[fhhuber]

Hi Ole-Timer,
does the turnigy plush esc plug straight into the FL motor pins?
i was going to use a spare FMS 70A esc but the plug holes are too small for the pins on the FL motor.
thanks
Bob

Most ESCs from 25 amp to 80 amp use 3.0 mm bullet connectors.
Some at the upper end start to use 4.0 mm "banana" bullets.

Its not hard to change the connectors.

If you stick with electric power for long you need a decent soldering iron and you need to learn how to solder connectors to ESCs, motors and batteries. There will be connectors that were not soldered properly at the factory and you need to be able to change connectors on batteries so you can standardize all of your planes to the same one if yo don't want to have to use adapters (which you have to make) or have several batteries of the same mah and cell count in order to accommodate the different plugs that come on the ESCs.

[Bob Symes]

Most ESCs from 25 amp to 80 amp use 3.0 mm bullet connectors.
Some at the upper end start to use 4.0 mm "banana" bullets.

Its not hard to change the connectors.

If you stick with electric power for long you need a decent soldering iron and you need to learn how to solder connectors to ESCs, motors and batteries. There will be connectors that were not soldered properly at the factory and you need to be able to change connectors on batteries so you can standardize all of your planes to the same one if yo don't want to have to use adapters (which you have to make) or have several batteries of the same mah and cell count in order to accommodate the different plugs that come on the ESCs.

Thanks Ole-Timer,
i gave all the doldeting gear and plugs, just checking to see if there was a plug and play solution
Cheers
Bob