Assembly Review -- Freewing F-14 Tomcat (twin 80mm EDF) 

+EDFjetflyer Thanks!

Awesome!

Thanks for watching! :)

I thought the same thing

Thanks Tony!

Good luck on the maiden! It’s a great flying jet.

+PatBALEX Thanks! I hear you! Yeah, my dad (Larry Wolfe) is the owner of JHH. Which F-14 kit are you talking about? The smalelr EDF or the 1/10 scale (never really was a full kit). I just recently picked up an unstarted DCU F-14 kit which I'm really stoked about. It's the same size as the 1/10 scale my folks have, just fully engineered so I don't have to figure it all out, haha! A big F-14 has always been my bucket list build. :)

+The RC Geek I think it was the parcel kit that didn't have the wood.. My old MAN plans are for a 90mm fan but Wow,, you got a DCU kit.. I first saw one at the Toledo Expo back in the early 90s.. I still have a picture of the kit on display.. After that I never hear from them again.. I think I may still have JHH's web address written down somewhere.. I'm going to have to look them up again.. Thanks.

+PatBALEX My folks are still selling builders kits, the web address is www.jethangar.com. There aren't too many places you can buy builders kits anymore unfortunately. Are the MAN plans the same as what are known as the Avonds plans? OR are they something different? The Avonds plans were for twin glow fans and drawn at 1/10 scale.

+The RC Geek I believe they're the Avonds plans.. Plans are for 46 size Ducted Fan glow engines.. And they show how to use 2 coffee cans as ducts.. Thanks for the web site.. I hung on to them until I became a better builder..

PatBALEX, A-7, the Man Eater ! Doesn’t the intake look like a sharks mouth ? The Carrier I was on had a man sucked into an A-7 on the flight deck...

Nice!!

@@Thercgeek I got it to the point where I got everything but Wing sweep

What is u b e c / b e c

It does not. Those are items to be supplied by the modeler.

+pshkong My statement was that it's about a 60% mix and actually I converged to 56%. this is only valid for full span flaps as with the stock flap setup, I didn't find that much of a mix was needed.

+daniel alessandrini There is a way to do that, but it requires telemetry and an airspeed sensor. You could then setup a warning to go off at a certain speed that you know is close to stall speed. That being said, the F-14 gives a fair warning when it's close to stall. The wings actually start to rock which is an indication to increase the speed.

The RC Geek thank you very much!

Yes, there are a couple. This is the latest one: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-5jyhcCBc0mk.html

Take a look at this video, it goes through the programming: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-5jyhcCBc0mk.html That being said, it requires 9 channels to get the full span flaps and maintain the aileron functionality. If limited to 8 channels, it may be worth just sticking with the stock setup. Or, if full span flaps is a must, you could look at tying the flaps and ailerons together mechanically and using them as flaperons.

The only means of partial sweep that I know if is to mechanically rig the wings such that full aft sweep is partial sweep. It's shown in the instructions. They use retract units, so they only move full direction either way until they hit the microswitch in the units.

+daniel alessandrini Yup, the nano 6000s will work fine. I'm using them in a higher amp application than the F-14 and they perform very well.

great thanks a lot!

To set this up exactly as I did requires 9 channels unfortunately because each of the ailerons require their own separate channel.

@@Thercgeek so for the 8 channels I would only be able to fly tailerons and the full flaps as well or no?...and thank u again for helping me

Yes, you could do tailerons only and full span flaps with 8 channels. One of the aileron servos would require reversing, so that could be handled through a y harness with servo reverser.

Jeff, I'm guessing that you're plugging everything directly into the receiver? There's not enough channels to do that with the 9 channel. The only items required to be plugged directly into the receiver are the ailerons. Everything else is routed through the control board in the airplane (though, you can route tail servos directly too). Otherwise, you can y-harness the flaps, but it may require reverser in the loop too depending on the servo orientation.

The RC Geek that’s what I’ve got. Both ailerons going into auxiliary 2 and auxiliary 3 channels. And everything else going through the board. But that DX file not working. I’ll need to find someone with a working F14 and using Spektrum. Did you use a 9 or 12 channel receiver? After using up channels 2 & 3 for the ailerons. I only had aux 4 available but I still needed to plug in the Flap and Variable Sweep Wing connections. So I pulled out a 12 channel. So not really sure what my problem is.

Yeah, I'm not sure why you're ending up with extra channels required. What specifically isn't working about the file? Here's the channel assignment list that was in the zip file with the Dx file. If you're assignments are aligned with this, it should work. Aux 4 is the wing sweep. Rx port assignments are: Throttle-throttle Aileron: Right Tail (elevon) Elevator: Left Tail (elevon) Rudder: Rudder Gear: Gear Aux1: Flap Aux2: Aux2 (wing rt aileron) Aux3: Aux3 (wing lt aileron) Aux4: Aux4 (wing sweep) Aux5: Aux5

Yeah, the F-14 is just an awesome brute force fighter and one of my favs as well. Skymaster does have a 1/7 scale tomcat...that's also about a $20,000 model too by the time it's all said and done. I actually have a 1/10 scale Tomcat I plan to build once I can clear the bench of some other projects.

I'm not familiar with the Sky Flight radio. What kind of mixing capability does it have? I'm guessing that it could be made to work somehow, but I don't know anything about the features.

I just put one of the 5800 packs on the scale and it came out at 850g, so I think you're good. The airplane does balance a little nose heavy there, but the airplane flies awesome at that CG. Which 6000 packs are they? Can you send me a link to them? Also, I'm not sure if you've seen it, but if not my flight review is here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-aemFYyQq6KY.html

The RC Geek

+blinkguy4ever I will cover more of this in my flight review when I get that finished up. In order to do what I've done exactly, you need a minimum of 9 channels as the ailerons need to be plugged directly into the receiver using 2 aux channels bypassing the stock electronics board. From there, to actuate the ailerons, you need to use a channel mix mixed with your aileron channel. I assigned my swing wing switch to the aileron channel mix such that it's on with wings extended and then off with the wings swept which then disables the ailerons in the swept wing config. Within the channel mix is where you assign the deflection of the aileron servos. Note that it will not work in combination with dual rates since it's outside of the actual ailerons channel. Also, I tied my aileron dual rates to the swing wing switch so that with the wings swept, the ailerons automatically reduce to low rates. This is important as the airplane will otherwise be crazy touchy in roll with the wings swept on tailerons at high rate. Note that you get plenty of authority running tailerons only, I've flown the airplane in that configuration and it works very well. However, you will need to move the ailerons input to max deflection for a decent 360 degree roll. I found the stock taileron/aileron combo too hot for my liking. I don't like my airplanes rolling like a drillbit. I'm using an Airtronics SD-10G radio, so can really only talk to that. However, the methodology should be similar. If you're limited on channels, then we'll have to figure out some other options. Running tailerons only is a good option if channel limited.

+The RC Geek thanks a lot for the input buddy!

+blinkguy4ever No problem. I should have my flight review up in a couple weeks.

+The RC Geek can't wait : )

Those should fit. They appear to be a very similar footprint to the 5800s that I'm using.

The F-14 with the wings extended is a great flying airplane! It's a very user friendly configuration. That said, you do want to be n experienced pilot flying high performance aircraft. Also, with the wings swept, you do need to be on your game a bit more and ensure that it's setup properly. I love how this Tomcat flies personally.

So, there’s not a lot of reinforcement in the gear area and the foam can get soft over time. On my refinish, I embedded some carbon tubes. I will be talking about that in my refinish series once it’s done, but there are some pictures of what I did on my Facebook page: facebook.com/860366194001501/posts/3729059920465433/

@@Thercgeek do you know if I could stick a spectrum receiver with safe and As3x in there?

Yeah, one of the newer smart receivers should work. You need minimum of 7channels for this one, so keep that in mind when shooing for receivers.

Yeah, to setup the airplane the way I did here requires 9 channels. You need 2 channels for the ailerons to work as flaperons too.

I’ve done my care share of turbine ops. The reason I don’t go that way mostly is because the events I fly at locally don’t allow turbines. So, I stick with electric so I can fly the airplanes I want to at the events. SoCal isn’t overly turbine friendly.

The FW F-14 is a great flying jet. It’s still one of my favorite freewing aircraft.

Well, reinforcing the gear mounts in some way isn’t bad. The gear mounts as is can get soft over time, especially if the runway is rough and/or you have some hard landings. On my most recent one, I simply embedded and glued in some carbon tubes behind and above the gear which seems to have really stiffened them up. I have my first f14 refinish video posting next month hopefully which will talk about the modification.

@@Thercgeekso you think the battery tray mod I can forego? I know it is something you should do before gluing the fuselage. It is there only thing stopping me from starting there build. I sent you an email to the one you have listed. Don't want to gum up your comments with all my questions!

Reinforcing the nose probably isn’t bad, but I don’t find it a necessity. if you’re operating from grass, may not be a bad idea. I don’t have any reinforcement in the nose area on mine.

@@Thercgeek Thanks for the recommendation Chris. I originally chatted with you a few months ago asking if I could fly it off grass, I have since then found a field with a paved runway mainly for this plane, lol. I downloaded your DX9 config file and noticed that it is spec'd for a 9 channel receiver. I wanted to have the comfort of SAFE along with AS3X so I bought a Spektrum AR8360T which is only 8 channels. What am I losing by not having the extra channel, and can I adapt your DX9 config for 8 channels?

With the 8channels, you won’t be able to do all the programming mods I did. That requires both ailerons to be on separate channels that get mixed in separately. Mostly, you could set it up to disable the ailerons with wings swept with the 8th channel by connecting the ailerons on a yharness and setting them up on the 8th channel.

As far as I know that should work (I’m most familiar with Spektrum). You need a minimum of 7 channels for this model and that appears to provide 10 channels, so gives you options if you want to explore custom programming.

Thx ☺️ 😊

Sure! Shoot me an email through my contact form on my website (thercgeek.com) and I can send you a DX9 file.

ty I did send you an Email!

Reply sent. Sorry for the delay, I was out of town this past weekend.

The RC Geek np is all good ty

Nope, it’s totally a love story between iceman and maverick! 🤪. Thanks for watching!

+DeiselDemon I hear you on the Iranian camo...but there are plenty of very interesting US schemes I'd rather go for. ;)

When get rev’d up, I really get rev’d up! 🤣

@@Thercgeek lmao

What doesn't work? Do you have all of the mixing setup between the surfaces?

No...please tell me use the mixing setup. Did i use Elevon correct or not?

How can I deactive the flap and the aileron when the wing sweep ...

yes, you need elevon control setup. Can you be more specific as to what isn't working? Is it just the mixing? Which controls aren't working? Did I send you the Dx9 file that I have for this setup?

The deactivation of the flap and aileron is done through the swing wing switch assignment. When the wings are swept back, your aileron and flap mixes should be "off" or deactivated. Then when the swing wing switch is moved to the extended wing position, the flap and aileron mixes should be "on" or activated.

Thanks Dude

Very cool!

The airplane is marginal on grass with the stock power system. It does it, but the acceleration to takeoff can take a while depending on the depth and smoothness of the grass. There's an upgraded inrunner power system that will help reduce the takeoff ground roll on grass which has given guys the best success.

interman 77 I think the airplane comes in at about 11 lb. I didn't weigh it.

Thank you.

Motionrc.com

Check out motionrc.com

This F-14 is available through MotionRC.com and sells for $549.

Yeah, that's a complete scam. Highly doubtful that what you see is what you will get..if you get anything at all. I've seen a few similar ads on facebook where they've taken flight footage from various internet outlets (including motion rc) to make an advertisement. For example showing an RC F-22 for $60 using Freewing F-22 footage. Yeah, I don't think so. If it's too good to be true, it probably is.

Yea I got an ad from some website for 19.99. I feel bad for people who actually wasted their money

Same. I eventually got a laser cut metal puzzle of a biplane 45 days later instead of this cool plane

Thanks! :) My last name is actually Wolfe. The F-14 prototype is from the Matt Halton design...I helped develop a kit from that design for my folks (jethangar.com) with permission from Matt. It was an awesome flyer!

I've considered this, but the difficulty is that I don't have this setup on a spektrum since I've been using airtronics. I do have a couple dx model files I can email you though. Shoot me an email through my contact form at thercgeek.com and I can send what I have.

Also, here are a couple notes from my friend who setup his F-14 on a Dx9. Using my DX-9, I kept the stock aileron and elevator chanels from the board to the receiver. Then I separated the two aileron chanels and made them my Aux2 and Aux3. From there, you are able to set up a mix from Aileron to Aux 2 and Aileron to Aux 3 and have it be one sided, so only the one side raises when inputitng roll. Lastly, I had my wing sweep on a single two-position switch that is also a flight mode switch. Then, in your mixes for Aileron to Aux2 and Aux3 you can set it to enable only in the selected flight mode. I also used the mix in a flight mode to dissable my flaps with wings swept with a Flap>Flap mix that's simply -100% and enabled in the swept flight mode. 1 throttle 2 aileron 3 elevator 4 rudder 5 Gear 6 Aux 1 - Flap 7 Aux 2 - AileronR 7 Aux 3 - AileronL 9 Aux 4 - Wing Sweep

Has it arrived yet? Don’t expect to receive an rc tomcat for that price.

@@Thercgeek given it's coming directly from China....it'll take a while

I’ll be curious to know what arrives. One guy on here had some micro metal earth kit arrive of some other airplane. Again, don’t expect it to be a freewing tomcat. If it’s too good to be true, it usually is.

+RCWASPOVISION Yup! :) He also did Iron Eagle 1 & 2 and Firefox. We still have the molds for the models that were made...except Firefox. People still ask about that one from time to time, haha

+The RC Geek Wow, that's impressive mate! I remember watching a "Making of Top Gun" back in the 80's and how they used the scale jets in some scenes. Watching the movie recently I was trying to pick them. lol!

Yeah, it’s unfortunate. I’ve seen those ads on Facebook too. The bottom line, if it’s too good to be true, it usually is...

I’ve heard that before. 😂

Exactly like Tony.

Yeah!!!

Correct, the tails are canted outwards on the full scale. They are on this model too.

Hi Alex, I was concerned with this initially, but I have not had any issues at all to this point. I somewhat recently replaced the taileron servos with hitech digitals mostly because the stock servos are pretty sloppy and marginal for the task they are asked to perform.

Thats great to hear. Definitely will test on the bench before I fly if I decide to use that receiver with the new Stinger 90 I'm awaiting. Thanks for the reply.

The issue is once you get to composite construction, the price increases substantially. So, the foam allows for an inexpensive and accessible model. There is an F-14 all built up wood kit available from jethangar.com which is probably on the same order of cost as this one. There's also a 1/7 scale all composite F-14 too from skymaster, but it is an order magnitude more expensive.

The RC Geek wow thanks for the info I’m learning to fly with an Apprentice for six months and then I moved to a fan jet for six months and then I move up to the real deal turbines

Thanks for the link. The packs are very light for the capacity and c rating. Very interesting!

well in my windrider 737 I have 2 1850kv outrunners with 2 Ztw-80esc, I run one of those 6000mah 55c battery for 2 motors, pulls 108A 2200W, after a 4 min run only the plugs are warm(XT150 5mm) and its need holding up better than my other 5000mah 30c battery, after 3 mins the wires and plugs on the 30c battery is very hot(can hold it to unplug it but you wouldn't want to hold it for very long)

Shoot, I taught him everything he knows! :p

Haha