From the Field -- E-flite F-16 Falcon 80mm EDF First Flights | The RC Geek

[@Thercgeek]

Like the shirt? Get it here! ► bit.ly/GeekRIPTApparel ▼Links to Everything used on the model below▼ E-flite F-16 Falcon 80mm EDF ► bit.ly/EflF1680 6s 5000mah Battery ► bit.ly/Smt6s5000 6s 6250mah Battery ► bit.ly/RT6s6250 6s 7000 mah Battery ► bit.ly/Sm6s7000 Spektrum NX Radio ► bit.ly/SpktmTx 32mm Inrunner Centerburner ► thercgeek.com/centerburner

[@Ossy8618]

So cool, even a draco in the background at the end!

[@adamtwelve8646]

Oh man! Those Center Burners look so realistic!!!

[@Thercgeek]

Thanks! 😎😁🤣

[@rmosley111]

Another great review Chris. Since I developed electronic hardware for 2 of the 3 missile types on your E-flite F-16 I'll clarify your stores outside the fuel tanks at 7:00. Inboard are Sparrows, next are AIM-9X Sidewinders and wing tip rails have AMRAAM's. Really looks great fully loaded.

[@Thercgeek]

Perfect, thanks! A weapons expert I am not and the AIM-9s were the only ones I recognized, haha!

[@rmosley111]

Correction: Inboard are HARM missiles.

[@KevinMardirossian]

@@rmosley111 I was gonna say... would be strange to have Sparrows next to the Aim-9x

[@AerospaceMatt]

Nice! As soon as I saw it I knew I had to get one! This review makes me want it even more!

[@Thercgeek]

😁😎

[@jonbarnes7877]

Man that thing looks SICK with all those underwing goodies Chris! 😎😎

[@Thercgeek]

I agree with you 😁

[@victorrcjets7660]

Sounds great ripping by!

[@Thercgeek]

Agreed! 😁

[@timvanasen6711]

Beautiful Falcon it fly's & perform's great I have one on order, great flying Chris thanks for sharing 😉👍🛩

[@Thercgeek]

Awesome, thanks!

[@dradden1556]

I agree. The Eflite 70 and 80mm F16s are really nice

[@eadyfay6765]

I was amazed to see this F-16 remote control fighter, there is a desire to buy it, the sound is like the original, cool

[@GBLynden]

Awesome work like always! 👊🏻💥👊🏻

[@Thercgeek]

Thanks!

[@scottsettleproductions]

Nice flight Chris! She sounds so good. Wow. Smooth turner too! :). Thanks for the video.

[@Thercgeek]

Thanks! 😊

[@Yaak18]

The sound is amazing!

[@spreadeagled5654]

AWESOME!!! Looks great! Flies great! Sounds great! Piloting’s great! 👍👍👍 It needs a speed brake.

[@mrt1035]

Dang I’m ready for this plane. I feel like I’m one of the few that still loves flying their Freewing 90mm F-16. Mine is on 8s and it really rips the sky up. My JP fans sucks up those batteries fast though. Have my scheme ordered for this through Callie graphics, just need to get my AB from you ordered. Great job, will look forward to your review

[@Thercgeek]

Thanks! I could see the FW being pretty fun on a good 8s setup.

[@mistereugenekrabs7729]

I go to school where the real ones are stationed, see these guys pretty much every day

[@Thercgeek]

Very cool!

[@DeucesWildRC]

Nice demo Chris👍 the sound is fantastic!

[@Thercgeek]

Thanks!

[@Mrtcoltpilot56]

That was amazing. Can't wait to get mine up in the air. Mine came as the BNF basic with AS3X. May want to do the flaperons.

[@Nothinglefttosay]

Got mine this week... would love to know your AS3X gains..

[@Thercgeek]

I go through that in this vid: kzbin.info/www/bejne/g369o2aqprSanKs

[@DadsRCHangar]

Looks so great with the ordinance on her. Great video Chris 👍🏻

[@Thercgeek]

Thanks man!

[@jetman899]

Thanks for the review, Chris. I like the F16 70m Thunderbird; it's good to hear it has the characteristic. I'm in!

[@Thercgeek]

Yeah, it’s quite similar. The one difference is that it does fly a bit heavier which is to be expected since it’s bigger and has the more complex gear.

[@jetman899]

Will you please send me a link and the afterburner for this F16.

[@Thercgeek]

I have a link in the description. It’s my 32mm inrunner centerburner design from my site at thercgeek.com/centerburner

[@field.of.dimensions_music1]

So many goods about this one! To pick the best part, I’d struggle between the center burner and the sound... ok center burner 👍🏼But really the shock absorbers and the ordnance... all cool.

[@Thercgeek]

Thanks! 😊

[@tyfude]

Great stuff here. Very helpful. Appreciate seeing your throttle/elevator management on landings so clearly. Mine’s OTW 😀

[@bennyeyeballs880]

Man it sounds good 👌 and the after burner lights looks perfect 👍

[@Thercgeek]

Thanks! 😊

[@Adanacon]

Finally! Someone that know how to fly relatively scale…. Nice flight

[@Thercgeek]

Thanks!

[@chuckelleehin1270]

👌🏽love all the stores and ordinance 🍻

[@dradden1556]

The new one with thrust reverse works really well too

[@rollermr]

Beautiful love that look of that F-16 beautiful flying ….. thanks for the review ordering me one….

[@Thercgeek]

Thanks!

[@websoftpr1]

The experience I had with nose gear doors is that on the first hard landing they will blow away. I see this one very close to the ground, at leat it seems from the videos I've seen, hopefully they will modify in future versions.

[@Thercgeek]

Well, so far so good in the off road roll outs I’ve had thus far. The suspension doesn’t allow the nose to compress enough for the door to strike the ground at full compression.

[@Air-Jon]

Awesome flying Geek! It's kind like seeing it for the first time watching this. Not the same experience through one eye LOL. I was way rusty with the shaky camera action and my flabby covid arm muscles were screaming after 4 minutes! Really good work on those landings with a new bird and that stupid South wind and turbulence from the hill on approach. Once the infinity bearings are removed she will stop on our tiny runway no problemo! This is a cool EDF model for sure!

[@Thercgeek]

Haha, thanks man! You did great with the camera and I really appreciate your help out there. Hopefully the landings will be a bit better this weekend. 😊

[@corycoyle6725]

Superb dude!! Got me sold!

[@Thercgeek]

Cool!

[@davidsnyder238]

Great flight and flying review Chris. Awesome bird! All that was missing was Chappy and some Dio playing in the background hide in the Rainbow!

[@Thercgeek]

Thanks! I’ll be sure a happy makes an appearance in the full review... 🤣

[@terrencejackson4587]

Hahahahaha. That’s it, you just lost your oil fields! Those of you will remember that line.......

[@Thercgeek]

Hahaha

[@mithrandir1313]

slows down better than a Draco!! lol ;P

[@Thercgeek]

Almost! 🤣

[@automagni]

I believe those are AIM-120 AMRAAM on the wing tips and AGM-88 HARM along side the sidewinders on the wing stations. Great flying as always Chris!!

[@Thercgeek]

Thanks!

[@automagni]

@@Thercgeek Off topic, I'm about to order the Freewing F-14. People have been referencing you and your mods, and I can't seem to find youtube videos of your F-14. Where did you post your information on the plane? I need to learn as much as I can about it. I hope I'm not way over my head on this one. I have several jets, FMS F-18F, FW F-35, E-Flite A-10, and others, but for some reason I feel nervous about this plane. Hopefully I'm able to build/configure it properly and be able to fly it! The only reason why I am entertaining it is because it's my all-time favorite jet, I've loved it since I was a kid, and I have to have it!

[@Thercgeek]

All of that is on my website at thercgeek.com/fwf14 know that the airplane does fly quite nicely stock, so don’t necessarily feel you have to do all of the mods I did. That said, I did personally prefer how it flew with the mods I did. 😊

[@automagni]

​@@ThercgeekChris you end up doing the mods on the aluminum landing gear plate to reinforce it as many have done? How about the battery tray mod? Did you buy the missile package from FW? I'm about to pull the trigger on the plane and don't know if it is worth it. Thx!

[@ScaleMeDown]

Love this jet ! Might have to get one myself

[@rcmaniac4561]

Well done 👍. Can’t wait to get it in my hands.

[@Thercgeek]

Thanks!

[@canamwing6999]

Beautiful!

[@allangrant1326]

I’ve never had, wanted a rc plane. But the F16 is my fav jet of all time & I think I might buy one just to hang on my garage wall

[@payitfwdrcl6171]

Chris, Looks like the real deal with your afterburner. We have 2 full scale currently in Depot maintenance. Awesome plane. Eflite even offers the livery from SHAW here in SC. Cool.... :-)

[@GBLynden]

You would know too! 👊🏻💥👊🏻

[@zubuxstein]

"Loose lips might sink ships" *When using social media, avoid mentioning rank, unit locations, deployment dates, names, or equipment specifications and capabilities," the social media handbook said. - ARMY Net Threats article

[@AerospaceMatt]

Also, those are AIM 120D AMRAAMs on the wingtips. I believe that the white missiles are AGM-88 HARMs.

[@Thercgeek]

Cool, thanks!

[@davidgerlach1132]

I love anything F-16. This is definitely on my list. I have a question about the landing gear. Did you need to set any sequencing with your transmitter for the doors?

[@Thercgeek]

No sequencing needing. It’s taken care of out of the box. 😊

[@themaddestbomber]

Hey not sure if you are aware by now but that jet has reversing capabilities for the motor so you can use it as breaks when you land

[@Thercgeek]

Yep, I’m aware. I still haven’t set it up to try it yet. I did on the 90mm viper though.

[@justboogieman]

Just bought the Thunderbird like 2 days before they released this one. Looks like ima have 2 f-16s now😂. Love your videos dude keep up the great work 👍

[@Thercgeek]

Thanks! Can one have too many F-16s? I think not! 🤣

[@lawrencewilliams1477]

UNSTOPPABLE LIKES HERE FOLKS BRILLIANT PRESENTATION TOP FLIGHT ✈

[@Thercgeek]

Thank you! 😊

[@jonoedwards4195]

Corrr! Needs a Russian Star or two,,, to make Everyone go after it already. Geek in the zone as usual,, Unreal Display. Beauty Matey!

[@Thercgeek]

Haha, thanks man!

[@davidgerlach1132]

Excellent as always. Question, how would you compare this with the Eflight F-16 Thunderbird 80mm?

[@Thercgeek]

The airplanes are the same. The defining difference with the thunderbird is that it comes with an 8ch receiver which opens up opportunities for custom programming. Here’s my vid on the tbird: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i5TNpmmkfZyBe68

[@Airguardian]

Looks close to or above 1:1 T/W ratio. Can you confirm if it can climb 'forever' on the 5Ah pack?

[@Thercgeek]

It’s not quite 1:1 with the 5000, but it’ll climb straight from takeoff though, but not unlimited.

[@Airguardian]

@@Thercgeek Thanks! Still pretty amazing performance for an out-of-the-box jet ;)

[@stark1758]

sounds really good

[@burlingtonfilms]

Does the 80mm f16 fly better and land easier with the 5000? Or is the performance not that different with the 7000?

[@Thercgeek]

It definitely slows down a little better with the 5000, but the overall performance I think it better with the 7000. Of late, I’ve been flying it with a 6250mah pack which is the perfect blend of both sizes. Also, I recently replaced the receiver with an AR10360T and programmed full flaperons and tailerons for landings which really helped on the landings. kzbin.info/www/bejne/pqqthKhmmaufZqM

[@EDF_FANatic]

Even though this is an 80mm, I can't get over how much better and more turbine like this sounds vs the 90mm f18 from FW. I wanted to got something other than an f16 since I have the 70mm TB version already, but inching closer towards getting this as well! How does it handle compared to the 70mm Tb? Does it feel much different ?

[@Thercgeek]

This model has very similar characteristics to the TB as a whole. The primary difference is that it feels heavier to fly but the overall performance is notably better too.

[@shermanbellmyer5066]

CG question for ya…. I’m using your suggestion of 105mm for CG did your 5000 have to go under the first two straps in the nose to balance or did it go all the way back also? If I push mine all the way back I can’t get it to balance out all the way back. I also use reverse thrust to really shorten the roll out.

[@Thercgeek]

The battery should be placed as required to get the corresponding cg location. So, I’d recommend moving it around to until the cg aligns with the 105mm dimension. I didn’t have the 5000 pack all the way aft, only the 7000.

[@terrencejackson4587]

Hey Chris, what are you calling good flight times? I had the Freewing with a Schubeler 90mm I installed. It flew really well, but I programmed tailerons into it for the slow flight control and axial rolls. This one seems to fly better, but that might be in your hands as well. I was looking to do an iron eagle livery, but I didn’t want to buy another 3min jet so I opted for the JTM F-16. T-One also has a good looking affordable F-16C but it is a bit more pricey.

[@Thercgeek]

Well, it really depends on the battery. As a point of reference, my timer was set at 3.5minutes. With the 5000 pack, I immediately landed. With the 7000 pack, I pretty much ignored it and flew an additional minute plus I would guess before landing and had reserve in the battery.

[@tobiasjarpner1036]

It looks a little thick in the pictures and not as sleek as the F16 is. Reminds me of the F16B in the movie "Jewel of the Nile" (there's a movie reference for you all). Probably flies great, as stated, but the lines are off to me.

[@tructran8783]

Great review. With ordinance it lands better in a shorter distance. What is flight time with 6s 7000? Thx.

[@Thercgeek]

Thanks! There was also a bit more headwind when I flew the stores too which helped. Flight time with the 7000 is 4+ minutes.

[@NICHOLASRGLORIOSO]

***** Looks Badass All Armed!!! I was Fortunate enough To Be Stationed at DHAHRAN AB, Saudi Arabia and Saw The F16C Take Off And Land Fully armed,and Got to See him LAND Also!! LITTLE DID I KNOW At the Time, That Pilot had the 1ST Double Shoot Down of the war!!! **** I Guess seeing him come in MINUS 2 Sidewinders may have been a Clue! Lol GREAT FLIGHTS!

[@Thercgeek]

Cool!

[@Jonathan-vo1vt]

How’s the gear on the compared to the Freewing? Aluminum/shock absorbing ?

[@Thercgeek]

Well, I’m not very familiar with the freewing gear, but these eflite struts are full metal and shock absorbing. They work quite well.

[@brianshelton1232]

Wing tips are AIM 120 AMRAAM, large missile is AGM 45 Shrike....you got AIM 9 sidewinder correct!

[@Thercgeek]

Thanks for clarifying. The sidewinder was the only one I recognized, haha

[@EDF_FANatic]

Looks and feels great but looks like it needs a longer runway to takeoff and doesn't high alpha as well as the thunderbird. What are your thoughts?

[@Thercgeek]

A longer runway would be nice as it’s only 300 ft at this site. That said, it was off the ground in half the length. Was really only the landings and i kept touching down mid field. On the high alpha, it does pretty well. I’ll be exploring moving the cg back this weekend which I expect will improve it more. That said, the model is a bit heavier than the thunderbirds, so that will come into play also.

[@tomgutmann2795]

Great review! The sound is truly amazing! I have 4 Eflite Planes and two years of experience. Now I’m thinking of buying it but this would be my first EDF jet. Would you recommend buying it as a EDF Newbie or should I go with the Viper 90mm?

[@Thercgeek]

Thank you! The Viper is going to be a little more traditional feeling to fly, so that might better the better choice to start with.

[@tomgutmann2795]

@@Thercgeek Okay, thank you so much for the reply! Have a great day :)

[@jons858]

Awesome review. How does speed compare to the 70mm Thunderbird version? I felt the 70mm is a great flyer just want a little more speed out of it. Does the 80mm give that?

[@Thercgeek]

Thanks! Yeah, 80mm is all around a better performer than the 70mm. It’s notably quicker and better in the verticals.

[@carlosancinez9116]

Hey man thanks for the awesome content, between the f18 and f16 which one do you recommend? Thanks

[@Thercgeek]

Thanks! Between the two, while I really like the F-18, I think that the f16 is a little more forgiving so probably the better choice. It also has a little better overall performance compared to the hornet also.

[@zeroxzero8348]

RC Geek do you trust the provided AS3X receiver that comes in these things? I've always yanked them out right away and put in a standard 6ch Spektrum receiver. $500.00 plane kinda expensive to put up in the air with something that has a pretty bad rap behind it for failing.

[@Thercgeek]

My personal experience has been very good with the supplied receivers (knock on wood). And these latest ones are the latest smart receivers, so I’d guess you’d be trading it out for the same receiver? I do wish that they werent locked though so that adjustments could be made to the gyro through the radio.

[@txkflier]

I have been reprogramming the AS3X and SAFE mode settings in Spektrum AR636’s for over two years and have been flying them for much longer than that. I currently have nine EDF jets and several propeller planes with AR636’s in them that I fly multiple days per week. They have never given me one ounce of trouble. I see a lot of people bash Spektrum, but I’ve seen a lot more that don’t know what they’re doing. I learned back in the 1970’s when Kraft radios were popular that whatever is flown the most, crashes the most..

[@cat22planes]

Chris, Nice flying, really good Delta to try and stop...{8-) You mentioned good flight times; about how good for the packs mentioned (approx. will be fine)?

[@Thercgeek]

So, I had my timer set at 3.5 minutes. On the 5000 I landed at that time. With the 7000, I pretty much ignored the timer and extended a minute plus.

[@frank-vq4mx]

Hi Mister Geek. Why don't you install a Castle E.S.C. than program the "Reverse Thrust" option ? I use it on all of my jets with outstanding performance.

[@Thercgeek]

That’s an option. From what I’ve heard that was tested and with all of the aux air vents, the reverse thrust isn’t as effective. Might still be worth a try though.

[@frank-vq4mx]

@@Thercgeek Works extremely on the Rafale. Not so well on the E-Flite SU-30.

[@jeffarab4947]

Very nice 80mm better then 90s this f16 comes with all kinds of nice features love the gears and leds. A bit pricy compared to the best 70 mm f16 freewing

[@charlesrestivo870]

Did u try a slow pass high alpha just curious Does 5000 go all the way back .Very nice H.A .landings

[@Thercgeek]

High alphas well and should do better as I explore moving the cg mark. Check out the 5:30 mark for the clean high alpha.

[@charlesrestivo870]

@@Thercgeek ok thank u

[@charlesrestivo870]

@@Thercgeek thanks saw it

[@sambarnes7098]

Looks nice, sounds great but doesn’t appear to have the alpha range of the 70mm? It’s the slow flight that keeps me interested on the 70mm, as you say “high alpha all day long.”

[@Thercgeek]

I guess it’s all in expectations as this high alphas well imo. The thing to keep in mind is that the 70mm is considerably lighter, so it’ll slow down much more in the high alpha. That said, cg is a component of that too and I’ve not explored that yet. I’ll be playing with that today.

[@Thercgeek]

So, I did some testing moving the cg further back and high alpha was even better than in this vid. Was holding full back stick and steering with rudder and it was happy to stay there while modulating the throttle to keep a steady altitude.

[@sambarnes7098]

@@Thercgeek Awesome, thanks for the report. I look forward to your more in-depth review.

[@mohammedb4488]

Sir, can u showing full step by step assembly video.

[@Thercgeek]

Yup, check out my full assembly and flight review vid here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/anikgqt3gbCKaLM

[@theStirp]

man i love those F16s, how can i jump into one of those start off on the sim rc flight? or just starter planes

[@Thercgeek]

Well, this F-16 is something to work up to once you have sim proficiency built up flying. The sim is a great place to start and will give you an idea of what it takes to fly it, but For learning, I’d highly recommend getting connected with a local club and seeking out some instruction. It will save you time and money learning.

[@theStirp]

@@Thercgeek thanks for the response I figured that because even just RC cars we tend to break them and upgrade and work our way but I'm sure with flying it's another step up

[@carlosancinez9116]

Awesome, Does safe work with plaperons?

[@Thercgeek]

Yes, it should work with safe on, though I haven’t tried it.

[@bohan9957]

The big white missiles are HARM Anti-Radiation missiles. The Sidewinders look a bit fat.

[@Thercgeek]

There a re a bit fat, haha

[@Thercgeek]

It’s got them Widesinders 🤣

[@fern6978]

Where's your cg? Looked pretty nose heavy in the air... I'd venture 10-15mm aft would help a lot.

[@Thercgeek]

Cg is per the manual. It could go back a bit, but didn’t feel overly nose heavy to me.

[@Thercgeek]

I should mention too though that I’ve not spent any time trying to tune the cg yet either. Will be working that this coming weekend.

[@fern6978]

@@Thercgeek Yeah you can see it drop substantially in the rolls. I think it'll love a more a ft cg and feel lighter on its feet, more nible, and also land more slowly. 👍

[@FalconWing1813]

Has anyone ever tried to the electric brakes from Hobby king ? Would it be to heavy for an EDF like this ? thanks

[@Thercgeek]

I’m not familiar with those, but I’ve seen folks use electric brakes on other similar sized models.

[@jaysonfarmer157]

Chris, doesn't the ESC allow you to set up reverse thrust to help with getting your plane whoah'd up?

[@Thercgeek]

It does, yes. 😊

[@WickedMoto]

tip missles are aim120c not aim7 sparrows.. the middle bigger missles are agm 88 harms for sam sites

[@jsean13]

So you like the F-16 or the F-18 from Eflite better??

[@Thercgeek]

You know, they fly uniquely different. The F-16 I find more nimble than the f18, but the f18 feels more scale to me in flight. Flight times are better with the f16 which helps. 😊

[@ModelAV8RChannel]

Great flying Chris! What are the flight times?

[@Thercgeek]

Thanks! With the 7000, can do 4+ minutes pretty easily.

[@keithchristie4678]

Can you do reverse throttle for some braking action?

[@Thercgeek]

It’s not a reversing esc, so not really an option at this point without changing that out.

[@keithchristie4678]

@@Thercgeek sorry, I thought all of the higher amp esc's had reversing built in, or maybe had to update firmware to activate it.

[@Thercgeek]

That’s a good question, I’m not certain.

[@brohoop]

Wait! Is that the actual sound?? No way! Sounds real!! Are you pulling our legs?

[@Thercgeek]

That is the sound of the model as recorded by my mic and I haven’t done anything to it. it really does sound quite authentic in person!

[@brohoop]

@@Thercgeek holy cow that’s amazing!

[@ronbrooks6547]

Is it possible to fly it out of reach of the Controller signal? Or is there a safety mechanism that will turn it in range

[@Thercgeek]

There is no gps return to home or anything like that in most rc models. So, you can fly it out of range, but the fact is that you’ll lose sight of it long before you fly it out of range.

[@ronbrooks6547]

@@Thercgeek Cool, Thanks

[@shermanbellmyer5066]

What kind of flight times did You get on the 5000, and 7000 smarts?

[@Thercgeek]

So, I had my timer set for 3.5 minutes and with the 5000 setup for landing right away and with the 7000 pretty much ignored it, haha! I Probably flew close to 5minutes if I had to guess.

[@PiggoNZ]

I've only done about 15 flights on mine, it's still so exhilarating to fly. I set up G load call outs yesterday and was surprised to hear 11G on some manoeuvres... do you think that's risking an inflight failure? Or can these models take that sort of abuse?

[@Thercgeek]

Ha, nice! I don’t think you have anything to worry about. The models can typically handle much higher g loads compared to their full scale counterparts.

[@PiggoNZ]

@@Thercgeek reassuring, thanks 😊

[@traxxi2003]

What flight times can I expect with the 7,000mah?

[@Thercgeek]

I’m getting 4-5 minutes with the 7000 flying the airplane fairly hard.

[@mikebird8290]

She sounds GREAT looks like it fly's very well. THANKYOU for a GREAT video SIR.🇬🇧🛫✈️🚁🛩️🛬🇺🇸 RC GEEK♥️💯👍🤩

[@Thercgeek]

Thanks! 😊

[@hughwiedman9711]

Great review Chris. Are you comparing this to the FW 90mm F16 that originally came with an anaemic 1750 kv outrunner, as that was a dog? It's finally been upgrade to a 9 blade inrunner but I put their 12 blade inrunner in and it's a beast, even on grass. I've seen this 80mm on grass and it's not impressive. Same weight as 90mm FW, slightly less wing area and using an 80mm vs the new 90mm inrunner, no way it flies better, but I could be wrong. 🤔

[@Thercgeek]

Thanks! I’m going based on the previous FW F-16s I’ve seen fly. They flew well, but didn’t have near the performance and chewed through a pack pretty quickly. I would imagine with the hot inrunner setup, it would be quite a bit better, but I don’t believe that’s what is packaged with the FW model still, is it?

[@hughwiedman9711]

The original for years came with the 1750 kv outrunner and it was definitely nothing to write home about, but just a few months ago they started offering it exclusively with the 1900 kv 9 blade inrunner, as they did with several others like the F4 and F18 base grey. That old outrunner is now gone for good. Reportedly, the 9 blade inrunner has a slightly higher top end speed than the 12 blade inrunner, but slightly less initial thrust on takeoff. I used the 12 blade since top end speed is less important than getting off grass. I fly mine fully loaded with flaperons and a 904 gr SMC 8100 and get over 5 minutes of aggressive flying. Upgraded both F4's with same and they're completely different, like comparing driving a dump truck to a Ferrari! Similar to 8S. I also put your AB in the F16, while leaving the stock ring burner and it really glows! Can't have too much fire! 😎

[@Thercgeek]

Cool, that’s good to know!

[@WarbirdFan66]

looks and sounds super nice, love it, unfortunately for me this bird, with its smal wheels seems not very suited for grass field ops unless it is supersmooth....one of the best features in my opinion you didnt even mention, the canopy/hatch with its hard plastic rim...anyway nice video, cheers

[@garygallant5390]

Lithium battery and brushless motor technology made this hobby more attainable to more people. Without these technology advances we would still be dealing with expensive turbine engines powered by gas/alcohol. Let’s just say it’s a lot easier now.

[@ArthurRC]

So nice! Well done Chris, perfect review 🤙🏻 but these ball bearings roll toooo much 😂

[@Thercgeek]

Thanks! Yeah, they’re a bit much, haha! I 3d printed some bushings to replace the bearings with which should help. Gonna try those along with flaperons this weekend.

[@ArthurRC]

@@Thercgeek yes flaperons will help a lot ! And how can you compare it with Freewing Gripen (honestly) ?

[@Thercgeek]

Only concern with flaperons is reduced roll control. So, I’ll be eager to see how it does. Comparing to the gripen, I honestly can’t say as I’ve not flown the gripen to date. I’ve seen it fly and it appears to fly quite nicely, but from what I understand it can tend to be nose heavy with larger capacity packs in there as you can’t push the battery back that much.

[@ArthurRC]

@@Thercgeek yes right but just add a few grams far back on the tail and it’s perfect 😜 but that’s the big problem with Chinese PNP jet 😏 always too nose heavy…

[@mapetas_0213]

@@Thercgeek wouldn’t flapperons affect as3x and SAFE because you have to re-wire things around?

[@ToddBreda]

Nice flight and review as always. Curious what the AUW is for this compared to my FW 90mm. I love the size of the 90mm but she needs to go on a serious diet, lol.

[@Thercgeek]

Thanks! Just weighed it and it’s about 92ounces without battery or weapons. 98 ounces with weapons.

[@ToddBreda]

@@Thercgeek Good to know, thanks!

[@shanethepain2009]

sweet ,even with all the huge drag pods hanging off

[@Thercgeek]

Yeah man! 😊

[@almosh3271]

The wing is rocking in slow spee, even in landing. This thing must have one high wing loading!!!!

[@Thercgeek]

The conditions were really bumpy at my field when we filmed this, so do please keep that in mind as it was getting bumped around as a whole. The field is on the top of a hill and there was also a weird burble at the approach end that made things interesting on landings as well.

[@almosh3271]

@@Thercgeek okay thanks for clearing that out for me. Happy landings man !!!

[@abdullah2696]

Which sound is much louder E-flite F-16 or F-18 ?

[@Thercgeek]

The f16 and f18 sound quite similar actually, very authentic and jet like.

[@stevejamelskyj5761]

What rates on elevator and aileron did u have on ur maiden

[@Thercgeek]

I don’t recall off hand, but I have all that info in the follow up video for this: kzbin.info/www/bejne/g369o2aqprSanKs

[@kenneth7197]

Whoa. Is that the best sounding EDF yet?

[@Thercgeek]

Yeah, the fan combined with the installation really do give it a great sound. The F-18 sounds similar actually.

[@USMC_BABE38]

How hard are these jets to fly for a beginner been thinking about getting one

[@Thercgeek]

Honestly, this would be a jet to work up to as you want to be a pretty proficient pilot for best success with it. I’d recommend getting connected with a local club and seeking out some instruction first and then go from there.

[@RadimentriX]

and what is the flighttime with the 5000mah battery?

[@Thercgeek]

Flight time is about 3.5 minutes roughly with a 5000.

[@RadimentriX]

@@Thercgeek thanks :D guess if i ever get one, i'll take the 7000s then :D i like to fly a bit longer :D

[@Thercgeek]

The best compromise between the two packs are the roaring top 6250mah packs. That’s what I’ve been flying this with mostly these days.

[@dariusrucker7854]

It's your burner brighter than what you expect from the eflight style?

[@Thercgeek]

Honestly, yes I do think mine will considerably brighter. You can see the eflite burner in their product video.

[@dariusrucker7854]

@@Thercgeek Thanks for responding. So all I need to do is plug your into the lead already there? No other wiring?

[@Thercgeek]

Mostly, yeah and the controller should be setup on the spare channel in the receiver. The Smart telemetry confuses the controller when the controller is connected through a y-harness on the throttle and there’s a smart esc and receiver. And then the burner is powered by a separate 2s 250mah lipo.

[@EDF_FANatic]

How does it handle grass ops chris?

[@Thercgeek]

Well, the tires are pretty small, so that’ll need to be considered. So, super thick grass could be problematic. Otherwise, it’s all concrete out I’m here in SoCal, so I don’t have any personal experience flying it off of grass. Based on what I saw from SEFF, using flaperons helped with the takeoffs from the grass strip they were flying from.

[@NabiL_Lam]

what's the flight time on 7000mah?

[@Thercgeek]

I get 4-5 minutes depending how hard I fly it. .

[@43rocket]

max flight time on 3.5 volt cutoff?

[@Thercgeek]

That’s a function of the battery capacity being used ultimately. The smart esc defaults to a cutoff at 3.4v/cell and with a 6250mah I get about 4 minutes with some reserve.

[@EDF_FANatic]

Is it a lot bigger than the 70mm? It looks like it is almost the same size.

[@Thercgeek]

It’s a bit bigger for sure, but not significantly I’d say.