Is The FMS Pitts Worth Buying?

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0:00 Introduction
0:35 ‪@ModelAV8RChannel‬'s Battery Tray Mod
2:44 Takeoff & Trimming
4:30 Landing For Bug Spray
6:20 Tumbling & Battery Tray Mod Info
8:30 Landing
9:08 Takeoff \ Tumbling KE Spin
9:44 Persistent Trim Issues & Tumbling
10:35 Our Honest Review
11:52 High Speed Inverted Passes
13:30 Downward Thrust Line Issues \ Landing
14:34 Takeoff & Full Performance Flying
18:28 Terribad Landing
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#radiocontrol #flight #rcplane

[@RSchwara1]

I have the FMS Pitts 1400mm. I've done the digital metal gear servos, tried different props and different size/weight batteries, It fly's okay but has never wowed me at all and has never really flown "Great". This past week I installed an upgraded 4258-550Kv motor, 80A esc, and the stock 15x9 prop. The results are STUNNING! Power went from 52 amps full throttle on the 16x8 to 75 amps on the 15x9. The output went from 163 watts per lb to 231 watts per lb. It has unlimited vertical now with plenty of speed and flying it full throttle and aggressive on standard acros I was getting 4:30 on the timer using a 6S 4500 40C Liperior pack weighting 676g flush on the front of the battery tray. The plane now has amazing speed without being over the top and excellent power and flight characteristics! It flew as easy as a trainer! Stunning. Give it a shot you won't be disappointed.

[@Deke-wy3me]

Which 80 amp esc did you use? Did you change any settings from stock on the ecs?

[@shanehoule9477]

Lots of great tips thanks again . Love watching you fly

[@av8tore71]

I have the same plane twice! The 1st one the battery did the same thing and ended up in the trash after I buried it in the field. The 2nd one I did some mods to keep the BTRY forward for the CG but now it flies like a dream. I did upgrade a lot as well

[@iansummers6945]

Nice flight review, couple of guy’s have them at my club, apart from upgraded props they are stock standard, disappointing that the battery tray decided to go for a walk.. Great flying by the way 👌

[@winstonsmith7801]

That battery bay mod is a model saver , thanks for the tip.

[@airhammer6203]

Take it....to the limit.... one more time.....:) Well, you gave the FMS Pitts a real workout. Nice flying and camera work. When they're pushed hard some hiccups may come to the forefront. Good stuff guys. AirHammer out!!

[@reckemroysrc3764]

Mine seems to fly kinda different too. But once dialed in its really fun. I need to get the throws working like yours those inverted flat spins are awesome. 👍😎👊

[@TwoBrosRC]

Thanks man! Yeah, it's an odd bird, but I think I'll keep it around for now.

[@davidgerlach1132]

Nice aircraft. They're ubiquitous for the high asymmetric blade and motor effect due to the pitch plus angular momentum at takeoff. Good right rudder even on the full-scale Pitts.

[@joseantoniomoratapia3972]

Excelente video! Excelente vuelo y piloto! Gracias

[@kenwilson763]

Thank you for your honesty about this plane. We need more of this type of review. Can you do this type of review with other planes? I got burned once by all these "honest" reviews of a plane that had a lot of inherent problems. I don't put too much stock in reviews anymore, but this was the honesty I'm looking for.

[@TwoBrosRC]

This review came out of frustration, mostly from flying this bird expecting it to be more than it is. The battery tray coming loose several times caused a few crashes that also made it fly poorly. FMS sent over a new one to replace it recently, and we just wrapped up filming on it - including torque rolling it easily, how to land and take off with no fuss, etc. It's a project plane, not something you'll get the most out of without knowing its quirks. We'll cover it in a couple of weeks.

[@marksears558]

Nice honest review. The first bad review I've seen from this airplane lol. I'm getting ready to purchase it myself and have already watched the model av8er review of it so I knew about the battery. The hinges have now become a reality with me and foamies. Now I guess I'll have to upgrade the servos as well lol. Nice review man.

[@TwoBrosRC]

It's not "bad" so much as it is just kind of disappointing to fly like it does with a bigger prop. If we'd used a smaller one like a 15x8 or 15x9, it would likely have flown a lot better. The model is pretty good overall so long as you perform the battery tray mod and upgrade the servos from plastic units.

[@crazyaces9586]

I agree seems like servos seem to be the weak link on these foamys. My new Timber X.... night.. Flap servo 5 th flight almost crash. Went back up turn full flaps and landed. Get the Cessna 150 tail much better design but 26g plastic servos for a 15 lbs plane.. Thank's for video 👍👍

[@TwoBrosRC]

Sure thing. We replace our servos with metal geared units, generally speaking.

[@infochanneljai3232]

Very nice plane

[@leecollins9112]

Im from UK getting mine next week got some up grades for it. 100 esc 16x10 carbon prop, 2 pilots, Callie graphics changing clevis to metal and threaded rods to 3mm as I take the wings off get in car i always snap the white plastic ones. To stop tray moving I will heat safety pin just before the clip stop tray moving. Im not hard Arabic pilot so just keep eye on hinges. Your plane looks shiny did put liquid on to hard and shine up? Thinking using Pledge Floor polish. I also going to use Molotow Liquid chrome for rivets and nose cone ok to use if put liquitex high gloss varnish stop putting marks on it after painted and protect paint and still have good shine. I will also use red smooth Hammerite paint for rods and steel landing parts. What C.G. did go with manual or Adam AV8R advice. I got HRB 6s5000 just for extra flying time so not sure of set up yet. Any tips be helpful for C.G. Cheers

[@TwoBrosRC]

We applied polycrylic to ours with a brush. CG is usually as far aft as is tolerable - no measurement for it that we bothered checking.

[@JohnSmith-sq7cv]

This plane is spot on brother! The batt pack sliding back is a known issue and it happening twice, hate to say it but that’s on you brother. The plane is big, looks awesome, very powerful and completely capable!! That being said, it’s not a perfect 3D airplane but for the price, it’s plenty, plenty close! Ive never had a plane fly better after a crash. Honestly it seems like your looking for issues that aren’t really there. Happy flying!

[@TwoBrosRC]

>The batt pack sliding back is a known issue and it happening twice, hate to say it but that’s on you brother. A known issue is a design flaw. That isn't "on us". We are covering this model again tomorrow, though. Curious to hear what you think after seeing it.

[@JohnSmith-sq7cv]

@@TwoBrosRC I just meant it happening again after the first time is on you. I had it happen and didn’t send it up again until I put a barrier in. I completely agree however that it is a design flaw! Zero doubt!! I mean, for the price this is the biggest best looking and most capable RC plane I’ve ever flown. 🤷‍♂️ I’ll keep an eye out!! Happy flying!!

[@michaelrobertson4745]

Thanks for your videos they are a big help. What did you use to make yours so shiny?

[@TwoBrosRC]

Minwax Polycrylic

[@shanehoule9477]

I like hearing your transmitter.

[@notanotherrcchannel]

Agreed. It adds to the immersion!

[@TwoBrosRC]

I may turn up the volume a little but I'd prefer not to have the transmitter voice interfere with being able to talk on-camera.

[@shanehoule9477]

Pluss u got a bad ass transmitter

[@dillaneis]

Woah the wind 😅

[@mikesullivan5851]

What's a good all around biplane? I was considering this one but this video may have changed my mind

[@TwoBrosRC]

Depends on what you're looking to do.

[@mattmiller7494]

I’ve never had a problem with my plastic gear servos on this plane until I watched this video. 🤦‍♂️ I remember thinking to myself man he’s dogging this plane, I’ve never had an issue with these servos. No it’s not the best flyer but looks so good in the air which is why it’s so high up on my list of favorites. Anyway, long story short I flew mine hours after watching this video and stripped my rudder servo while backing up. It’s such an odd size servo that no one local has one and now I’m waiting on my order. I’m running a 550 kv motor in mine with a Xoar 16x8 which makes it perform quite well. I’m curious what you painted yours with to make it so shiny? Great flying as usual, you gave me the idea to change my aileron throws to 150.

[@TwoBrosRC]

Sorry about being a bad omen for you on that one! We generally don't fly plastic servos - as a team, Tony and I prefer to be able to sling around the aircraft we fly without worrying about over-G stresses or servo failures. I replaced my servos with Freewing 17g units - those will fit yours. See if you can find the type that go into the stabilators of their bigger jets like the F-14 and F-22. Those servos are much better quality than the ones that come in the ailerons or rudders.

[@biffrude4981]

Minwax water-based clear coat comes in a spray can or brush on

[@old-rcplane-phart]

Anyone with the eflite pitts, needs to do the same battery tray fix. Same plane, same design, same configuration. Just smaller.

[@redwineisfine]

Thanks, love the pitts and lost it because of that trash battery tray system

[@JustPlanePyro]

Yea I’ve toasted my first Pitts 850mm from a Shifted battery, tried doing an Outside loop and battery tray dislodged halfway and was non recoverable. Totaled the plane and got the now discontinued pt-17 1.1m which is sold to a friend and got a second Pitts which I use tape to hold the tray and battery in place no issues since.

[@ModelAV8RChannel]

Jon your battery hold in ain't half ass if it works! Lol. The 16 x 10 may be fine in the long haul...when I checked the amps with the 16 x 8 with the meter on board I had a bit of wiggle room. (maybe 8 amps?) I think your mission is much harder on the planes than 98% of the owners will ever put them through. Not a bad thing, you got a neat format for sure. I have over 160 flights on mine doing scale Pitts S2-B acro every flight like in our video and the stock servos, linkages, etc. are sill fine and the plane stays in trim and is rock solid. Mines never been crashed as well which may help too...then again I'm not pushing it anywhere near the way you do. So..the plastic servos are fine for a certain mission, but not yours, and that is fair. It may seem heavy, but it really isn't. The Hangar 9 Christen Eagle ARF is the same size and weighs two or three pounds more. I've seen plastic servos in 1/4 scale planes that weigh 20 lbs with 200 flights on them. Then again...they are not flown like you fly. Lol. You HAVE to have metal gears for the ultra aggressive stuff you do. Makes perfect sense and I see why you do it, but to be fair that may not be necessary for everyone depending on their flying style. That has been my experience anyway. The thrust line issue could be the result of the extra power. I had some yaw trim issues after I went to the 16x8...did a tiny throttle to rudder mix to keep it in trim once at speed with throttle changes...from 65% to 100% throttle. Fixed it. Makes sense the down and right thrust will have a different affect on the plane with more power than it was intended for...especially a quick, abrupt throttle change. Anyway man great flying as usual...enjoyed it! Glad the battery mod is keeping them in there!

[@TwoBrosRC]

Thanks bud. Another fellow mentioned that it's probably over-propped. We'll give it another look with an 18x6 prop and see how it does with the reduced thrust.

[@old-rcplane-phart]

@@TwoBrosRC '18x6'🤯😳! We know whatcha mean😁👍

[@SomeGuyInSandy]

I has the S1-S 850mm... Had. The battery exited the tray, and that was all she wrote. Kind of a shame really, the flights I got out of it while wringing it out were pretty enjoyable.

[@TwoBrosRC]

Seems like a common issue with this type of model, unfortunately.

[@OutbackKanga]

Only mod I had done to mine is put a hole through the battery tray with a paper clip .. I fly with a 3000 mah and have had over 50 flights np all original servos and esc ..stock prop .

[@ronforthehillsmining2432]

Guess after the first time the battery moved backwards one would make a move to stop that from happening. Ever hear of shelf liner ? I always double sided tape a piece where the battery goes.

[@TwoBrosRC]

We use Craftsman shelf liner on all of our models, including this one. The shelf liner is attached to a removable battery tray that has nothing to protect it from falling out.

[@philippeneuhaus5694]

Still Fly the v1 whit fast and strong Metal gear servos . Install them right in the back with short ways. Aileron i use 4 servos, for eatch ruder one. Motor and controller over sized whit a 16x8 prop. Have allso sky's for Winter fun

[@philippeneuhaus5694]

Will do the same by FMS Mustang v8

[@TwoBrosRC]

???

[@TheFrenchPug]

Tony did a damn fine job keeping this in frame. Nice flying too. I've never seen a knife edge spin before. Definitely a favorite now!

[@TwoBrosRC]

It's my favorite maneuver!

[@MrBlompod]

does it need the 100amp ESC to run the prop? Did you spray it with something? its very shiny

[@TwoBrosRC]

This prop, yes. It's hand coated with Minwax polycrylic.

[@Loochy808]

The motor is only spec'd to 70 amps. I'm running the same prop with an 80A esc without problems. The stock ESC is just 50A.

[@MrBlompod]

@@Loochy808 cool.. how’d you get to the esc? it’s buried up in the front there..

[@Loochy808]

@@MrBlompod If i remember right, i took the spinner and prop off, and pulled it all out the front after disconnecting from the receiver.

[@rz-hi8ou]

noticed your pitts was shinny what did you spray it with

[@TwoBrosRC]

We hand brushed it with Minwax Polycrylic: amzn.to/3GwSJCE

[@notanotherrcchannel]

If it's easy to get to the motor you could add a couple thin washers under the bottom bolts to angle the thrust line up a bit. Sounds like you're kinda sick of it, but looks like you're having fun with it! May be worth a little more tweaking to make it better. Something to be said about having a plane that you kinda hate ;-)

[@TwoBrosRC]

I loathe yet love this model. It's a very weird love-hate relationship. I don't think the thrust line can be modified much without the spinner grinding away at the cowling. There's a very small gap between them.

[@notanotherrcchannel]

@@TwoBrosRC I see. I assume the cowl is keyed into position in a way that makes it difficult to adjust? A little hacky, but maybe a little elevator mix with throttle? It's a sweet looking plane at least!

[@TwoBrosRC]

The cowling is literally glued on. It would need to be severely sanded down to adjust it.

[@notanotherrcchannel]

@@TwoBrosRC Oh, LOL.

[@old-rcplane-phart]

They definitely fly better after the battery tray mod. The 1 i told u you better do before maidening. Didn't. Then 2 hard landings later🤷😁. Now everything is outta whack. My 1st crashed due to battery clips breaking. Model AV8R posted the fix video, & i shared it everywhere i could. Not everybody listened. I did.

[@ronforthehillsmining2432]

Weird, those battery trays usually click into place and don't move . Are you pushing it in hard enough to hear and feel the click ?

[@TwoBrosRC]

It's a plastic bump holding it in place. It can and does wear out over time, hence why we demonstrated the ModelAV8R mod that forces it to stay in place.

[@Moka4all]

I’d like to see you try out a flex innovations plane

[@TwoBrosRC]

It's on the list of things we'll eventually pick up. We do accept donations if you'd like to help expedite the process!

[@Moka4all]

I wish I could, I was just mentioning them because they’re ready for whatever you wanna throw at them right out of the box 📦

[@mpojr]

even the real Pitts is a bugger bear to land they are bouncy little critters . l have been flying bipes for 40 years and the two best ones for landing was the andrews aeromaster and the gee bee dreamer

[@Boeing767DriverAA]

I just sub'd to your Ch. where do you guys fly out of?

[@TwoBrosRC]

We're in Raleigh, NC, flying at a private airport. Thanks for joining us!

[@johntucker157]

Please make more videos of the pitts Soo good 👍

[@trevorfurlotte]

Wow you're not a fan. I love mine, but to be fair, I may not know any better due to my lack of experience. First thing that I was not a fan of was the cheap clevises. I replaced the ones on the ailerons right away. Next I hated the idea of a self taping screw holding on the ball ends to the control horns on the elevator and rudder. When compared to the E-Flight Ultimate they're very cheap. I kept the plastic ball cups but replaced the self tapping screws with a bolt and nut like the ones used on the Ultimate. Next I'll replace the plastic ball cups. A plastic ball inside a plastic ball cup on a model this size seems cheap. Next I went with a Xoar 16x8 prop but kept the stock ESC. Then of course was the battery tray mod. So far I love mine and find it flies great. Now, what I learned here today, I have to check and replace my servos if they are plastic and actually hinge the control surfaces. Which hinges did you use and what type of glue did you use to secure them? Thanks for an awesome honest review.

[@TwoBrosRC]

We didn't even touch the connecting rod system on-camera - the cheap FMS plastic links were replaced with Freewing ball links and ball couplers because the FMS sheet metal screw system was coming loose. We work with nylon steel-pinned hinges, secured with CA, which you can find via amzn.to/3BHLJ4G

[@trevorfurlotte]

@@TwoBrosRC thanks!

[@jonasbaine3538]

I wrecked my fms Pilatus pc-21. Flew it as a complete beginner to complex and stalled it with full flaps and gear out in a turn. Down she went! Hate they are discontinued. Really high quality plane.

[@TwoBrosRC]

They discontinued it? Wow, never realized. I remember it being pretty cheap for the price. Same with the Pitts when I first picked it up.

[@M4rkmcc21]

It's still available. I got one coming my way in a few weeks.

[@notbadgerbutrich]

It looks beautiful but it’s painfully slow & the silly people put the battery tray in the wrong place

[@jjs3287]

Firstly, great content as ever! You are an excellent pilot and I respect your viewpoint on everything but as someone seriously considering this plane I am left confused... There are videos on KZbin that absolutely sing the praises of this plane and I set my heart on one, I even sold my 850mm Pitts (unflown) to put towards one of these but then I watch your video and I am now left in two minds. At the end of the day I guess we are all individuals and not all planes will fit with all flyers but Ive seen positive comments like " it flies like a Timber until you want it to do something crazy" or words to that effect. Ive seen it fly great and get landed in small areas and theres some big KZbinrs who say its one of their favourite planes etc. At least if I ever do buy one I am going in with my eyes open.

[@TwoBrosRC]

Our experience with it hasn't been great. We love most FMS models - with this one as an exception. Even the A-10 70mm v1 was lovable with some annoying quirks and issues that needed addressed.

[@MrCubcrazy]

I had the v1 back around 2014, and enjoyed it. (kzbin.info/www/bejne/i2Sme3muq5plfs0) It is still alive in someone else's collection. I bought a v2 over a year ago but still have not flown it. I went through the v2 like I do with every foam plane and installed real hinges on all the surfaces. To me, the no-brainer upgrade is the powerplant from the FMS Beaver. (550kv vs stock 460) That's what I have done to mine and I expect it will perform well. Scale flying is where this airplane shines. It is a Pitts S2B, so it is going to be a handful on the ground. It wouldn't be a Pitts if it wasn't. Anything more aggressive than sport aerobatics will require bracing the wings with small carbon fiber rods to mimic flying wires. I love to tinker and improve on function and finish, so some shortcomings in a model don't bother me as long as the price point is in alignment. Cheers.

[@TwoBrosRC]

We never needed any bracing to fly it aggressively, it's just odd feeling with this 16x10 prop.

[@Razor-gx2dq]

Have you tried the UMX Pitts?

[@TwoBrosRC]

Nope, not yet!

[@secularsunshine9036]

*Let the Sunshine In.*

[@TwoBrosRC]

???

[@s737500]

I dont understand.... I love mine, and is one of the most reliable planes in my fleet. Completly stock , no mods. So predictable and very easy to land. Maybe mine behaves better because I only fly it from grass. I am using the light weight yellow 6s 5000 zippy compact 25c packs from HK. Get 8-10 minute flights.

[@TwoBrosRC]

Experiences don't always line up from person to person.

[@av8tore71]

In order for a plane to spin a wing needs to be stalled which is basic aerodynamics

[@TwoBrosRC]

What's your comment directed at?

[@romainmarit4280]

10 adverts for 3 mn 👍

[@TwoBrosRC]

👀

[@Loochy808]

Too bad you had a poor experience with this one. Its one of my favorite in my collection (pretty decent size collection so far). I love the scale aerobatic characteristics. Its a fantastic looking plane for foam. Great price for what you get. Batter retention is the worst of it. I just glued a big, neatly cut chunk of foam underside the canopy, and laid a square balsa stick in the notched cutout behind the tray. Battery wont go anywhere. The hinge complaints are valid. I secured mine with some extra foam tac. The red does scratch easy, but walmarts cheap arcylic brand paints in "crimson" (if i remember right) is a perfect touch up match. Not a big fan of the Reflex v2. I removed mine. Doesnt need it. Servos have been fine. But I haven't crashed mine... Overall I love the plane.

[@M4rkmcc21]

I bought this plane but after a quick build it was just too big to store and transport. Had to be sold. Shame the 850mm pitts is crap and the umx version is a little gimmicky.

[@TwoBrosRC]

I don't mind it being big - I just don't like how much time it takes to set up and take down, plus how much the wings twist, the plastic servos, plastic ball links, etc. There's a lot of issues to unpack here.

[@M4rkmcc21]

@@TwoBrosRC now that you've give it the run through you've made it clear to me why the plane was such a bargain brand new. £230 over here brand new for a 6s 1.4m bi plane.

[@DEeMONsworld]

You're too harsh, and I think you are expecting too much from a foam 300 buck plane, It's not a 3D plane by any stretch, if you stick to pattern aerobatics I'm sure its fine, you look like you're intentionally looking for bad things to say about a foam sport plane while trying to fly it outside it's intended flight envelope..

[@TwoBrosRC]

🆗

[@stevemull2002]

I have to agree, i am not a good flyer, but flown my V2 a few times, and love it, its a cheap, pretty plane, that does all the moves, and probably a lot more than i could fly, and it looks so good in the air

[@russgalpin7943]

Camera man needs a larger view finder

[@TwoBrosRC]

👀

[@Yankee2003]

I have this plane as well. I really wanted to like it….looks amazing…but way too problematic. Foam hinges…two servo failures and a horrible battery tray/secure system. Battery seems too heavy to stay secure in this aircraft. For the work, effort, time and money to get this plane right…my opinion is that you would be better to spend more up front. What seems like a bargain in this case just leads to disappointment. Too many other aircraft out there to be bothered with this one. My opinion, but … the price will continue to lure the masses I am sure.

[@TwoBrosRC]

We definitely don't disagree - it's from an older era of FMS models with a lot of baked-in issues that seem to have been mostly fixed with newer releases.

[@themeach011]

I had a Pitts back in the day and it was very aerobatic but it's almost like it was too short or something. Terrible ground manners. I had a big ultimate that was superior in every way.

[@sendit_rc]

@FmsModel make a updated version 😊