Maiden Flights with the E-flite Viper 90mm EDF

The E-flite Viper 90mm EDF has landed! Having enjoyed the 70mm so much, I was really excited to try out this model and it flies excellently! The model has a very wide speed envelope, tracks true and maneuvers extremely well. It also assembled quickly and the stock shock absorbing gear are nicely made and quite effective. For the size, the 6s 7000mah pack is ideal and can provide 5+ minute flight times pretty easily. I was still feeling out and tuning the model in the vid, but I dig it! #ViperJet #TheRCGeek #EfliteRC
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[@ret737]

Just impatiently waiting for mine to arrive! Thanks for the review Chris

[@Thercgeek]

Thanks! Hopefully these will start shipping soon. 😊

[@jettechdonatkins]

Very nice job on this one Chris! This sure looks like a sweet flying jet! Great camera work.Thanks Chris!

[@Thercgeek]

Thanks! It really is a nice flyer.

[@dwproductions5172]

Outstanding video as always. This is the one we've been waiting on. I just noticed I enjoy just hearing the sound of the engine (does it sound that good in person?) instead of hearing "it's so locked in!" 472 times as in other videos, lol.

[@Thercgeek]

Thanks! The model does sound that good in person. I didn’t do anything to modify it at all in the vid.

[@skybasherrc2372]

Loved it ! Has a nice HOWL to it. Great looking jet.

[@davidgilbert8051]

Great flight, great sound, great jet, great video --- outstanding flying!!!!

[@Thercgeek]

Thanks man!

[@DannyPellini]

Nice flight great flying jet and looks good Viper 90mm just a great jet.

[@davidsnyder238]

Excellent walk through my friend. Beautiful plane and flight! Bigger flies better!

[@Thercgeek]

Thanks David, this one sure flies sweet!

[@senceralp]

You're at it again Chris. 😃👌

[@JeffsCustomRC]

Great review as always Chris !! Thanks for sharing 👊🏼👊🏼

[@Thercgeek]

Thanks man!

[@payitfwdrcl6171]

Chris, very nice bird.Glad to hear it flys similar to the 70mm version. Also liked the space it has for the 7000mah pack. Awesome. 👍👍😎

[@Thercgeek]

So much space for batteries and easily handles the 7000. 😁

[@michaelclinerc3211]

Great review and flight Chris. Looks like the big Viper in a nice flying EDF. Hoping mine arrives soon.

[@Thercgeek]

Thank you! It’s a very nice flyer indeed.

[@normleonard52]

Great flying as always Chris. Love the plane. Can't wait to get this one.....loved the original. I am glad they changed to the shock absorbing gear. The original Viper was kind of bouncy.

[@Thercgeek]

Thanks! The shock gear on this one are nice and work well.

[@DadsRCHangar]

Great review Chris 👍🏻

[@Thercgeek]

Thanks!

[@eddieksrc]

Great job Chris! Thanks for sharing…

[@Thercgeek]

Thanks for watching!

[@victorrcjets7660]

Nice to see your reviews Chris 👍 I see what you mean about the tires.

[@Thercgeek]

Thanks!

[@Thercgeek]

I will have to figure that out still.

[@jimnardone32]

Nice flying and great review. I just maiden the Viper 70mm and was going to get this one but instead bought the Freewing 90mm t-45. I'm excited to get that up.

[@Thercgeek]

Nice!

[@BDTennessee]

Awesome review and bird!

[@Thercgeek]

Thanks!

[@calebshuler1789]

Sweet

[@mikessi]

This design, 70mm and 90mm, has the widest speed envelope of any EDF I've come across. Next time I hit the lottery, I'm going to get one of the full size Viper Jets and I'll let you know how the speed range compares. Thanks for the demo!

[@Thercgeek]

Yeah, they cover the whole speed spectrum for sure. I look forward to your report on the full scale after you win the lottery! 🤣

[@ret737]

I'll be waiting for a ride Mike!

[@mikessi]

You are #1 on the list.

[@mikenowland2739]

Nicely done Mr Geek 👍 Credit to your camera person also 👍

[@Thercgeek]

Thanks! 😊

[@lhansenrc9262]

Love my 90mm viper. Flies so good.

[@Thercgeek]

Yeah it does!

[@lhansenrc9262]

@@Thercgeek did you calibrate the ESC? If so where was your trim set?

[@Thercgeek]

I’ve not had to calibrate the ESCs on the eflite birds to date.

[@rebornrcfpv8845]

Super

[@davidgerlach1132]

Chris, awesome aircraft, commanding visual presence, what can I say. Because of your great videos, beginning with the E-flight Viper 70mm (twitchy) this beautiful "robust" 90mm has it all and is on its way to my little hanger. I cannot wait to get out to SEFSD (not Chollas flyers) and rip up the sky. I was bouncing back and forth for days rationalizing between the Freewing Avanti S Red High Performance 80mm, but the Viper won. GOOSE BUMPS baby from the RC bug.

[@Thercgeek]

Awesome! Hard to go wrong with this one, it flies so nice!

[@davidgerlach1132]

@@Thercgeek Last inquiry, for battery such an SMC HCL-HVP Flight 22.8V-6200mAh-75C be satisfactory? I know in your Viper 90mm Assembly & Flight Review you are displaying a 7000mAh battery.

[@Thercgeek]

I don’t think it would be an issue.

[@davidgerlach1132]

BTW -- major kudos and good work to the camera person!

[@-cmafia-7745]

Great review Chris. 👍👍 Are you planning on changing wheels? Looking forward to getting mine once they ship.

[@Thercgeek]

I may look at changing tires at some point, but he shock gear do help soften the landings decently even with the hard tires.

[@jeffhenderson934]

The plan was- “Crash the 70mm Viper and then get the 90mm”. In my career, about the only to survive a crash was the Apprentice, Turbo Timber and the Twin Otter. Add the 70mm Viper to the list. I just got the 90mm via FedEx Thursday. A little Crow, and little Pilot Fatigue and it should be ready to fly. I’ll be reviewing all your videos on the 90mm before the maiden.

[@Thercgeek]

Good luck with the viper, it’s a really sweet flying jet!

[@alainrac56]

Received mine last week and had maiden flight yesterday...I loved my 70mm Viper, but this one is even better because bigger. Wanted to use my two 4000 mA/h Roaring Top batteries in parallel but it is not a good idea, because it needs to push the aft one far in the fuselage, and it blocks the cooling airstream to the ESC...thanks to the telemetry, I got aware of this before failure of the ESC... BTW, best results with 5000 mA/h Spektrum smart batteries than with Roaring tops 5800 or 2x4000 as voltage drop at full throttle is less and turbine spins faster. Of course, flight is shorter, but I can fly 4mn 30s minutes with the Spektrum 5000...Will buy 7000 Spektrum battery when available in France dispite it costs a lot! Aft CG of the manual is ok, and this one of the few EDF jets where the battery can move aft enough to have the right CG, so, a wide variety of batteries may be suitable. It's fun and easy to fly and land, even on short strips thanks to the reverse thrust, snaps rolls are spectaculars... With my Freewing L39 Albatros, this is going to be my favorite jet!

[@Thercgeek]

Awesome! So glad you’re liking this one. It is such a good flying jet!

[@EDF_FANatic]

How did you set up your telemetry so that it got that warning on the esc

[@alainrac56]

@@EDF_FANatic with Spectrum DX9, it's easy, just program the alarm at 3,3v by cell. Must learn now to do the same with the Radiomaster Tx!

[@johnthomas1348]

Chris, always value your view points and look forward to your full review. I have one ordered. Do you have a weight on your 7000 pack? I’m considering using that mah size as well.

[@Thercgeek]

Thanks! The 7000 weighs about 32oz.

[@teambob00]

Nice video - thanks! Do you remove your wings for transport? Does assembly/disassembly get easier with time and have the attachment points shown any sign of wear?

[@brandonkeller859]

I’m also curious about this

[@RennsportRacer]

Great video as always. I’m curious how it compares to the larger E-flite F-16? Specifically how much harder is the F-16 to land?

[@Thercgeek]

Thanks! The viper i think is easier to land than the f16 as it flies a bit more traditionally. The f16 requires a nose up powered approach like it’s full scale counterpart.

[@williewideback]

The sound is awesome are the wing tips made of plastic? Nice flight

[@Thercgeek]

Thanks! The winglets are made of foam and are clipped into place. I plan to 3d print a standard wingtip also just for fun.

[@interceptorqc7534]

Hi, very nice! Do you remove the wings for transport? If yes, is it dangerous in the long term to damage the foam when you remove and put the wings everytimes that you go to the field?tanks

[@Thercgeek]

The wings are designed to be removed regularly. Unless you damage the spar somehow while removing the wings, the structural integrity will remain unchanged.

[@PetrincicBrosRC]

Great video my friend. I love it. Big salute from Slovenia, Pilot Robert

[@Thercgeek]

Thanks man!

[@PetrincicBrosRC]

@@Thercgeek Love your reviewes and the way you film.

[@jeffdillingham2999]

Thanks Chris! You've reviewed a lot of jets: if you could only have one, which would it be?

[@Thercgeek]

Well, that’s a very tough question and really depends what type of flight experience you’re looking for. For an all around good flying jet, this 90mm viper is very hard to beat. If you’re wanting a scale flight experience, then I’d be looking at which scale jet a like the looks of most. It’s hard to go wrong with either of the eflite or freewing jets honestly.

[@rc-timo]

Nice flying 👌 I modified my Viper 70mm landing gears with shock absorbers and soft tires, and it lands so smooth like walking with socks. I've ordered 90mm Viper and now I have to look for soft tires. Any suggestions? Only thing I missed in Your video, was the reverse thrust. Was there a reason why You didn't use that? Greetings from Finland 🖐

[@Thercgeek]

Thanks! I just haven’t gotten the reverse thrust setup yet. I’ll have that featured and how to execute it in my full review.

[@RC-PROFIS]

Hi Cris, I have some e-flight Jets with Spectrum ESC and Spektrum iX20 radio. Trust reverse works great at all. BUT for now I want the 90mm EDF VIPER fly with another radio make (CORE from Powerbox-Systems). DO YOU KNOW if it is possible to use the trust reverse feature also with another radio like Spektrum???

[@Thercgeek]

I’m quite certain it requires having a Spektrum radio.

[@KalibasauRC_64]

Fantastic flight is very comfortable to watch my friend, by the way what remote to use to fly this

[@Thercgeek]

Thanks! I’m using a Spektrum nx10 radio with this one.

[@KalibasauRC_64]

@@Thercgeek as far as you know, what about spektrum 8, what are the advantages and disadvantages, my fiend? Thank you for the explanation

[@Thercgeek]

The nx8 is a good radio. The primary difference is that it has 8 channels available as opposed to 10. 8 channels should do most of what you need.

[@KalibasauRC_64]

@@Thercgeek thank you, thank you💖

[@burlingtonfilms]

If you fly this again can you try it with 2x4000mah or 2x5000mah batteries? HH says its possible but I haven't seen anyone on KZbin try it.

[@heregoesmike]

I notice that your model’s beacon light is stuck on. It is supposed to flash, isn’t it? I’ve seen a few other videos of this jet and the beacon light indeed does flash. Thoughts on that?

[@Thercgeek]

You know, I didn’t notice that at all. I could hav sworn that it flashed. I’ll have to check.

[@ArthurRC]

Awesome video buddy thanks for the information 🤙🏻🥰 What do you think about CG? You didn’t told us at the end of the video…😕 You finished at 20mm behind the plastic mount instead of 10mm of the book???

[@Thercgeek]

I didn’t take it any further back. I’d recommend starting with the 10mm recommendation and then tuning to your liking from there.

[@ArthurRC]

@@Thercgeek alright but it’s still nose heavy at 17mm ? With dive test or climb full throttle inverted???

[@Thercgeek]

I’m not sure, Are you asking a question or did you fly the airplane? I think it’s a matter of preference. I don’t like a super neutral airplane personally, so prefer to have a little down elevator input in the inverted.

[@ArthurRC]

@@Thercgeek it was a question 😊 but yes ok so I think I maiden at 20mm because I hate nose heavy Jets especially with this one which looks very gentle and easy on the CG ! Here in france we will have the Viper from mid September 😔

[@NICHOLASRGLORIOSO]

Woooooo hoooooo!!! Does this mean i should get one too bro?? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@Thercgeek]

Obviously! 🤣

[@NICHOLASRGLORIOSO]

@@Thercgeek COOL!! I May need to Start Thinking about Buiding a Plane Hanger!! 🤔🤔🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@danb7207]

Looking at pilot figures on Jet Hangar Hobbies, what scale do you think I should get?

[@Thercgeek]

I’d say the bigger the better. It’s a fairly large scale for what it is actually. The full scale span was only 27.8 ft.

[@SquawkVFRC]

How good would this be with a X-45 Turbine 😬 nice review Chris 👊🏻

[@Thercgeek]

It would be pretty awesome!

[@nightflight6877]

Do you have an afterburner install video for this model?

[@Thercgeek]

I do not unfortunately. Because of the smart telemetry, the burner needs to be setup on a separate channel and the bnf coming with only a 6ch receiver doesn’t have a spare channel. I am working on a new controller design that should be compatible with smart, but that’s still in the works and I don’t have an ETA on it due to the extremely limited availability of micro processors.

[@johnsons74thsquadron74]

Despite the price raise I believe it’s a grab for me.

[@pedromonteiro2941]

Seems to me VIPER 70 is more adequate for beginners and VIPER 90 for more experienced users Your opinion ?

[@Thercgeek]

I would agree that the 70mm is better suited for beginners. That being said, if someone were proficient with high performance prop airplanes, they’d be able to step into the 90mm ok.

[@williiamtorreselera9667]

Cual es su velocidad máxima volando

[@AM-it3fs]

Is there a compatible afterburner?

[@Thercgeek]

My 36mm inrunner design will fit the motor, the issue is that because of the smart technology and the srxl2 communication it uses, the burner needs to be setup on a separate channel and the bnf doesn’t have a spare channel port available. I’m working on a new controller that will solve the issue and have some additional features too, but that’s still in development at the moment.

[@AM-it3fs]

@@Thercgeek great and thank you! I just bought the 90 mm viper this past weekend.

[@briancourtice2858]

Has anybody flown this vs the MotionRC Avanti to compare?

[@Thercgeek]

I haven’t but I’ve seen the avanti fly quite a bit and they seem to have a similar flight envelope. The viper is a bit bigger though which is nice.

[@briancourtice2858]

@@Thercgeek I flew my Avanti about 100 flights until the connector on a brand new lipo failed while the jet was coming straight down. Total loss. I want a replacement that will fly at least as well.

[@Kolsch221]

Beginner plan?

[@Thercgeek]

This is not meant as a beginner airplane. Jets are something you work up to once you have some mastery over rc flying. I recommend getting connected with a local rc club if you are interested in learning to fly rc. They usually have aircraft and rc instructors to help folks learn. You can’t beat one on one instruction for learning to fly.

[@paulspomer16]

5 minutes of flight time is really bad in my book. For this reason I prefer gas/glow over electric any day. I can fly my nitros for 15+ minutes and that’s full throttle majority of the flight. That’s the type of flight time I like

[@Thercgeek]

I get that. Edf is a whole different animal unfortunately due to the typically high current draws. 15+ minutes of high performance flying from an edf isn’t likely anytime in the near future.

[@paulspomer16]

@@Thercgeek Yep unless using a ridiculously large battery.

[@aragorn318]

who's chappy?

[@Thercgeek]

Only the greatest fighter pilot of all time! 🤣🤣. ‘Chappy’ is the actor Louis Gossett Jr’s character in the movie Iron Eagle. Cheesy 80s movie, but I love it, haha!

[@derjoh1986]

$600.00 for this plane!!! 🤦

[@Thercgeek]

Unfortunately, the cost of everything is going up. 😕

[@derjoh1986]

@@Thercgeek 😭

[@EDF_FANatic]

1200 here in Australia lol.