8S Freewing Eurofighter ✈️ Making Good Use of the Navigation Lights !!

Since the Freewing Eurofighter features a beautiful and comprehensive set of navigation lights, we may just as well put them to good use, hehehe... !!
Nothing like flying model aircraft with LED lights in beautiful sunset settings to make the flights pop!!
This rc plane is a blast to fly! It certainly doesn't feature the crazy maneuverability of its former versions which featured thrust vectoring nozzles and were lighter, but it has a greater top speed, and retains energy better, thanks to the newer, sleeker airframe design and larger, more true-to-scale wing planform. Wingtip twist also seems to have improved high alpha performance and stability, as expected (less wing rocking), although obviously the jet loses control sooner, compared to the older TV version. I also can't stress out enough that this bird looks hella gorgeous on the special 'Ala 14' livery and loaded with full ordnance! I just started testing the airbrake and doesn't seem to cause any undesired tendencies. Also tested the mock drop tanks and although they obviously add drag, they help the jet with high alpha as they shift the CG further aft, and add some lift and lateral stability of their own!
Flights 13th to 15th on 'Lara'.
Pilot: RC4ever
Airfield: RACBSA
Ground video: Luis Ibáñez
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SPECS: (Reflecting MY particular modded setup)
Wingspan: 1030mm (960mm)
Length: 1450mm (1400mm)
Weight without batteries: TBD
Batteries weight: TBD (Main + Rx packs)
Take-off weight: TBD
CG: 30mm behind factory marks
Power System: 8S
Electronic Speed Control: 120A with 8A/BEC
EDF: 12-Blade fan
Motor: 4075-1350kv brushless
Servos:
- 4x 9g digital hybrid gear servo
- 2x 9g digital metal gear servo
- 2x 17g digital metal gear servo
- 3x Electric landing gear retracts
- 1x Airbrake actuator
Batteries:
- Main batts: HRB 8S 4200mAh 60C Li-Po
- Rx batt: CNHL 2S 650mAh Li-Po
Material: EPO Foam
Tx: Jeti DS-24
Rx/gyro: Jeti Rex-12A
Current sensor: Jeti MUI-200
UBEC: TGY 8-15A
A note on CG: at 30mm (roughly) behind factory marks under the wings, the model is still noticeably nose heavy. Not too bad, decent enough for most users but definitely not ideal for those searching for the optimal aerobatic performance. One way or another, it's a shame that model aircraft manufacturers suggest such ridiculously over-exaggerated CG settings. There's no way a jet like this will fly any good with CG where they tell you to. At 25-30mm behind the marks, the jet is perfectly stable, with room to shift further aft. Actually, 25-30mm behind the marks is probably a much better spot for a maiden flight. Even then, ssdly the jet still required elevon pitch up trim. As of this moment, my canard offset is about 2mm LE down from the suggested fuselage marks. Will probably increase it further (pitch down) once I move the CG further aft.
SETTINGS:
Long story short: Full mechanical throws with factory linkage setup (although I moved the linkages one hole further out on the canard servo atms to increase canard throws) and very large expo values all around, in the 70% range.
Mechanical offsets/trim:
Elevons: 2-3mm trailing edge up
Canards: 2mm pitch down (LE, root)
Rudder: Centered
Physical throws: YES.
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You can also follow me on:
KZbin: / rc4ever
Facebook: / rc4ever
Twitter: / rc4media
Instagram: / jet3d_master
Patreon: / airguardian

[@itzjoeylo4501]

Are you a Pilot or an Astronaut lol Great Flying and Production Ace - Flying a little tail heavy huh 🤔

[@RC4ever]

Hahahaha! Thanks! 😁 I'm not an astronaut or a full scale aircraft pilot but I do have a degree in Aerospace Vehicle Engineering, for what it's worth! :p And although the jet is not tail heavy as such, the CG is definitely shifted aft quite a bit from where the manufacturer suggests to place it, which yields a really nose heavy setup. The ordnance also seems to shift CP forward a bit so that helps ^^ I like it better that way! Actually I wan't to move the CG even further back! :D

[@itzjoeylo4501]

@@RC4ever Ha, I’m an Aerospace Engineer as well lol the pilot - astronaut thing was a joke lol it’s just the way you command that aircraft what to do and it does it and I’ve always called you “Ace” because you are an exceptional RC pilot. Myself I’m also a RC enthusiast but not as experienced or talented. I find myself crashing more than flying sometimes.

[@RC4ever]

I understood, I understood, don't worry! :D@@itzjoeylo4501 I get what you mean... the more you fly the more it feels like you just are painting a picture on a canvas where the airplane is the brush. The less you need to worry and think about how the jet moves or behaves and just act on instinct, the more freedom you get to make flights look the way you please. The only real trick to getting there are two IMO, the first is lots of practice, obviously, the second is understanding really well the physics behind what you are trying to do and use that to exploit the traits of the aircraft. In particular, it helps having watched and analyzed a lot of footage of full scale jets, so when you want to execute a maneuver, it's easier to know what you are actually going for, because you first visualize it in your mind. Anyway, that's the way I've approached flying for the most part. It's quite the journey, I certainly haven't always flown like this and I've done my share of crashing. Spending some time flying aerobatic prop planes when you are beginning I think helps accelerate the process too. An example I'd give: Rolls: Most people try to do them axially and compensate with rudder/pitch to keep the nose up. That's certainly one type of roll, but that's not the way you see a fighter jet typically rolling. Instead, they start with a slight pull up and then do a very light loaded roll. It's subtle, but the difference in looks is big. The rudder no longer tries to keep the nose up, but accompanies the roll to keep the loaded profile. I guess either pilots or FCS command this automatically because it's probably less physically taxing on the pilot and allows to keep his fatigue down. So when I'm rolling, most of the time I'm first slightly pulling up, then adding same side roll and yaw inputs, adjusting with pitch as required. Not many people do this. Of course, for a long, slow roll flying at fast speed I will still go through the traditional approach, if that makes sense :)

[@itzjoeylo4501]

@@RC4ever very well described, sometimes my hands don’t do what my brain is telling them to do. When I’m in the air with a dialed in plane my heart rate drops and I get into a zen, just like being 60 foot under the ocean scuba diving.

[@RC4ever]

Lol, yes!@@itzjoeylo4501 As the saying goes: 'With the feet on the ground and the mind in the sky!'

[@pilotimodele4598]

Very beautiful ballet in the sky...!😜👌

[@RC4ever]

Grazie!

[@pilotimodele4598]

@@RC4ever Prego amico!

[@crazyaces9586]

Nice flying awesome lighting ,great camera work 👏👍

[@RC4ever]

Thank you!! :DDD

[@sanexup1038]

Muy bien indeed! Fantastic flying! It looks so cool in low light.

[@RC4ever]

Thank you SanExup!! :DDD Nav lights FTW!

[@tonyyimbo]

Like sky surfing session

[@RC4ever]

Hell yeah! 🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼

[@spikekavalench]

Beautiful.

[@RC4ever]

Thank you!! 🥰🥰🥰

[@ArthurRC]

That’s so beautiful I love it and I start to miss my jets…I wish the weather will finally get better

[@RC4ever]

Thanks Arthur!! Whoa, is it still bad up there? You've been having a terrible weather for a long time now, that sucks! :o

[@braddarnell3372]

You make my favorite videos!

[@RC4ever]

:DDDDD Thanks for the feedback, love to hear that! 😀

[@janmb]

w00t

[@RC4ever]

w00t w00t! :DDD BTW, haven't forgotten about writing the settings down, just haven't found the moment yet, sorry!

[@janmb]

No rush at all. Probably getting into a little more building during Easter

[@RC4ever]

Also, need to shift my gear up with the Eurosport... damn, I'm a slacker! @@janmb

[@janmb]

@@RC4ever A well known fact for sure.

[@braddarnell3372]

It is a beautiful plane but I couldn't get CG without 6oz of lead in the tail which made performance awful. So, when my 8s motor burned up I ordered the 6S instead and now it flies fantastic. I removed all the balance weight off of the tail and it made all the difference. I'd like to know how you got your 8S CG without lead in the tail?

[@RC4ever]

@@braddarnell3372 What batteries were you using?

[@RC4ever]

@@braddarnell3372 I ended up using some lead anyway.