Flight Review, Setup, & Programming -- Freewing F-14 Tomcat (Twin 80mm EDF)

[@johnny6148]

My father in law, Bob Kress, designed the F-14. I have the original Grumman model and some of his paper work. He died in Kingston NY in 2007. If you would like to talk to his daughter let me know. She worked at Grumman too. I have the swept wing patent too. After he retired he started Kress Jets.

[@Thercgeek]

I'm so glad you found this video! :) My dad knew Bob well, but unfortunately, I never got a chance to meet him. He did get to see my original EDF F-14 build back in the early 2000s to which Bob stated that "I did it right" which was pretty cool.

[@abusna4716]

Great review RC Geek. I am a U.S. Navy FA-18 pilot about to retire after 21 years. I did 2 combat deployments aboard USS Constellation with VF-2 Bounty Hunters and the paint scheme on this aircraft is very accurate to the real thing. I was looking back at a bunch of photos I took back then of the F-14 on the flight deck and in the air and honestly the only thing missing from this model is the leading edge slats/flaps. Anyways, great review and appreciate all the tips!

[@Thercgeek]

Cool! Thanks for commenting! I'd love to see some of the pics if that's at all possible? Did you ever fly the F-14? Or just the 18? Slats would have been nice for sure, but for a model this size it's not the most feasible to achieve. I have a 1/10 scale F-14 I'll be building in the future which I looked into building slats on. Even at that scale, it's not easy because the wing is so thin and it requires two actuation points. I'm thinking I may add spoilers to it though. We'll see when the time comes.

[@abusna4716]

I never flew the F-14, only the FA-18. I also have a bunch of flight time in the F-16, which the Navy uses as aggressors. Agree with the slats issue. One possibility would be to use one servo (flaps servo), where one side of the servo arm actuates the trailing edge flaps while 'pulling down' the leading edge flaps using the opposite side of the servo arm. In reality, any time I pull G's in the FA-18, the flight control computers automatically program in trailing edge and leading edge flaps, which increases the lift on the wing, giving high performance turns. The second you let go of the stick, or unload to zero g's, the leading edge and trailing edge flaps go back to normal (2 degrees). The whole airframe is unstable and can't fly without flight control computers (which, luckily can run on battery power and has 4 channels for redundancy in case you take a bullet in one of them). No problem on pictures. I am not too smart on KZbin channel, how do I send you some pics?

[@timothyroth8073]

@@abusna4716 Too cool reading about your flight experience ! Thanks for your service Sir !

[@AerospaceMatt]

Thank You for your service @abusna Did you fly the Super Hornet or just the “Legacy Hornet”? Also, that’s really cool that you flew the F-16 as well. I gotta say, I have a very special place in my heart for the F-16! But, the F-18 Blue Angels are responsible for getting me interested in aviation, so the F-18 is special to me as well!

[@Lozzie74]

You have helped people enormously. So many settings that would otherwise take a lot of flying (and risk to the aircraft) to determine. Thank you!!!!

[@Thercgeek]

+Lozzie74 Thank you so much for the kind feedback!

[@franciscomelchorf.5854]

Lozzie74 si no tuvieran logo belico. seria ideal con cuantos explosivos puede. .

[@bfdmanbfd]

@@Thercgeek does this plane come programmed or do you have to set up the controller

[@Thercgeek]

This is one where you are required to install a receiver and program the transmitter.

[@bfdmanbfd]

@@Thercgeek thanks mate

[@briankmavpro5246]

Thanks for you in-depth review and setup. I used your setup and it worked great. My maiden was done this past weekend and it looked great in the air as well as in the ground. Your afterburners looked amazing in this bird. Just added that extra pop.

[@Thercgeek]

Awesome, I'm so glad to hear of the successful maiden, congrats! Now the fun can begin. :)

[@cmburkhalter]

This was brilliant. Especially the part about no more "Danger Zone"!

[@Thercgeek]

haha! Thanks and thanks for watching! :)

[@greghoff7303]

Love the videos, Chris. I’ve got about 10 flights on my F-14 now with full span flaps from the beginning. I’ve had it tip-stall in the flare about 3 feet off the ground even with carrying power on the jet all the way down. First one I managed to somehow level the wings from about 80 degrees AOB and execute a go around. My most recent one I’m blaming on a stiff crosswind that ended up with a cartwheel to a stop. You ever run into tip stalls with this setup Chris? Also, your setup guide doesn’t say if your spoilerons deactivate with flaps or if they’re on all the time with the wings forward. Right now, my spoilerons work with flaps deployed as well.

[@Thercgeek]

The experience I've had is if you get the airplane slow and you pull quickly on the elevator, it'll tip stall. I had this happen to me a couple times during landing. Having all that camber out at the wing tip does result in the tip being a bit more prone to stall. So, if it's windy, it's best to keep the speed up a little more. Also, if you have the ailerons raised slightly to the flaps when the flaps are down, that should help a little too. On the spoilerons, yeah I had them operating all the time.

[@brianbahamas2405]

What level of a RC plane pilot would you recommend to fly this plane. Beginner, Intermediate or Pro?

[@Thercgeek]

You want to be a very experienced rc pilot before transitioning to this model. Theres quite a bit of complexity and performance here

[@BrianPhillipsRC]

Very good video! Love this plane, and she will eventually be mine, but for now I might need a longer runway. What would you say, bear minimum for safe landings with this plane? Freewing was saying like 500 foot...

[@Thercgeek]

I've flown mine off of a 325 ft paved runway without any issues. You have to apply full power right away on the takeoff and the full span flap helps it to really slow down which helps with the landings, but you've gotta land it on the numbers. Because they have ball bearings in the tires, I would typically roll off the end of the runway on landing, but not too much. Plus, the field has a nice runoff area.

[@BrianPhillipsRC]

Okay, so 325 feet would be about the minimum in your experience.... That's a heck of a lot more attainable than 500 feet long. Thanks!

[@Thercgeek]

Yeah, that's about as short as I would go. I'd recommend flying it at a field with excess field length first though just for assurance on the maiden if possible.

[@BrianPhillipsRC]

Yeah, don't want to have to run into a curb on the maiden

[@Thercgeek]

yeah, not on the maiden...or ever probably... ;)

[@crashsquared]

Hey! A bit late to the party but had to say thanks for such a concise and insightful video - I'd never have thought of all that radio programming! I do have a question if I may... I can't get any kind of consensus on how much battery weight is OK for the plane. I see you're using two of those zippys, weighing 1664g together. MotionRC (where I just got the plane from) recommend two of their 5000 admiral packs (weighing in at 1464g) and stated that its not OK to use two of their 6000 batts (which would weigh 1688g). And then the manual even suggests 1 x 6000 which would be half that weight... So, before I dish out a few hundred on batts... any suggestion given all your experience on what's ok and what isn't? Thanks! Alex

[@Thercgeek]

My recommendation would be to use two roaring top 35c 6s 5800s. I ultimately changed out the zippys to those and they were lighter and provided better power. Just make sure you mod the battery area so you can push the rear battery all the way back to the carry through spar and you should be fine. www.roaringtopusa.com/35c-5800-mah-6s-is-35c-5800-6s

[@janne-pekkahuuhtanen4581]

Very educational -and the flying was great too. Hello everybody! More videos like this, please.

[@Thercgeek]

Thanks! :)

[@MotionRC]

Danger zone free zone lol. Excellent Assembly and Flight Review! subbed Regards Ryan

[@Thercgeek]

+Motion RC Thank you!

[@2warhammer34]

Dang you! Motion RC! I keep throwing my $$ at you guys! Please keep up the great work. As a fellow veteran it gives me great pleasure to help support your business!

[@Thercgeek]

+2warhammer34 Thank you for your service! My dad is a veteran as well.

[@francisdelva1627]

Hi Chris, I have sent you numerous emails about help with My F-14 from Freewing but Have not heard from you by any chance are you going to have some time to respond soon. :(

[@kristoferens3116]

Uhh ohh what?? No Danger Zone?? No Top Gun Anthem?? Oh come on guys!! LOOOOL We use every excuse for any Top Gun soundtrack in our flying squadron still (I am ground personel for the record) :-D

[@CFII1974]

Thanks for all the control setup tips. I flew mine with your setup and it did great!

[@Thercgeek]

+Dave Kester Awesome, I'm glad to hear! Congrats on the successful maiden! :)

[@CFII1974]

+The RC Geek .. Thanks.. Now if we could just get that jet exhaust smell out of these little guys.. lol

[@RCINFORMER]

Chris, can your spektrum program file be modified to allow for up & down ailerons functioning when the wings are extend? I wanted to try out your mixing on my plane on my DX9 but would like to have full ailerons working.

[@Thercgeek]

Yeah, you should be able to do that in the programming. It's been quite a while, I'd have to do some digging in there to remind myself which settings you'd want to adjust. It should basically just be the end points on the aileron channels I think.

[@RCINFORMER]

@@Thercgeek ok... I'll get it set up:)

[@RCINFORMER]

@@Thercgeek the roll control is very crisp with ailerons

[@Thercgeek]

They are indeed! I ended up picking up another one of these. Planning a full refinish and repaint once I get it out of the box.

[@RCINFORMER]

@@Thercgeek I pretty sure Dustin is finished up with tooling the aluminum wing/gear platters. Let us know if that's something you are interested in upgrading.

[@Ethaneman]

Great video and tips! Since your saying no to "danger zone" themed from here on out I'm gonna give myself extra credit for posting Tony's flight of the F-14 to "Bullet Train," to honor the Bullet 101 theme. If I just had more than my iPhone I think it would have been better liked but I think it came out good. Lol

[@Thercgeek]

+EDFjetflyer Thanks! I'd say Bullet Train is definitely worth some extra credit! ;)

[@javaking70]

This video is very helpful. I was thinking that I had to pull the Elevator, Aileron, and Flaps out of the mix box and set them up through the radio. This way is much easier. All I have to figure out now is how to disable the Flaps on wing sweep. Thanks again.

[@Thercgeek]

cool, I'm glad it was helpful. You can run them outside the box should you choose, it's kind of the same either way except the radio has to be setup for elevons when running the tail servos outside the box. Let me know if you have any questions.

[@javaking70]

I want to disable the flaps on sweep. I'm just not sure how to do that. My guess is that i mix the flaps with the sweep but how does that work to prevent the flaps from moving? Your help would be appreciated.

[@Thercgeek]

The way I would approach that is through some logical switch assignments. So, in other words, for the flaps to activate, your flap switch should be tied to both the flap switch and the swing wing switch such that the swing wing switch must be in the extended position for the flap switch to operate the flaps. Does that make sense? What radio are you using?

[@javaking70]

I'm using a Spektrum DX-18. It has a separate flap set up. I'll take a look and see if there is an option of second switch.

[@Thercgeek]

ah, ok. That being the case then, you'll have to do it through a mix. It's a flap-flap mix assigned to the swing wing switch that does -100% when the wings go to the swept position. As great a radio the Dx18 is, I found it rather limiting in setting up the F-14. You have to do work arounds (like a flap-flap mix) to get certain functions to operate the you want since you can't assign multiple switches to functions. The other thing is, there's no flight mode delay, so you can't time the rates to change as the wings sweep. Not a big deal, but I was really surprised that it's not an available function.

[@sherwinsalvatori6997]

You know I cant believe am VIEWING this , you 2 are going to TOPGUN

[@SkipBuiltRC]

Hey Bud. Whats up in the air with Freewing? Heard they are coming out with a new large twin 80 or 90 mm EDF? Heard anything about it. Supposed to sport an 80 in. wingspan...!!!

[@Thercgeek]

I've heard about a twin 80mm coming out soon-ish but don't really know much about it.

[@SkipBuiltRC]

I spoke to an associate of Motion today and he almost slipped. JUST TOLD ME ENOUGH TO RAISE MY BROW,and then said he wasn't supposed to say axcept that it's an 80mm with a power pack conversion to 90mm twins and it was going to be on something with an 80 in. wingspan. ??? Thinking A-10, A Super FA/18 Hornet, Super Me262??? See what you can dig up. Thanks and Happy Flying my Friend. Skip

[@dogjumpjump-djj]

Thanks Greek, I followed your flap setup and get a very smooth landing experience!! Great guide

[@Thercgeek]

+Edward Ling Awesome, I'm glad to hear that!

[@EnterpriseXI]

Yesterday when I flew my jet for the first time I found out the hard way why you need up elevator when you deploy the flaps it goes straight into a nose dive thankfully I was able to get it back down in one piece. Why does it do that?

[@Thercgeek]

There are a few things that happen aerodynamically. First of all, whenever you deflect a control surface, there is a pitching moment associated with that deflection. depending on the proximity to the CG (and other things), some surfaces are more effective at generating this pitching moment than others (elevators are a good example). When dealing with flaps and wing surfaces, you get a secondary effect where the downwash of the air coming off the trailing edge of the wing changes as the flap deflection changes. So, the angle of the air that's approaching the leading edge of the tail changes and so that causes a pitch change also. For the F-14 with full span flaps, there is a very significant pitching moment change, so it's very important to include the recommended trim I have in the video. Even with the single flap surface, there's a small pitch change.

[@chriszak3512]

Any chance of doing a video with a little bit more on the radio set up and how you did it especially having low rates come on when you sweep the wings and disabling the Ailerons that would be helpful

[@Thercgeek]

With my current refinish series with the freewing tomcat, I’ll keep this in mind. I was planning to come back to this a little bit.

[@chriszak3512]

@@Thercgeek thanks

[@miguelcantu6222]

Thank you for sharing this information in your videos, one question, was the connection of the lipo batteries connecting the two lipos in parallel to the two speed control, or one lipo for speed control?

[@Thercgeek]

There are two separate speed controls, so the batteries are plugged into each independently.

[@CrazyRonny1]

Great video and realy helpfull... this F-14 may be one of my winter project :-) Do you think that painting the plane with Min Wax Polycrylic water based varnish could help protecting the finish, never try but read it could be good... will like to keep this foam plane to look good for a long time. Thanks

[@Thercgeek]

I use poly for refinishing foam airplanes regularly. The one difficulty with the F-14 is that the wings do have some flex to them, so there is the potential for the poly to crack. If you do a couple light coats it should be ok.

[@richardwylie07]

Hi Chris, greetings from sunny SYDNEY Australia. I have now successfully untangled all of the channel / port assignments. I couldn’t get your mix working with my receiver... I think the AS3X app must be sending ports / channels to weird channels. However, I’d still like to disable the flaps, when the wings are swept. How do you neutralise a function in a specified switch position? Thank you so much for taking the time to give me advice on this. Richard

[@Thercgeek]

You'll need to add a secondary assignment to the flap channel on the swing wing switch that positions them to the up position when you hit the wing sweep switch. Keep in mind, that as soon as you unsweep the wings the flaps will immediately go back to wherever they were previously positioned if the flap switch itself hasn't changed.

[@pacro]

Hi I just bought one of these and want to set it up like yours. I'm guessing to have the ailerons disengage when the wing is swept they MUST be rerouted directly into the rec. and then programming the aux channels to work with the flaperon mix

[@Thercgeek]

That is correct, you have to bypass the control board on the ailerons and run them straight to the receiver.

[@pacro]

because I only have a 8 channel rec. is it possible to fuse the flaps and ailerons together and then mix them together to do flaperons

[@Thercgeek]

Because of the swing wing, you need a 9 ch Rx since the ailerons require two channels. The tails have to be run in elevon mode which means that one is plugged into the elevator port and the other plugged into the aileron.

[@c-seventeenloadmaster8952]

The RC Geek what tail? I only have 8 channels and decided to run full flaps and tailerons only. Im also using a AS3X receiver and I’m having fits trying to get everything to work correctly. But again this is the most programming and mixing I’ve ever done. I’m used to WWII warbirds

[@rondeldebbio9219]

Great video and excellent presentation. Would it be worth it to swap out the 80mm outrunners for 1857k 80mm inrunners , with the matching ECS? Thanks again!

[@Thercgeek]

Thank you! I have heard good things about the inrunner setup and I would imagine it’ll provide a nice performance boost. Mostly on the low end thrust and in the vertical.

[@nelsonvillanueva7571]

I enjoy your videos, to me is a learning experience but I always wonder were did you find that rule you use to measure the distance the alerons, flap, elevator and ruder muve. Where can I get one. Thanks

[@Thercgeek]

It’s called an accuthrow meter and it was made by great planes. Unfortunately, it’s not made anymore. 😕. I’ve had this one for a really long time.

[@qnoorani]

Thanks for this video. Helped me greatly. Question: How do I disengage the ailerons with the wings swept back? Thanks!

[@Thercgeek]

It requires having the ailerons plugged directly into the transmitter and then operated through a mix. That mix then needs to be assigned to the swing wing switch so that the mix is deactivated when the wings are swept.

[@qnoorani]

@@Thercgeek cool thanks. went to your site and saw the details and also grabbed the dx file. with that file work on a DX8 2nd gen? As always many thanks for you help and support.

[@Thercgeek]

I’m not certain if it’ll work on the dx8. To accomplish what I did requires a minimum of 9channels. So if nothing else, if it loads ok, one aileron won’t work.

[@qnoorani]

@@Thercgeek ah ok understood. Will need a DX9 and a 9 channel minimum to do this right. However, wondering if I can have a triple rate with the factory setup where I can further lower the rates for the ailerons only when wings are swept back. Will have to test.

[@Thercgeek]

Yeah, you can adjust the rates however you like on the stock setup.

[@greenrectanglerc2146]

Great video, very informative. Had my eye on this one for a while but also considering the Freewing F/A-18E Hornet V2 90mm. I love scale but not a purist so the TV on the F/A-18E is actually a plus to me. Have you ever flow the FW F/A-18E, and if so what did you like or not like about it? Love to see you do a full video on that FW model. Thanks for making these vids.

[@Thercgeek]

Thanks for watching! I don't have any experience with the F-18E so can't really comment. I'm a scale purist, so the thrust vectoring is a turn off to me, haha! It looks pretty nice otherwise and seems to fly well from what I've seen.

[@shannonsloan7246]

Can a spektrum nx8 be used for these freewing jets? I thought I seen you initially flying with a spektrum radio.

[@Thercgeek]

Yep, that’s what I’m now using. Been using Spektrum from a number of years now.

[@olsonaviation9382]

so for the tailerons… you bank right and the right taileron goes up and the left one goes down? we did the settings exactly as you did and just want to make sure that we got everything right

[@Thercgeek]

The tails should move in the same manner as the ailerons. So, a right roll command should move the right tail trailing edge up and the left tail should move trailing edge down.

[@olsonaviation9382]

@@Thercgeek thanks you just saved $600

[@anthonyjayakody3356]

Hi Chris, I’m setting up my F14. Thanks for all your vids. I wanted to ask you do you think this plane needs a gyro? I was going to opt to not have one. Am I good to go?

[@Thercgeek]

The airplane doesn’t need a gyro imo, but it does help with the wings swept config. The model can move around a bit in winds with the wings swept and so a gyro helps stabilize some of that out.

[@danielalessandrini2299]

Great video! thanks! one question... i´ve only 7 ch in my radio, and I rally love your mix to land, do you think it´ll work to fly with the extended wings and only taileron? I mean: 1 THROTLE 2 ELEV 1 3 RUDDER 4 GEAR 5 WINGS MOV. 6 ELEV2 7 FLAPS + AILERONS please help

[@Thercgeek]

+daniel alessandrini You could setup full span flaps and taileron only control pretty easily with 7 channels. You would have to remove the aileron servos all together and physically connect the inboard flap and aileron surfaces together on each wing to make a flap single surface on each. From there, you simply run everything through the stock mixing board and then into your receiver. Unfortunately, I don't think you could do flaperons with 7 channels, so you would be flying tailerons only. The airplane does fly very well with tailerons only though. It only suffers in the max roll rate which didn't bother me hugely when I flew tailerons only. You will have to give a max roll input for a decent 360 deg roll.

[@danielalessandrini2299]

+daniel alessandrini Thank you for your answer and your time. I had some issues with the f16 freewing cause It had to land very fast to compensate the lack of flaps, and I see this plane is more heavy so I was kind of worry before I purchase it, Again, thanks a lot

[@Thercgeek]

+daniel alessandrini No problem! There's lots of lifting area on the F-14 and so can be landed at a really low speed.

[@danielalessandrini2299]

+The RC Geek thank you! sorry to bother you again, just the last questions... I found the 5800mah 40C is it ok 40C or do you recomend a higher discharge rate? like the 5000mah 60C do you think it will take off from grass? thanks a lot

[@Thercgeek]

+daniel alessandrini Not a bother at all! The 5800s I'm using are actually 30c packs so 40c should be plenty...60c is overkill. C rating is there as a measure of headroom primarily and when you start flying larger capacity packs, you don't need as much C rating as you're making up that difference with the larger capacity. What I mean is, assuming that 30c is the rating, that means that with a 5800 pack you can potentially pull 174 amps (5.8amps*30c) continuously (Now truthfully, these Chinese made packs have slightly inflated C ratings IMO, but it's close enough). Using these packs in an 80-100 amp application means that you can operate all day long without issues or overstressing the packs. Now, if you want to pull 80-100 amps from a 2500 mah pack, then you definitely have to step up in the C rating. I have been using 30c packs in all of my EDFs for a long time as I prefer higher capacity packs for longer flight times. Bumping up to something like 60c doesn't buy you much more in performance when dealing with larger capacity packs and they are ultimately heavier.

[@danielalessandrini2299]

Hello, I bought the AR9350 receiver and I would like to know if you recomend using the AS3X on the F14?... what do you think?

[@Thercgeek]

+daniel alessandrini I'd avoid the AS3X initially. If you want to try it, once you've flown and trimmed the airplane you can give it a shot. I know of a few guys who've used the 3 axis igyro system, but I'm not aware of anyone who's used AS3X. The igyro system is about the best you can get though.

[@danielalessandrini2299]

ok thank you very much

[@chingersfreind]

I noticed in the build vid you did for this plane that you were using a Airtronics FHSS3 receiver.....are you having issues with the high frame rate and the analog servos or are the servos digital? I have actually ruined a couple of analog servos using this receiver so I don't think I would ever trust using it with analog servos. I love these jets and have 3 great FHSS3 receivers but am hesitant to use them with the servos provided in the pnp version. I appreciate any feedback you could give Thanks.

[@Thercgeek]

Hi Alex, I haven't had any issues to this point with the FHSS-3 receiver. At the time I made the video, it was the only way I could get done what I wanted to with the programming since that was my primary radio.

[@chingersfreind]

I'm glad to hear that. I'm about to receive a Stinger90 and might try the fhss3 receiver I have. I sure wish they would use digital servos!

[@Thercgeek]

yeah, definitely test it out first.

[@chingersfreind]

Well got the stinger today and did test it with the fhss3 receiver and it was causing major intermittent buzzing. Tried a fhss1 receiver and zero buzzing. I feel the high frame rate would slowly kill the servos. Really need to be sure you are not getting chattering with these stock analog servos with that receiver. Thanks for the very informative vids and info!

[@Thercgeek]

I don't recall much buzzing, I will have to check. I know that the nose door servos buzz when closed, but mostly a result of a little binding with the nose strut.

[@richardwylie07]

Hi Chris. Great job... am in the process of following your set up receommendations. At present I'm having a hell of a time trying to program my Spektrum Dx9 and 9 Channel AS3X receiver to work in sinc with the F14's control board. Do you set the model type with single servos on aileron's, elevator and rudder? Currently when I move the ailerons to full deflection, the wings start to sweep. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

[@Thercgeek]

Sounds to me you have the swing wing channel accidentally assigned to the ailerons. Check your channel and switch assignments in the extended menus. In terms of the setup, if you're running the tail servos through the board, you can keep the airplane in standard mode as the board takes care of that mixing for you. The ailerons on the other hand, if you intend to setup the airplane like in the video, need to be plugged directly into the receiver. From there, it requires setting up a mix for each aileron to get the spoileron feature working. I do have my spektrum file available for download on my website: wp.me/p5LuFX-lg

[@AndyCapp77]

Hi Chris, just watched this over and over again and was wondering how you did the calibration of the ESC's on this twin. Did you do the ESC connected the BEC first, then disconnect that connection and do the 2nd ESC or Did you connect both ESC's at the same time with the throttle stick fully forward, then reduce the throttle to idle. The ESC manual on the MotionRc site doesn't quite explain if you should do them individually or together. Thanks in advance another Chris

[@Thercgeek]

I ended up turning on the transmitter, pushing throttle to full and then plugging in both esc’s simultaneously to calibrate them both at once.

[@AndyCapp77]

@@Thercgeek Thanks

[@rolandtheheadlessthompsong4346]

Hey Chris…..finally got around to getting one of these ….was looking for your setup guide? I am using an Ix12…..gonna put some nerf whistles in it….😮😮😊 On another note I was watching 2brothers RC and he bypassed the blue box except for lights and gear….is there a reason that you chose not to?

[@Thercgeek]

I kept them in the box mostly for simplicity. Bypassing the board will remove it as a potential failure point.

[@rolandtheheadlessthompsong4346]

@@Thercgeek I downloaded the file from your site but all it had was receiver port assignments….did I miss something?

[@Thercgeek]

There should be a .spm file in there too. That’s what gets loaded onto the memory card on onto the radio.

[@rolandtheheadlessthompsong4346]

@@Thercgeek Ok…thanx …I will look for it again…..👍. Cheers buddy

[@javonski]

Hey rc geek just pulled up on your video great video....question your download file for spektrum how many channel download is it ...and is that download exactly how you set up ur tomcat...looking to get one here soon..please get back..thanks ski

[@Thercgeek]

To program the tomcat as I did here, you need 9channels.

[@javonski]

@@Thercgeek great thanks that the program you have on line?

[@Thercgeek]

Yes

[@DavesRc]

So,how do I set up my receiver if I want my ailerons to shut off when I'm swep mode? What plugs go where. Or is it more simple than that?

[@Thercgeek]

This is all taken care of in the radio. The ailerons have to be plugged directly into the receiver and then they are setup through a channel mix. To disable the ailerons when wings are swept, then you assign that channel mix for the ailerons to the swing wing switch such that the mix is active with the wings out and inactive with them swept. If you have a spektrum radio, I have the programming file posted on my website.

[@DavesRc]

I'm not sure if you do custom work for people. If so could we talk about you making me an f9f-8 cougar airframe. I would like it light enough to run electric . 6s 5000 to 6000. 90mm ducted fan.

[@Thercgeek]

Unfortunately, as much as I'd like to help, I just don't have time to do custom builds for folks. My parents do have an F9F Cougar kit that's a perfect size for a 90mm fan (jethangar.com). Though, we've flown it on 8s and 12s 90mm, not 6s.

[@DavesRc]

Huh. Are they interested in selling?

[@Thercgeek]

Interested in selling what?

[@lw216316]

I got a used F-14. I open the hatch and see a Hobbyeagle 6-asix gyro and what appears to be a Spektrum satellite receiver but I see no place to put a bind plug or to press a bind button. How do I bind to my Dx8 ?

[@Thercgeek]

My apologies, but I have no experience with the hobby eagle equipment. So, I’m not sure I can help answer your question.

[@lw216316]

@@Thercgeek I found the answer last night. The large top cover over the wing/fuse area must be removed - under it is a lot of wiring and electrical components - I found a Spektrum receiver there - it has the usual bind port I was looking for. I guess it is put there to avoid running long wires up to the front of the hatch area were there is room for it -

[@Thercgeek]

Ah, ok that makes sense. I was thinking it was an integrated rx/gyro system.

[@lw216316]

@@Thercgeek I needed to bind so I could check out the major parts - I'm going to sell them on ebay - the receiver, gyro, motors, escs and servos and maybe a few other parts.

[@nickprince2774]

If u made a video showing ur remote and showing in detail the modes u made that'd be awesome...i wanna learn more mixing skills but can't figure it out

[@Thercgeek]

I did a refinish series on the F-14 and I show that in episode 5 here kzbin.info/www/bejne/a5vcmZZ5d8hjo80

[@jdsstegman]

Hello. Are you sure its up elevator mix with the flaps. I set mine up tike yours and the nose pitches up really really bad. Doesn't one want down elevator to push the nose down when the flaps pitch it up??

[@Thercgeek]

Are you using the full span flap mod? Full span flaps requires quite a bit of up trim. However, the stock flap configuration does not. So, if you are using the stock config the airplane only needs just a touch of up elevator mix.

[@dangonefishing]

Chris, you saying 2 inch deflection for full flaps but i am seeing more like only 1-1/4 deflection from your scale???

[@Thercgeek]

Yes, 2” is what I used. Camera angle plays a big part of how the scale looks on camera. Unless I get it perfectly square to the scale, it’ll look biased one way or the other usually.

[@dangonefishing]

On full span flaps landing, if you need to abort and go around, is it safe for the flaps to stay down during the entire go around? U see, I may forget to retract them.

[@Thercgeek]

Yes, that’s totally fine. I loved shooting touch and goes and left the flaps down the whole time I was in the pattern when I did.

[@nickprince2774]

Any help with what reciever to use with freewing planes if ur using a spectrum nx 8

[@Thercgeek]

I’d recommend the newer AR8360 if you’re looking for something with a gyro in it. I’d recommend having at least one remote satellite receiver with it as well.

[@best_pilot]

Hi my F-14 needs some minor cosmetic touches. Do you know the RAL colour numbers for the - grey colour for the upper surfaces and the - white for the fuselage belly ? Thanks in advance !

[@Thercgeek]

Well, I know what fs numbers they’re supposed to be, but the model I don’t believe was painted with fs accurate colors. I believe they were trying to mimic flat full gray (fs36440) and insignia white (fs37875).

[@best_pilot]

@@Thercgeek Thanks very much; I will find suitable RAL numbers by this way !

[@best_pilot]

@@Thercgeek Just identified our European RAL numbers: Flat full gray (fs36440) --> RAL 7038 Insignia white (fs37875) --> RAL 9001 Again - thanks very much for your rapid support !!

[@Thercgeek]

Happy to help! Be aware you will likely have to do some color matching to get the colors to blend. I’d be surprised if the RAL colors matched the model exactly.

[@best_pilot]

@@Thercgeek At least I will give it a try - cautiously :-) !

[@danielalessandrini2299]

Hello, I did download an F14 in real flight 7.5 simulator and I´ve noticed you can actually put both ailerons fully up in a flight mode1, and the plane became very stable for landing... have you ever try this on a real plane?...looks like an airbrake

[@Thercgeek]

+daniel alessandrini Setting up a "crow" configuration like that can be done and is done on other airplanes. I've not found it necessary at all on this airplane. The airplane lands incredible with the scale full span flaps.

[@danielalessandrini2299]

+The RC Geek thank you very much for the information...you have done everything... Im surprised

[@Thercgeek]

No problem!

[@mike2478150]

Can you help me figure out why I cant get the elevators to work , they act as ailerons no matter what when I use your downloaded file. I'm using the newest Spektrtum 10360T. If I move the right stick left or right they act as elevators, up and down they act as alerions. I have bypassed the F14s board and I am going straight to the receiver. Thanks for any insight.

[@Thercgeek]

You will need to experiment with reversing the servos in the radio. If that doesn’t do it, then swap the ports the servos are plugged into in the receiver and try again.

[@fern6978]

Great review! Just use the flight mode delay option to match the rate transition to the 4 second swinging of the wing... It's working great with my SD10G. Cheers! : )

[@Thercgeek]

+Alpha10 Ah, interesting! I wasn't aware of a flight mode delay. I'll look into that.

[@fern6978]

+The RC Geek Definitely. i only discovered it while playing with this jet.

[@notoo7]

How about an updated one for the 64mm version?

[@Thercgeek]

Well, i can tell you from experience that the 80mm flies far and away better than the 64mm.

[@notoo7]

@@Thercgeek if they would ever update the model with new EDFs and ESCs, I would get one.

[@captainmax573]

😂what was that clip at the end, you are by far my favorite KZbinr

[@Thercgeek]

Haha, thanks! 🤣

[@BarracudaHawk]

Hi, I'm ready for my maiden with this F14.... We fly from a fairly short runway but it's always been short so, kind of used to it.... BUT, I wanted to check what thrust you get with yours please.. Book says 5.6 kg ! I'm getting about 3.3 kg which is significantly different ! Hope you get time to let me know please, Many thanks in advance.

[@Thercgeek]

+BarracudaHawk I've never measured the thrust. there are quite a few things that can affect static thrust, so I wouldn't expect for you to get what is stated in the manual. A couple questions, did you calibrate the speed controllers? What batteries are you using and how old are they? Lastly, what's the length and surface type of your runway?

[@BarracudaHawk]

+The RC Geek Hi. Thanks for replying, i appreciate that a lot. Yes i did calibrate the speed controllers, one at a time. (had to power one of them with a small battery to do this because the BEC is on the other) I used 2 x A spec Nano Tech 4000, 65C. I am not flying these because I have Turnigy 5000, 60C Batts coming in a day or two. The runway is tarmac, 90 yards. We use an arrester cord with damping to avoid overrun.. works well and is kinder to the gear than going Off Piste.!

[@Thercgeek]

+BarracudaHawk 90 yards is pretty short, but should be manageable being paved. I've flown off of 300 ft with no issues, but landing usually ended up using the full length since there are ball bearings in the wheels (why? I don't know!). Plan to use the full runway length. For the maiden, it may even be worth doing a brake start having someone hold the airplane while you apply full power before letting it roll to give yourself a little extra length.

[@BarracudaHawk]

+The RC Geek Yes we nearly always use full length. If you still have your model and feel like a static thrust test, i would be grateful knowing the base line thrust is identical. I'm sure it is but hey, it's be good to know before i launch..!

[@Thercgeek]

+BarracudaHawk Unfortunately, I don't have a good way of measuring installed thrust. It's not typically something I do specifically. I test thrust on the bench typically knowing that installed thrust is always less than that.

[@MattCannonScott]

So I have a question on port assignments into my dx8 - 8 channel receiver. I have it as Esc into throttle Aileron from control board into aileron Elevator from control board into elevator Rudder from control board into rudder Gear from control board into gear Flap from control board into flap Swing wing from control board into aux 1 Aileron from y harness into aux 2 My question is the aileron coming out of control board do I put that in the aileron port On my receiver or do I just leave the aileron port on my receiver empty?Is that aileron from control board doing anything because my ailerons are y harnessed into my aux 2 port ?Hope to get some help on this thank you

[@Thercgeek]

The aileron port on the control board is used to move the tails as tailerons in combination with the ailerons. So, if the ailerons are yharnessed into aux 2, you’d still need aileron from the board into the receiver to achieve the taileron function at the tails.

[@MattCannonScott]

@@Thercgeek thank you for insight on that

[@mrcrazybenjo3443]

Gday from Aus! During your fine tuning the setup, were the spoilers working with wings swept back tried? Love the Danger zone free zone stuff btw made me laugh coz we are all thinkin it!!!!!!

[@Thercgeek]

haha, thanks! With the wings swept, I'm flying the airplane with tailerons only. I flew the airplane originally in the stock setup and I really didn't like how it flew wings swept with the ailerons moving. It flew well wings extended, but didn't roll right (not scale). This is why I ended up setting the airplane up this way. I love how it flies with this control setup and do all kinds of aerobatics with it including rolls on takeoff. :)

[@massix24]

then they are only used to turn when the plane and on the ground ?

[@Thercgeek]

They move with the steering yes, and then when I do a knife edge wing sweep pass, I'll use a little rudder. Otherwise, I don't use the rudder much. It will roll the airplane pretty notably. Oh, and if you want to do a flat spin (which the airplane will do), then you need max rudder deflection. ;)

[@danielalessandrini2299]

Hi, I saw in the motionrc 2 motor upgrades ... Freewing 80mm 6-Blade EDF 6S Power System w/ 3525-2050kV Motor and the 80mm 12-Blade EDF 6S Power System w/ 3658-1820kV In-Runner.... the first for half of the price and seems to have more power... which one would you go for? would it be necesary to change the ESC?

[@Thercgeek]

The upgrade to get would be the 12 bl 1820 kv setup. I know a few guys running this setup. You'll need the whole power system as the motor itself won't fit into the stock fan. You will need a 100+ amp ESC too.

[@danielalessandrini2299]

thank you!

[@robertlow9287]

The link for the DX Spektrum file does not work for me?

[@Thercgeek]

I took them down as they’re not compatible with the newer ix or nx radios unfortunately.

[@jeffjackson6358]

I've searched the internet over and can't find anything about programming my new iX12 radio to get your set up. I know you aren't a Spektrum guy. Any suggestions on where I can look for help in programming my radio for the F-14?

[@jeffjackson6358]

Never mind, I found your Spektrum programming setup. Did I mention I hate reading and it shows!

[@Thercgeek]

oh good. I wasn't sure if that would be helpful for the ix12 actually. I've been flying mostly spektrum these days actually. Let me know if you have any other questions.

[@Joel_Alpiger]

nice thanks. my first flight is coming. how many rates and expo have you for normal wing ? :-)

[@Thercgeek]

I don’t recall as it’s been a long time since flying one of these stock. If I recall correctly, what’s recommended in the manual is a good starting point.

[@desertmule57]

Please help me get my f14 ready for flight with a radiolink 9 channel. I am in overmy head and lots of money. where does the throttle wire go and where does the wing sweep wires go? I really need heep Thanks James

[@Thercgeek]

I'm sorry to say, I have no experience with the Radiolink radios. In fact, I had never heard of the radio before you mentioned it. That said, the throttle should be plugged into the throttle channel. So, check your manual what the default channels are for your radio. IT's likely either channel 1 or 3. The wing sweep should be on an aux channel that you'll have to assign a switch to. I have a more in depth discussion about the approach I took on the programming on my website: wp.me/p5LuFX-lg That said, there's nothing wrong with setting up the airplane in the stock configuration. The airplane flies well that way, and the programming is much easier. But I would recommend disabling the ailerons with the wings swept if you're able to do it. So, how experienced an RC Flyer are you? I'm getting the sense you may be newer to it. I recommend finding local RC club and having an experienced flyer help you get the airplane setup and flown for you. The F-14 is a great flying airplane, but it is best to get some experience flying high performance aircraft under your belt before stepping up to the tomcat.

[@ReckkEdits]

Just finished the maiden on my f14. Bit of a rough landing due to a crosswind gust but nothing besides wing scratches. Now the gear will only cycle once from testing we've done post-flight. Any ideas? Gear will retract and extend but won't retract a second time

[@Thercgeek]

Congrats on the successful maiden! How quickly were you trying to re-cycle the gear? There is a timing delay on the retracts, so if you flip the switch too soon after the first cycle, they won’t move. At least that’s what I remember.

[@ReckkEdits]

@@Thercgeek thank you! And it doesn't seem to matter how quickly I flip the switch, it just wants to cycle one time and is completely unresponsive after the first cycle is complete. Really odd so I'm at a loss lol

[@Thercgeek]

Yeah, that’s strange. Unfortunately, I’m not sure why that would do that.

[@ReckkEdits]

@@Thercgeek no worries! You know more than I do so figured I'd give it a shot haha

[@ReckkEdits]

@@Thercgeek well, to give you an update, the f14 met its demise on the first wing sweep attempt. It flew fantastic with the wings out, but when I swept the wings, my taileron rate was not low enough and it rolled twice or three times before I tried to pull out using full elevator. Unfortunately, I did not have enough altitude to pull out of the unexpected situation. I messaged Motion rc about their manual and how it needs a lot of work, and their response was that the plane was designed and intended for expert pilots, and that expert pilots would not need control throw suggestions, they would find it themselves. While this does have some basis in logic, I will not be shopping at Motion RC ever again. It's a shame because they have some really nice models.

[@danielalessandrini2299]

Hi, can you tell me your opinion about the Turnigy nano-tech 6000mah 6S 25C ~ 50C ? the zippy are out of stock...

[@Thercgeek]

+daniel alessandrini The nano's should work fine. I don't know about the weight or size though, they will likely be heavier and larger. The 30c 5800s are really compact packs for what they are. Where are you located? I'm seeing them in stock and nicely discounted also: www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__9935__ZIPPY_Flightmax_5800mAh_6S1P_30C.html

[@danielalessandrini2299]

ok thanks a lot

[@danielalessandrini2299]

+daniel alessandrini hello Sr, Im tempted to go with the Zippy compact 6S 40c 6200mah, the weight is 30 grams more than the 5800 and the size is a little bigger, but I might get more time... what do you think?

[@Thercgeek]

+daniel alessandrini I think they would work, but the airplane will be a little more nose heavy. You'd get a little boost in flight time, but not huge. My only concern would be CG. I already have the 5800s pushed back as far as they can go. It's only 30g, but if the packs are longer, that could move the CG more than desired (longer moment arm to the center of mass of the pack). As a point of reference, I can fly my Tomcat really hard for over 4 minutes with the 5800s.

[@danielalessandrini2299]

+The RC Geek thanks again... I ´ll check the CG and try to move the battery as far as I can.... I might mount part of the second battery over the first to gain more weight on the back

[@notoo7]

Wish me luck. I broke down and got one. Hoping I have better luck with it than the 64mm version.

[@Thercgeek]

I’m sure it’ll go great! This one flies quite a bit better than the 64mm imo.

[@rileyhowe9610]

Hi , I have recently picked up an f-14 second hand , how do you program the wing ailerons to shut off when the wings go back I’m on a spektrum DX18

[@Thercgeek]

Cool! I actually have a dx file available for download in the article written along with this video at: thercgeek.com/2016/01/freewing-f-14-setup-flight-review/

[@rileyhowe9610]

The RC Geek ok nice one 👍🏻 what channel reciever do you use ?

[@rileyhowe9610]

And what do you set the wing type as ? 2 ail one flap or what ?

[@Thercgeek]

@@rileyhowe9610 To setup this model like I did, you need at least a 9 channel receiver. Keep in mind that the airplane does fly well stock also in the event you don't want to do all of the programming.

[@Thercgeek]

@@rileyhowe9610 If you have the elevator servos plugged directly into the receiver, then it should be setup as tailerons. OTherwise if you have them running through the stock board, then it would be standard 1 elevator, 1 aileron. Then the ailerons need to be plugged directly into the receiver and are mixed in separately through a channel mix.

[@eduenglishteacherrcdronepilo74]

I wonder 🤔🤷🏻‍♂️ 💭 if I could attach some parts of my Freewing F-14 Tomcat using Neodymium Magnets 🧲 with Foam-Tac ; Gorila Glue or Epoxy , because I’m living in another country … and I will go back home someday in the future ( I mean using Magnets bec I’ll ship all my planes back home ) any suggestions please help

[@Thercgeek]

Well, everything fastens together on that airplane except for the nose section which is intended to be glued. So, if you’re wanting to put everything back in the original box, I’d recommend devising a fastener setup for the nose so you can remove it. You want a very positive attachment for the nose. Everything else already is removable.

[@Soelbro]

Be cool to have afterburner LEDS aswell.

[@Thercgeek]

I've seen guys who've done it on the airplane. It requires some pretty major modifications to the turkey feather exhausts. Stock the ID is set to finish out the exhaust ducting. So, that would all have to be changed.

[@Soelbro]

ok thank you for your information. Good vids by the way - Im repainting and refinishing my FMS P51 similar to you after your video inspired me to do so.

[@Thercgeek]

Thanks! Glad to hear about the P-51, send pics when you're done, I'd love to see it! :)

[@danielalessandrini2299]

Hi, sorry to bother you but I really can´t program the dx9 with the ailerons... can you give me a hand? what kind of wing you select? 2 flaps 2 ailerons? how did you do to mix a flight mode with the wings swept?

[@Thercgeek]

Daniel, shoot me an email through my blog contact form (thercgeek.com) and I can help you better. My buddy setup his f14 on a dx9 and I can get you in touch with him.

[@danielalessandrini2299]

great! thanks I already sent you the email

[@Thercgeek]

For some reason, I'm not seeing your email. Mind trying again? Be sure to include a few words in the body also.

[@Thercgeek]

+daniel alessandrini looks like the second time came through. I'll have my friend get in touch with you with his dx9 settings.

[@danielalessandrini2299]

thank you very much!!

[@TheGnat111]

RC Geek Need some help? I'm using a Spectrum DX 8. How do I set up the radio to be able to turn keep all of the current stock functions and turn off the AIL in the swept wing configuration.?

[@Thercgeek]

Keeping it stock, what you would need to do is plug in the ailerons into a y harness and then plug those into your 8th channel and set them up with a channel mix. Then put that channel mix on your swing wing switch such that is is active with wings extended and inactive with wings swept.

[@TheGnat111]

My 8th Channel is AUX 3. So I mix AUX 3 with AIL and assign that mix on my swing wing switch( H) ? I will give that a shot. Thanks! @@Thercgeek

[@TheGnat111]

I got it to work...Thanks for the help!

[@Thercgeek]

Glad to hear it, I’m glad I could help! 😊

[@MattCannonScott]

@@TheGnat111 hello just wondering if you can share your mixes for the f14 I too have a dx8 and want to set it up like you did

[@thorvelasco1467]

Van Hagar Dreams instead?

[@shaggy9062]

I wanna buy one, is there a link for it?

[@Thercgeek]

It comes from motionrc.com

[@shaggy9062]

@@Thercgeek thz

[@PatBALEX]

Great video.. Nice work with the F-14.. It still needs more scale-like main gear.. The scale freak in me..LoL..

[@Thercgeek]

+PatBALEX Thanks! I hear you on the gear; they would look better painted white. Having pylons on the wing glove would also hide the retracted wheels too. I have 1/10 scale Tomcat I'll be building once I finish up my big Skyray project and it will have a full set of gear doors. I can't wait to start that one!

[@almighurt3347]

Can someone tell me how much expo you should use for Ail, Ele and Rud?

[@Thercgeek]

Expo is really a matter of personal preference. When I set this up originally, I didn’t use any expo in the programming. I don’t like a super dead feel around center, so even when I do use expo it’s not a lot. That being said, On my latest refinished tomcat (bit.ly/YTRefinishing ), I added about 8% expo to the elevator and aileron controls and then added 30% expo on the rudder because they’re very effective in flight.

[@almighurt3347]

@@Thercgeek Alright thank you bro. :D 👍 I already watched the refinish series, its aswesome.👍

[@organgrind]

Awesome airplane, and excellent video, thank you.

[@Thercgeek]

+Richard Haynes Thanks for watching! :)

[@steven198130]

what elevator to flap mix for non full span flaps

[@Thercgeek]

I don’t recall off hand for the stock setup, but it doesn’t require very much.

[@rosalynorchard]

Thank you very much Chris.

[@krystalbrooks6869]

Thank you for the insight of the setup. This was very informative.

[@Thercgeek]

Thank you!

[@davidhunt9685]

Fascinating! Take that Angel to the skies! If so, play Mighty Wings or maybe Iron Eagle. I wish I could get in this hobby, I just don’t have the funds or skills to fly.

[@Thercgeek]

Oh, I’m all about iron Eagle. I love that movie, haha

[@airheadjr6684]

Will this model take off and land on grass runway

[@Thercgeek]

Guys have done it, but I haven’t personally. The best success has come when guys have upgraded the power systems to the 9-blade system that’s in the freewing a-10.

[@airheadjr6684]

What size are the wheels

[@chrismitchell5260]

Hi I'm trying to disable my ailerons in Sept wing confirmation on my dx9 I'm not sure how to do that could you give me some advice thanks

[@Thercgeek]

In order to accomplish this, the aileron servos need to be plugged directly into the receiver into two aux channels. Those channels then need to be mixed in to the ailerons and that mix needs to be assigned to your swing wing switch such that with wings out, the mix is active and wings swept, the mix is disabled. I have a dx file available for download on my site in my full flight review: thercgeek.com/FWF14

[@chrismitchell5260]

@@Thercgeek I'm using a dx9 ..with swept wing and I have jp brakes ...using 8 channel receiver...does this mean I need something better than a dx9 or a 10 channel receiver

[@Thercgeek]

@@chrismitchell5260 Well, if you want to program the airplane the same as I did, you need a minimum of 9 channels. Otherwise, you could connect the ailerons through a y-harness and mix them in that way. They would function as normal ailerons vs spoilerons. Then, your brakes you could y-harness to your elevator and actuate them with down elevator. I've not used electric brakes, so I'm not sure how feasible setting them up that way may be. If that doesn't work, then I'd recommend just setting it up stock. It'll do fine that way. You may just need to spend a little extra time tuning the rates with wings swept.

[@chrismitchell5260]

@@Thercgeek ok thank you for helping me out much appreciated

[@Thercgeek]

@@chrismitchell5260 no problem!

[@d.j.9961]

Keep in mind that I am new to your channel. I keep seeing awesome fighter jet RC's & one in particular stands out! There was this one guy who had a jet powered, red fighter jet(sorry idk exactly what model it was?) that flew faster then any other RC that I have ever seen period! I am a newby at aviation rc's however, I have owned a few ground based, rc car's in my days! Amungst many others, A rhino-10, Grasshopper in the early 90's, & finally a rc-10 in late 90's early 2k's. Life has kept me away & with teaching children about better rc vehicle's, (some children think that traxxas is the ultimate company, They do have at least one decent/very pricey vehicle. My question to you is, Where can I purchase fighter jets & jet engine's for them? What site's do you frequent for aviation rc's????????

[@Thercgeek]

Well, there are a number of RC jet companies out there in addition to turbine engine companies. In terms of turbine engines, kingtech is a pretty prominent one in the states. For jet companies, airworld, skymaster, ultimate-jets are a few that come to mind. This F-14 however comes from MotionRC.

[@fhuber7507]

Full DX-18 programming plan listed at Hobbysquawk.com (MotionRC.com forum) my dual rates not set yet. I'll modify with info from this video. Mine is not flown at this time. I didn't want to do the test flight with gray sky. I plan to repaint to a NASA scheme for high visibility.

[@Thercgeek]

+F Huber Good luck on the maiden, this airplane flies great! The NASA scheme should look awesome.

[@pilotpeteproductions8229]

Great review Chris! Great channel!

[@Thercgeek]

+PilotPeteProductions HD Thanks man! :)

[@สุรศักดิ์สอนการ-ช6ฎ]

อยากได้ ซื้อได้จากที่ไหนครับ

[@matk4731]

Great review as always 👏 What a beautiful bird. 👍🏻👍🏻🙃🙃

[@Thercgeek]

Thanks man, I appreciate you watching! 😊

[@massix24]

But the rudders how to settings ?

[@Thercgeek]

The rudder settings per the manual. The rudders are very effective and kind of roll the airplane, so I don't use the rudder very much.

[@spacetraveler3286]

Hi there. I'm new to flying however would like to learn to fly something like this. Can I fly this like a normal 4 channel plane to start with? I only have a 6 channel transmitter. Could you explain this for us newbies. Cheers 👍

[@Thercgeek]

Setting the airplane up stock simplifies things quite a bit and is covered in the instructions. Even so, it still needs 7 channels to setup because of the swing wing function in addition to the flaps and retracts. The best course to take would be to become proficient with a high performance airplane with flaps and retracts, before tackling this F-14. IT's a great flying airplane, but requires some proficiency for best success.

[@spacetraveler3286]

@@Thercgeek thanks for your advice. I'll wait till I feel confident then by that time I'll be ready to buy a new transmitter and start playing around with jets. Thks for your time 👍

[@Bonesvision]

awesome video.considering buying one

[@Thercgeek]

+steve K Well, They definitely fly awesome! :)

[@rickharris8050]

True professional. great video

[@Thercgeek]

Thanks for watching!

[@timothygiggey1610]

how about flying cowboys by Rickie lee Jones on the arsenio hall show great song

[@roachcoachhelis6387]

Thanks Chris I appreciate that

[@Thercgeek]

Sure thing!

[@octane2099]

This plane will get popular again I might get mine now befor the new top gun comes out summmer of 2020

[@Thercgeek]

You may be right. I ended up picking up another one recently that I'll be featuring a refinish on. I'm looking at adding some scale mods too.

[@edec100]

Un grand merci pour ces réglages, c’est parfait dès le premier vol !

[@franciscomelchorf.5854]

que velocidad alcanzan a toda carga.

[@Thercgeek]

I'm not sure the top speed on this model. I would guess about 110 mph.

[@Farmermanrc]

5 mins with zippy 5800 6s packs nice now I got revolectix and ok only get 3 minutes with about one go around or 2 shall I look into those zippy packs

[@Thercgeek]

I’d recommend roaring top 6s 5800 packs even more. They’re lighter and pack a better punch than the zippy’s.

[@Farmermanrc]

@@Thercgeek will look Into that but started thinking about going the turbine route soon batteries are to expensive and for only 3 to 5 minutes of flying time on jets I rather have 10 plus so the new havoc xe is probably the last foam jet I'll buy not going with the f14 though to heavy not to hard to figure out and I don't like mixing controls

[@Farmermanrc]

To complicated with the design of ot

[@Bonesvision]

Nice video. Btw, they are Elevons not tailerons :)

[@Thercgeek]

Thanks! It could be either one tailerons/elevons. I'm using the taileron term since it's an all moving tail.

[@robertmantell1700]

The RC Geek but when they speak of the Tomcat it's actually called elevon. Also, not to get all super tech geek, but Tomcats have no actual ailerons, they used spoilers. This was specifically due to the wing sweep, when the plane is in storage mode the wings overlap the elevons so you had a possible contact point. With low speed maneuverability being paramount in the Navy's specifications Grumman had to add the elevon function to get the roll rate up where the huge fighter could actually hold its own in a fight.

[@JoshWeaverRC]

Found it. Will be learning lots here.

[@JoshWeaverRC]

Can it be swept from take off to land.

[@Thercgeek]

Glad you found it. Are you asking if you can takeoff and land with the wings swept? It’s been done, but it doesn’t land that well in that configuration.

[@JoshWeaverRC]

@@Thercgeek I imagine some airbrakes and chute would be needed. Speaking of air brakes, that Mig 17 has them. The artic camo really shows that swept wing bird off well. You mentioned a dual rates on this, so what about flight modes to give more options. Just wondering if you tried it or any reason why only mixes were used. Either way, great what can be done. If you have never programmed a full house motored sail plane on Futaba, Don't!

[@Thercgeek]

Yeah, flight modes works too, but even with flight modes, I like the option of changing the rates anytime I need to when setting up a model. That can all be removed once it's tuned. I saw the Mig17 vide, sure does look nice!

[@user-yv1bf4rx7r]

Sweet plane and sweet channel. Subbed

[@Thercgeek]

Thank you so much!

[@massix24]

in your video and that of others missing this part

[@ReeseInTheCup]

that is insane so powerful!

[@cecilpotter1229]

one outstanding looking Bounty Hunter

[@CalebT_RC]

I maidened my tomcat last night and it went pretty good. I listened to some of stuff said in this video it flies great. I still need to get wings going back on it soon.