Got my wife to shoot some video of the F-16 on the way to lunch today. Only had time for one take as the kids were waiting in the car. Wasn't the greatest hand launch I've ever done, but she flew anyway My wife had trouble tracking it, but she did manage to get a few loops and rolls and the takeoff and landing. Here's the movie:

http://www.treswright.vervehosting.c...lanes/F-16.WMV

More details about the plane here:

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showt...hreadid=146308

Hope you guys like it!

Video looks great adn it does move pretty good.

Cheers,

Eric B.

Tres,

Video was great! I recently finished the same plane. I had originally gone with the Hobby Lobby suggested setup(VASA55 & Acro 280BB Sanyo 8X600AE's). Too heavy & wouldn't fly. After further research & suggestions by people(Thanks Dave ) on this site I switched to a Micro/Razor 300 setup with KAN-650's. Well, it finally flew this weekend. However, not as nice as yours. Mine takes about 75 yards to get up to speed before I can get some altitude. Even then it's a bit of a struggle to keep up. Top speed is a little slower than yours but it doesn't have near the power. My AUW(haven't measured with the KAN's yet) is probably about 13.5-14 oz. giving out about 6.5oz. of thrust. Not the ultimate combo. Anyway, my question is you say you are using Kokam 3X680. Is this the same or similar to the Kokam 3X640's that Hobby Lobby has for sale? I was trying to avoid LiPoly's as I've heard some horror stories with fires. But, it looks like if I want this plane to really perform I'm going to have to make the switch.

The guy I talked to at HL about Kokam 3X1200's said that they wouldn't provide enough amps for my setup. How many amps do the 3X680's provide? I could shave about 2.5oz. with those batteries.

-Mark

Eric, thank you! You're in Houston, will you be at DEAF here in Dallas? Perhaps we'll meet!

Mark, hello! I actually ran across your thread about your Razor setup when I was doing some searches, I sent you a PM that you probably don't realize is sitting in your inbox I was curious if you had gotten it flying yet. Sorry to hear it's not performing well, but I think you might be in for a pleasant surprise if you switch to the li-pos. The Kokams I'm using are actually a 3s2p 340 setup, but they're advertised and sold as 3x680's. The 340 is a special high discharge cell and the packs are EXPENSIVE. But the numbers are quite impressive. The cells are capable of 20c discharge, around 12 amps for the 680 setup. They are also quite light, the 3x680 pack is 2.2 ounces. The AUW on mine is under 10 oz. and flight times are 7 minutes.

==Is this the same or similar to the Kokam 3X640's that Hobby Lobby has for sale==

Those are the "regular" cells, they're only good for around 5C (3.2 amps for 640's). the 680's are a totally different animal and are available here:

http://www.b-p-p.com/KokamSHCpacks.htm (appear to be out of stock)

And here:

http://lightflightrc.com/HTML/products/680-3S2P.htm

How may cells are you running on your KANs? The 680 packs should give you close to 10 cell performance, but at a much lighter weight.

==The guy I talked to at HL about Kokam 3X1200's said that they wouldn't provide enough amps for my setup. How many amps do the 3X680's provide?==

The 1200's can handle as much as 10 amps in short bursts, but at sustained high amp draws they get pretty hot. The 680's can tolerate sustained 12 amp draws. Of course they will discharge quickly at that rate. I am pretty sure Dave said he's using 1200's on his Minx, and I think he's running a RZ-300 with Micro fan on that. He's probably moderating the throttle though.

==I was trying to avoid LiPoly's as I've heard some horror stories with fires==

Let me just add some thoughts on that. We should use care with li-polys, and all other batteries used in R/C. Batteries store energy, and stored energy can be explosive. All batteries should be charged in a safe place (garage or basement) around non-combustible items. Don't throw them in a pocket with metal objects (pocketknife, loose change) or you may find your leg getting very warm Charge and store them safely and you'll likely never have a problem. If you crash a plane, put the battery pack under a "fire watch" for an hour or so, leave it on concrete away from people until you're sure it's not going to vent. The most telling story I've heard is a guy who crashed his plane and tossed his li-po pack in his car, then flew something else while his car interior ignited. Terrible story, and could happen with NiMH or Nicad too.

I have over 800 flights on li-poly packs. The only incident I've had was I smashed a pack in a 50 mph nose-in. It smoldered for 15 minutes before I found some water to dunk it in. I left it on concrete during that time and no harm was done. Li-polys are really amazing, I don't fly anything else anymore!

Tres,

Thanks for the speedy response. I am running 8X650 KAN's. They actually put out the same power as the 8X600AE NiCads I had originally bought at about 1.8oz. less weight.

Those are really impressive numbers(20c, 12amp sustained) for the 3X680's. The guy at HL had told me about the 5C rate of the regular Kokams that's why I was curious how you were using the 680's. That's good to know that the LiPoly's are getting better. My KAN packs are about 4.1oz. The 680 pack would save me about 2oz. which should translate into the extra performance I'm looking for. Plus, you said that they should perform like 10 cells so all the better.

I also have the another FS F-16 with the std. paint scheme that I may build next. However, I'm thinking of going with a pusher setup & retracts for ROG & performance. I need to find a good set of light retracts first.

Thanks again,

Mark

PS How do I get my PM messages?

==I am running 8X650 KAN's==

3 cell li-pos would definitely give you more power than 8 KANs. Between the power gain and the weight savings, your F-16 should fly great!

==That's good to know that the LiPoly's are getting better.==

They really are getting better all the time, now if they can just get the prices down on these high discharge cells!

==I need to find a good set of light retracts first.==

GWS has some really light retracts, but I think they may be too wimpy for a jet.

==PS How do I get my PM messages?==

Click on "My R/C Groups" on the top menu bar, your unread messages should appear in the next window. If not, click on "Private Messages" on the upper menu bar.

Well done Tres! Great video. That thing really moves!

(kicking up some dirt as I realize this is another plane I have to build in the future, looks too fun not too!)

Thanks Hawker! I'll tell my wife you liked the video, maybe with the encouragement she'll be more inclined to tape more of my planes in the future