F-16 Fighting Falcon ARF - Page 5

Philld · Sep 26, 2008, 10:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hawaiian Flyin

Thanks for the help. Checked the Hobby City site and the 80 amp esc goes for 55 bucks. Do I really need an 80 amp? See a few guys using a 45 amp esc and seems to work for them. I also had a H/L Swiss F5 that totaled on the second flight. Would'nt turn left or right. lost it over a hill. Found the wreckage, no survivors! Thought it was possible pilot error but now I may be thinking it may have had similar glitching problems.

Yeah my F5 is just lying there and never had a chance to get higher that 5 ft off the ground. I might replace the body and transfer the electronics (minus the speed controller/glitcher) and giver her a chance at the skies. It's a really good value with the retracts and all. I also put the Electify SS 45 ESC in my F16 and have had 6 flights today! It has battle scars from trying to fly it prior to knowing about the ESC. I might follow up with HL on a replacement as this glitching issue is quite well know by now. I also saw the stock ESC at a LHS and the 60amp version was a whopping $27.00...

CRELLITT0302 · Sep 26, 2008, 10:16 PM

I wish I would have found this thread prior to my maiden flight today. I got my HL f-16, built and took it to the local not-so-busy airport and met up with a few other local RCers. they liked it as much as I did.
Preflight checks looked and worked great. Engine vibrations were very very bad. Taxi out and line up were problem free. Pushed the thrust lever full forward and started heading down the runway, and nice smooth rotation. Flew it around the pattern once and brought it in for a landing. It was as nice as the landings I do at my job. Turned it around and lined up for a second go, and just as the nose was coming up, it went straight up without my consent/control. I rolled it over into a steep bank to kill some of the lift and get a level attitude, which only worked momentarily. Reduced the thrust so that it would not climb straight up, but rather just slow flight. I knew as soon as it left the ground that something was bad. managed to get it on a downwind and it just rolled over to about 90degrees and headed for the dirt. I had zero control or response at this point.
Needless to say, my plane is now trashed, the battery is okay, fan is okay, my ego is badly bruised and my wallet hasnt recovered either. Any ideas on if this is replacable by HL? I would like to try this aircraft again, but I am not sure how to go about it. And after reading this thread a day late and $256 short, I would be greatly appreciative of any info that may help me get a replacement.
Does this fall into the "returns" category or do they just send you a replacement? PLEASE HELP!!!

Hawaiian Flyin · Sep 26, 2008, 11:45 PM

I'm not going to fly this thing until I change the esc. Tower Hobbies has the electrifly 45amp for $59.99 plus shipping. Probably order one unless anybody knows of a better deal. Here's whats left of my F5 after it's second flight

Philld · Sep 27, 2008, 03:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CRELLITT0302

I wish I would have found this thread prior to my maiden flight today. I got my HL f-16, built and took it to the local not-so-busy airport and met up with a few other local RCers. they liked it as much as I did.
Preflight checks looked and worked great. Engine vibrations were very very bad. Taxi out and line up were problem free. Pushed the thrust lever full forward and started heading down the runway, and nice smooth rotation. Flew it around the pattern once and brought it in for a landing. It was as nice as the landings I do at my job. Turned it around and lined up for a second go, and just as the nose was coming up, it went straight up without my consent/control. I rolled it over into a steep bank to kill some of the lift and get a level attitude, which only worked momentarily. Reduced the thrust so that it would not climb straight up, but rather just slow flight. I knew as soon as it left the ground that something was bad. managed to get it on a downwind and it just rolled over to about 90degrees and headed for the dirt. I had zero control or response at this point.
Needless to say, my plane is now trashed, the battery is okay, fan is okay, my ego is badly bruised and my wallet hasnt recovered either. Any ideas on if this is replacable by HL? I would like to try this aircraft again, but I am not sure how to go about it. And after reading this thread a day late and $256 short, I would be greatly appreciative of any info that may help me get a replacement.
Does this fall into the "returns" category or do they just send you a replacement? PLEASE HELP!!!

Wow this story sounds toooo familiar. It appears that they are out of stock on the F16's until November! I'd surely give them a call anyhow and maybe get a raincheck on a replacement or choose something similar (dont think they have many 70mm though.) No doubt this ESC is a known issue at this point.

tshero · Sep 27, 2008, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hawaiian Flyin

I have a Kyosho F 16 that I fly and it flies great. I balanced it upright so I guess thats how I would balance this one.

Okay, one more question on CG. Want to make sure I get it right.
Seeing as it's tough to figure where the fuse ends and the wing start should I measure at the seam?

Flyboone · Sep 27, 2008, 09:07 PM

Hey guys,
I wanted to chime in here and let you know that we're listening. We did not experience any problems on our test models before we made our first order. I have both an F4 and F16 now from the production run. The F4 works great. The F16 has an occasional momentary loss of motor power when flying. It does not lose power to the servos and it only happens for a fraction of second. We took some video of this to send to the factory. I don't think it is a problem common to all the planes. I've seen too many of them work great to say that the power system is wrong. At the E-Jets event last weekend, we raffled off an F4 and the guy who won it, put it together within an hour and was flying! There were many of the 70mm fan sized planes flying at that show that did not have a single ESC issue. It could be bad batch of ESC's or BEC's that are causing these issues. Rest assured, that we will figure out what's going on and get it fixed. Thanks for all your support and feedback. Keep it coming.

Jason Cole
Hobby-Lobby

Hawaiian Flyin · Sep 27, 2008, 10:11 PM

Well I decided that since I had the esc from my crashed F5 I would swap it out with the one that came with the F16 to see if it would make any difference. Fired it up and did some ground checks at full throttle and guess what? No glithches at all! So I'm sure that the esc that came with the F16 is the problem. I did have to extend the battery wire and add a extension to the receiver since the ones from the F5 esc were about 4 inches shorter. Still not sure if I want to try flying the F16 since both planes came from the same manufacturer. Although the F5 esc had a differnt color heat shrink so it may be from a different manufacturer. Keep everybody posted if I get brave enough to chance it

ARF Guy · Sep 28, 2008, 04:21 PM

I've grounded my plane. The glitch occurs when any of the functions using 2 servos is used. Rudder/steering does not cause the glitch, just elevator or aileron. My motor glitches violently like it's trying to reverse. Running it wide open WITHOUT moving any controls is smooth and powerful. Hobby Lobby has assured me they are working on the problem. It's smart business to take care of their customers. They will make it right, guys!

Hawaiian Flyin · Sep 28, 2008, 05:13 PM

I tried a few more tests today with the esc from the F5. Walked approximately 150 feet away and applied full throttle with the plane secured. Operated all control surfaces simultaneously and never had any glitches. Will probably try it's maiden flight next week hopefully. Definitely the stock esc is a problem.

PlaneNuttz · Sep 28, 2008, 07:22 PM

Heres something to ponder gentlemen,

try wrapping the battery wire leads and motor leads in a few layers of aluminum foil. this will provide sheilding and more then likely eliminate the glitching. Or go 2.4 ghz. As the esc heats so do the wires which could cause interference. shielding will help. have used this method for years from a edf parkjet designer long before 2.4 was around.

fh64_lucky · Sep 28, 2008, 07:53 PM

To mask a problem is not the best thing to do.I run all my ESCs in my EDFs and planes and never have glitch issues and I still run on good ole 72 mhz.
There just may be a bad batch of these ESCs.It happens,HL will have there hands full for a lil while getting this all sorted out.

CRELLITT0302 · Sep 28, 2008, 11:24 PM

I am certain this airplane could have been a blast, but my experience with the glitching/defect was from lift off to dirt bite. I really hope they make it right. I am also curious what the normal procedure is for getting replacement/refund/different A/C? I was told early Sat that I should leave an email and they will get back to me. Is this sufficient to get the ball rolling?
I am also a little concerned about whether they will charge me to return ship...or ship a new one?
And last but not least, since they will not be getting anymore of the f-16's til Nov., I am wanting to just get a refund, as I am thinking about the exceed f-18. Any ideas or experiences in these areas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys.

Philld · Sep 28, 2008, 11:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PlaneNuttz

Heres something to ponder gentlemen,

try wrapping the battery wire leads and motor leads in a few layers of aluminum foil. this will provide sheilding and more then likely eliminate the glitching. Or go 2.4 ghz. As the esc heats so do the wires which could cause interference. shielding will help. have used this method for years from a edf parkjet designer long before 2.4 was around.

PN, I've had enough foil on this thing to start a barbaque. It reduced the glitching by approximately 25%. I replaced the ESC and the issue has been resolved. Unfortunately the she looks like frankenstein with all of the epoxy over the damage from my initial flight attempt.

tshero · Sep 29, 2008, 08:15 AM

I can not believe all the problems that we are having with this jet. Then again, seems there are always quality issues with hobby items made overseas. Before getting into RC planes I gave digital slot cars a shot. Paid big $$ for the track, and then a ton more for all the add ons and such. Same problems there though, cars that would not run, cars and items arriving broken from the factory and so on. Customer support was excellent, but let's face it, you spend your hard earned money and want something to reflect that. Still though the companies here in the US selling these items make out because it's cheaper to buy 4 to get one good one then to have it made elsewhere.
Anyways, I have my jet just about finished up. Had to do a ton of work modding things as mentioned here in the threads plus other problems I encountered with my specific kit. Jet arrived with the back of the fuselage snapped so had to fix that, and of course the rubbing vibrating fan unit. With that all set my other problem was with the rudder. Gave up on that one and it is now locked in place so for now no rudder. Should be OK, unless anyone can say otherwise. Also coated the front of the nose cone with the new style white gorrilla glue, fast dry. Worked great and now it has some density to it. Just waiting for my ESC and UBEC to arrive and can get this thing buttoned up.
Putting a bunch of time into this one, hope it is not all for a lost cause.
Could anyone who has flown throw out the numbers you are using for D/R, expo and throws?? Would be appreciated greatly.

AtTheMet · Sep 29, 2008, 11:43 AM

I'd like to hear from you guys to know if your CG is measured using the wing tanks or not. I decided to get cute and installed them Friday night. On the first flight Saturday morning with the newly installed tanks, the thing came off the deck and then proceeded to go almost straight up. A quick full elevator forward got me back on track, as I was already at full throttle. Once up to full speed, she flew OK, but as soon as I backed off the throttle, the nose wanted to drift up. Needless to say, once I had landed, the wing tanks were introduced to Mr. Xacto.

They were apparently adding lift and drag.

I use 2.4 gHz, with LOW/HI throws set at

Elev = 55/100 max thro 115 expo +50%
Ailrn = 40/85 max thro 100 expo +50%

Sep 26, 2008, 11:45 PM	#63
Hawaiian Flyin Registered User Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Maui, Hawaii Posts: 75	I'm not going to fly this thing until I change the esc. Tower Hobbies has the electrifly 45amp for $59.99 plus shipping. Probably order one unless anybody knows of a better deal. Here's whats left of my F5 after it's second flight Attached Thumbnails Swiss F5 wreckage! 60.8 KB · Views: 96 Last edited by Hawaiian Flyin; Sep 27, 2008 at 01:57 AM.

Sep 27, 2008, 10:11 PM	#67
Hawaiian Flyin Registered User Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Maui, Hawaii Posts: 75	Well I decided that since I had the esc from my crashed F5 I would swap it out with the one that came with the F16 to see if it would make any difference. Fired it up and did some ground checks at full throttle and guess what? No glithches at all! So I'm sure that the esc that came with the F16 is the problem. I did have to extend the battery wire and add a extension to the receiver since the ones from the F5 esc were about 4 inches shorter. Still not sure if I want to try flying the F16 since both planes came from the same manufacturer. Although the F5 esc had a differnt color heat shrink so it may be from a different manufacturer. Keep everybody posted if I get brave enough to chance it Last edited by Hawaiian Flyin; Sep 28, 2008 at 12:02 AM.

Sep 29, 2008, 11:43 AM	#75
AtTheMet Dangerous with CA Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: B'ham, AL Posts: 92	Using the Wing Tanks I'd like to hear from you guys to know if your CG is measured using the wing tanks or not. I decided to get cute and installed them Friday night. On the first flight Saturday morning with the newly installed tanks, the thing came off the deck and then proceeded to go almost straight up. A quick full elevator forward got me back on track, as I was already at full throttle. Once up to full speed, she flew OK, but as soon as I backed off the throttle, the nose wanted to drift up. Needless to say, once I had landed, the wing tanks were introduced to Mr. Xacto. They were apparently adding lift and drag. I use 2.4 gHz, with LOW/HI throws set at Elev = 55/100 max thro 115 expo +50% Ailrn = 40/85 max thro 100 expo +50%

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Sep 26, 2008, 10:16 PM	#62
CRELLITT0302 Registered User Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 33	I wish I would have found this thread prior to my maiden flight today. I got my HL f-16, built and took it to the local not-so-busy airport and met up with a few other local RCers. they liked it as much as I did. Preflight checks looked and worked great. Engine vibrations were very very bad. Taxi out and line up were problem free. Pushed the thrust lever full forward and started heading down the runway, and nice smooth rotation. Flew it around the pattern once and brought it in for a landing. It was as nice as the landings I do at my job. Turned it around and lined up for a second go, and just as the nose was coming up, it went straight up without my consent/control. I rolled it over into a steep bank to kill some of the lift and get a level attitude, which only worked momentarily. Reduced the thrust so that it would not climb straight up, but rather just slow flight. I knew as soon as it left the ground that something was bad. managed to get it on a downwind and it just rolled over to about 90degrees and headed for the dirt. I had zero control or response at this point. Needless to say, my plane is now trashed, the battery is okay, fan is okay, my ego is badly bruised and my wallet hasnt recovered either. Any ideas on if this is replacable by HL? I would like to try this aircraft again, but I am not sure how to go about it. And after reading this thread a day late and $256 short, I would be greatly appreciative of any info that may help me get a replacement. Does this fall into the "returns" category or do they just send you a replacement? PLEASE HELP!!!

Sep 27, 2008, 09:07 PM	#66
Flyboone https://twitter.com/flyboone Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Nashville,TN Posts: 1,551	Hey guys, I wanted to chime in here and let you know that we're listening. We did not experience any problems on our test models before we made our first order. I have both an F4 and F16 now from the production run. The F4 works great. The F16 has an occasional momentary loss of motor power when flying. It does not lose power to the servos and it only happens for a fraction of second. We took some video of this to send to the factory. I don't think it is a problem common to all the planes. I've seen too many of them work great to say that the power system is wrong. At the E-Jets event last weekend, we raffled off an F4 and the guy who won it, put it together within an hour and was flying! There were many of the 70mm fan sized planes flying at that show that did not have a single ESC issue. It could be bad batch of ESC's or BEC's that are causing these issues. Rest assured, that we will figure out what's going on and get it fixed. Thanks for all your support and feedback. Keep it coming. Jason Cole Hobby-Lobby

Sep 28, 2008, 04:21 PM	#68
ARF Guy ARF Guy Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 31	I've grounded my plane. The glitch occurs when any of the functions using 2 servos is used. Rudder/steering does not cause the glitch, just elevator or aileron. My motor glitches violently like it's trying to reverse. Running it wide open WITHOUT moving any controls is smooth and powerful. Hobby Lobby has assured me they are working on the problem. It's smart business to take care of their customers. They will make it right, guys!

Sep 28, 2008, 05:13 PM	#69
Hawaiian Flyin Registered User Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Maui, Hawaii Posts: 75	I tried a few more tests today with the esc from the F5. Walked approximately 150 feet away and applied full throttle with the plane secured. Operated all control surfaces simultaneously and never had any glitches. Will probably try it's maiden flight next week hopefully. Definitely the stock esc is a problem.

Sep 28, 2008, 07:22 PM	#70
PlaneNuttz LARKS Lexington RC FLYERS Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 109	Heres something to ponder gentlemen, try wrapping the battery wire leads and motor leads in a few layers of aluminum foil. this will provide sheilding and more then likely eliminate the glitching. Or go 2.4 ghz. As the esc heats so do the wires which could cause interference. shielding will help. have used this method for years from a edf parkjet designer long before 2.4 was around.

Sep 28, 2008, 07:53 PM	#71
fh64_lucky Hey ya'll,watch this! Join Date: May 2005 Location: Lewisville,Tx Go Farmers!!! Posts: 1,717	To mask a problem is not the best thing to do.I run all my ESCs in my EDFs and planes and never have glitch issues and I still run on good ole 72 mhz. There just may be a bad batch of these ESCs.It happens,HL will have there hands full for a lil while getting this all sorted out.

Sep 28, 2008, 11:24 PM	#72
CRELLITT0302 Registered User Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 33	I am certain this airplane could have been a blast, but my experience with the glitching/defect was from lift off to dirt bite. I really hope they make it right. I am also curious what the normal procedure is for getting replacement/refund/different A/C? I was told early Sat that I should leave an email and they will get back to me. Is this sufficient to get the ball rolling? I am also a little concerned about whether they will charge me to return ship...or ship a new one? And last but not least, since they will not be getting anymore of the f-16's til Nov., I am wanting to just get a refund, as I am thinking about the exceed f-18. Any ideas or experiences in these areas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys.

Sep 29, 2008, 08:15 AM	#74
tshero Never Satisfied!! Join Date: May 2008 Location: Scottsville, NY Posts: 488	I can not believe all the problems that we are having with this jet. Then again, seems there are always quality issues with hobby items made overseas. Before getting into RC planes I gave digital slot cars a shot. Paid big $$ for the track, and then a ton more for all the add ons and such. Same problems there though, cars that would not run, cars and items arriving broken from the factory and so on. Customer support was excellent, but let's face it, you spend your hard earned money and want something to reflect that. Still though the companies here in the US selling these items make out because it's cheaper to buy 4 to get one good one then to have it made elsewhere. Anyways, I have my jet just about finished up. Had to do a ton of work modding things as mentioned here in the threads plus other problems I encountered with my specific kit. Jet arrived with the back of the fuselage snapped so had to fix that, and of course the rubbing vibrating fan unit. With that all set my other problem was with the rudder. Gave up on that one and it is now locked in place so for now no rudder. Should be OK, unless anyone can say otherwise. Also coated the front of the nose cone with the new style white gorrilla glue, fast dry. Worked great and now it has some density to it. Just waiting for my ESC and UBEC to arrive and can get this thing buttoned up. Putting a bunch of time into this one, hope it is not all for a lost cause. Could anyone who has flown throw out the numbers you are using for D/R, expo and throws?? Would be appreciated greatly.