Having said all that / this is my favorite T45 / Hawk model. The weight gives it a scale like feel and mine is relatively fast as I installed the inrunner motor with 12 blade EDF upgrade way back. It does draw some amps but it’s worth it IMO.

Thanks fred. Will look at the online manual.

Originally Posted by fredmdbud

The size and detail parts make it heavy. It is not a rocket at 6S, some people have upgraded to 8S for more speed. The stock ESC is 130A, so yes, it does draw a lot of current. Its high battery drain and relatively short flight times have often been commented on here. This is not a plane to fly 100% throttle all the time. And because of the weight, the stall speed is higher accordingly. If the wings start rocking, you are approaching stall speed.

^ This sums it up perfectly. While I enjoy the way the plane looks (on the ground and in the air), it's definitely power hungry. I'm disappointed in the flight time to say the least. My timer is set at 2:30. I've tried to increase that with throttle management, but it's not stable at all if you slow it down.

Originally Posted by sthudson

^ This sums it up perfectly. While I enjoy the way the plane looks (on the ground and in the air), it's definitely power hungry. I'm disappointed in the flight time to say the least. My timer is set at 2:30. I've tried to increase that with throttle management, but it's not stable at all if you slow it down.

Sorry to see that its not making your cut. How many flights have you had on yours? Mine has over 150 flights for sure - I stopped counting. I love this model, perhaps its the mods I have done with the power system. One can always use the latest 9 blade FW 90mm EDF setup as I think its more powerful and efficient as compared to the older units that come with this model.

Got to maiden my jet this last Sunday evening, wow this thing tracked very well like if it had a gyro. Gave it 2 minutes for the first flight on a 5500 Lipo. Track well in landing configuration, but I landed in the grass next to the runway. It pulled all 3 gear out, including part of the top of a wing.
Now I need 3 new gear servos. Looking forward to exploring this jets fast side, and aerobatics.

With 2600 watts, I'm hoping it's faster than the stinger, f15.

I'm only new in this thread so please excuse if I have missed something.

From the pages that I have read, it seems like this plane looks awesome, flies well but it is using the same battery as you would use in a 80 mm EDF like an Avanti.

On my Freewing Avanti, I set my timer at 4:30 with a 6200 6S.

From what I read on this thread, it seems this aircraft is much heavier and has a lot more drag and most people seem to be setting their timer at only 2:30.

As much as I love the look of this plane, I can't justify spending that much money for 150 second flight times.

Am I right in saying this is to be a big problem with 90 mm jets?

Is there a solution to give say 4:30 minute flights? Has anybody experimented with higher capacity 6S batteries? Would this plane carry the extra weight?

Considering the fact that this plane is quite a lot bigger and heavier than the Avanti, you would think that it should carry a larger capacity battery?

I noticed several people have put in high voltage setups but their battery capacity in Watts has been no greater in fact 2 x 4400 4S is less Watts (130) than 1 x 6s 6200 (138).

One big difference with 8s versus 6s of course is the lower amps however I am more after flight time than flying WOT.

I would love to buy this plane but really want longer flight times without turning the thing into an overweight nightmare.

With a little throttle management, I am getting 3 minute flights on 5000 6s batteries.

I have never experienced the wing waggle or any instability at lower speeds except once or twice on approach where it was going really slow (too slow)

Mine takes off nicely off pavement with no flaps at all, but I usually use half flaps. I flew mine for a long time with the LE flaps disabled and it seemed to make nearly zero difference in handling.

It is groovier with speed, to be sure, but I would not call it unstable at lower speeds.

Originally Posted by Thomas B

With a little throttle management, I am getting 3 minute flights on 5000 6s batteries.

I have never experienced the wing waggle or any instability at lower speeds except once or twice on approach where it was going really slow (too slow)

Mine takes off nicely off pavement with no flaps at all, but I usually use half flaps. I flew mine for a long time with the LE flaps disabled and it seemed to make nearly zero difference in handling.

It is groovier with speed, to be sure, but I would not call it unstable at lower speeds.

Thanks Thomas, what I really want to find out before I pull the trigger is, is there any way of getting flight times that are a minimum 4:30

I.e. any EDF battery combination that does not make the plane too heavy.

I appreciate throttle management is an absolute must and I alway use a lot of throttle management when I fly.

Minimum 4m30s flight times?

You don't want EDFs (at least not this T-45), you want prop planes

Originally Posted by fredmdbud

Minimum 4m30s flight times?

You don't want EDFs (at least not this T-45), you want prop planes

My Freewing Avanti with over 300 flights has the timer set at 4:30

Thats with a 6s 6200 zippy compact.

Originally Posted by Tronn

My Freewing Avanti with over 300 flights has the timer set at 4:30

Thats with a 6s 6200 zippy compact.

But the Avanti doesn't weigh as much as this Goshawk - 2.6kg vs 3.6kg.

Originally Posted by fredmdbud

But the Avanti doesn't weigh as much as this Goshawk - 2.6kg vs 3.6kg.

That's my point.

Why does it have the same battery recommended as the 80mm Avanti when it is a lot heavier?

Has anybody tested it with a larger capacity battery i.e 8000mah?

Originally Posted by Tronn

That's my point.

Why does it have the same battery recommended as the 80mm Avanti when it is a lot heavier?

Has anybody tested it with a larger capacity battery i.e 8000mah?

Larger capacity = more weight. No real increase in flight time because of the additional required power to keep it in the air. And you also start straining the foam fuselage and wings.

I've never heard of anyone having more than 4 minutes of flight time without low-voltage cut-off and/or puffing the battery.

Originally Posted by fredmdbud

Larger capacity = more weight. No real increase in flight time because of the additional required power to keep it in the air. And you also start straining the foam fuselage and wings.

I've never heard of anyone having more than 4 minutes of flight time without low-voltage cut-off and/or puffing the battery.

As a full-size pilot I can assure you that if you carry more fuel (weight) you can stay in the air longer.

As for straining the airframe, that all depends on the maneuvers / g forces you ask it to do.

Flying scale aerobatics (less than 5g) should not overload it.

There becomes a point though where any aircraft becomes a pig if the wing loading gets too high and that is my question. Has anybody tested the plane with a higher capacity / heavier battery?