Aloha Flyer

Aloha:
Just invested in what seems to be a sweet deal! FOR $84.99

Venom Micro Jet - F-18


Venoms Almost-Ready-to-Fly (ARF) Electric Ducted Fan (EDF) Micro Jets are available in eight unique airframes and feature a pre-installed 50mm Ducted Fan, a 4200kV brushless motor, 20 amp Electronic Speed Control (ESC) and all control surface servos. EPO foam construction makes these models strong, light, and easy to repair in the event of a mishap. Full color water transfer decals come pre-applied and add to the scale realism without adding any work. Accessing the included 3-cell Lithium Polymer battery is simple through a magnetically secured clear cockpit hatch in the fuselage. Flight times are 5-7 minutes. Simply install your own 3+ channel micro aircraft receiver and program your transmitter, all in the time it takes to charge the battery. Charger not included.

Specification:
Length: 27 in (688mm)
Wingspan: 18.75 in (475mm)
Flying Weight: 11.8oz (335g)
Motor: 4200kv Brushless Outrunner
Fan: 50mm EDF
ESC: 20 Amp
Battery: 3S 950mah 11.1V LiPO
Radio: 3+ channel

Just purchased the F-18 today. There are 8 different models in total:
1. F-18
2. V-16
3. F-86 Sabre
4. L-39
5. T-45
6. MiG-15
7. A4-F
8. T-33

Does anyone know what I just got myself into?

Wheelnut

My Feedback: (81)

Not a bad deal, you should have fun with it. Here is a slightly larger one for a little less.
http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbyking/s...dProduct=10359

Wheelnut

My Feedback: (81)

Found a mini for $59.99

http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbyking/s...dProduct=12661

Aloha Flyer

Hey Wheelnut, you found some good prices!

I struggled hard on those prices esp when shipping still left a $35 GAP! I did notice that if you read the HK reviews many had complaints about inconsistant quality issues upon arrival. For instance, some complained about missing parts, poor fit, and lacking paint jobs. Could it be that HK gets the cheaper less than perfect ones off the press for the cheaper price? The HK version also comes with a smaller Lipo...why? It reminds me of the difference in quality between the $99 Phase-3 F-16 kit RTF and the cheaper $49 airframe ONLY kit. The RTF had a reinforced covered wing and tail while the Airframe ONLY had bare and sometimes broken foam (my Rt Tail was broken). The RTF had a functional canopy while the Airframe ONLY needed assembly. I'll bite the bullet with Venom and hope for a consistant quality build for the extra cost.

Wheelnut

My Feedback: (81)

I have bought many planes, lipos, servos, escs and so on from them with never a problem. Some people just like to complain. It could also be competitors complaining trying to bring down the ratings

Don't forget, it's all made in China anyway.

Aloha Flyer

You are so right about that!.....

A Venom representative called me yesterday and verified it was a JPower model. He mentioned that he personally went through the first 6 looking for imperfections and couldn't find any. We talked about it's overall performance since he flew them. It was a nice conversation. Funny how the steam dissipates from your ear even though you paid MORE just if you get a little attention. In the end, they shipped it the day after I ordered it and it should be here Wed or Thur. Will let you know.

Wheelnut

My Feedback: (81)

The F-18 should be SWEET! get a vid for us

I wanted a jet, but didn't feel my flying skills was up to the job. So I got a learner jet. The Skyfun jet from hobbycity.

Here is a pic. It flew very nice, but wasn't as fast as I wanted so I just got an upgraded motor and esc from hobbycity as well. Will install and test the next nice day I get, which will probably be next spring

http://www.vimeo.com/17104510

Saburo Sakai

Intrigued by these "baby jets". What's the latest word, Aloha?

joshburns7

My Feedback: (1)

I picked up the F-86 a few months ago. The little guy flys great. I had to modify a few things though. The canopy will not close with the battery installed so I had to remove the canopy floor. The cg was way aft and there was no more room to move the battery forward so, sorry to say, I had to add a little bit of weight to the nose. The last step is I replaced the single aileron servo for independent servos in the wing. The supplied battery lasted two flights, but I bought a few 850mah 3cells that are holding up well. The flight times are a short 2 1/2 minutes. The jet is by no means fast and it helps on take off launch to have a little wind in your face. In all I have to say it's a fun plane and I may buy the T-33. This will be hard for some to believe, but I was flying my little F-86 on a day just a bit to windy and while making my base leg to final turn a gust pushed the plane striaght down into the wind sock. I couldn't have made this up if I tried. Everything went back together and I flew it again a few days later.

ARF Guy

Hobby Partz (hobbypartz.com) offers a 1000 mah 30C 3s lipo that fits in the F-86 and I assume other models. You have to change the connectors but I have quite a few flites and the 30C seems to be noticable.

52Sabre

arf guy, I like your pics and what you've down with your jet. Just got one of these from BH and my question is: how accurate is that 107mm CG? The manual states 107mm apparently back from the leading edge of the wing at the fuselage but the pic is confusing as they don't show it going back that far. explain?

ARF Guy

The picture in the instructions shows where I balanced it. 107mm is quite a bit further back and would put the GC so far back the plane wouldn't be flyable. Mine didn't need any weight to balance where the picture shows with the battery on board.

Have learned that the plane is so light that with landing gear, I must carry power to where I flair or the plane slows and drops making bouncy landing. If I carry the throttle to the ground I can get the most scale-looking nose-high landings. It's a narrow speed window, though, because a little too fast and it balloons right back up, too slow and it lands nose wheel first and bounces.

It flys really well for a small plane and is louder than my Nitro Model 70MM fan F-16.

52Sabre

Looking at the manual pic and grabbing my calipers, sounds like you've got CG at around 58mm (2.28"). That's half the 107mm specified. Flys good, eh? Maybe your gear addition moved the cg?

Aircraftfreak15

josh was it impailed on the post for the wind sock?

ARF Guy

"Maybe your gear addition moved the cg?"

No, still balances at that point and seems perfect in the air. The gear weighs nearly nothing. The elevator is dead center on the horizontal needing no up or down trim, does not climb or dive with varying power settings and has no tendency to tip stall. You could look for manuals on other F-86 models such as from Hobby Lobby and see if they show the CG. I would guess it wouldn't matter the size of the plane, the CG is the CG of that airframe. Got to be careful with sweptback wing planes but most folks usually have them too nose heavy and they won't rotate or fly without a bunch of up trim.

The ONLY bad trait I've found is that the plane is so light that shutting off the motor on landing will effectively slow the plane too much and it stops flying. I trim an "idle" into all my EDF's so I don't have an "air brake" throttling back to land. With other planes in the air, I can't always hear mine at low throttle. Most of the foam EDF jets from Nito, Hobby Lobby, etc. are such light planes that they really do fly well and will slow down to trainer speeds for landing. You just have to remember there is no prop up front creating an airflow across control surfaces.

ARF Guy

How much was that $59 plane with shipping?

ARF Guy

The owner of our local hobby shop put the micro GWS retracts in the L-39. Used a Dremmel tool with the stone grinding wheel to make the cuts for the retracted gear. They worked perfectly and looks really neat with the gear all tucked in. To save weight his nose wheel doesn't steer.

52Sabre

Very good my friend. thank you for the information. Perhaps you can direct me to where I can find more detailed info about your landing gear install. parts, prices, etc would be helpful as well. very nice jet. And the L-39 w/retracts is very cool. Would they work on our Sabres?

My plane from BH was $79. I ordered it with 4ch 2.4ghz xmtr & rcvr. xtra li-po battery, xmtr batteries and neck strap plus some epoxy glue. shipping was $17.78 all told. Took a week and a half. Thought about flying with my hardly used 17 year old programmable Futaba system but this newer 2.4 ghz system was so cheap (only $25 extra) I thought I'd give it a try.

Incidentally our airplane was in production when I was born. Just watched (netflix instant play) the 1953 film "Sabre Jet" with Robert Stack. Nice footage of shooting stars and sabres. I've got the Mcconnell story on the way. I'm waiting for nicer weather (spring time) here in Michigan before I commit to an initial sortie.

T.E. Bair USAF (retired)

52Sabre

Just put 1 oz. (28g) of tape weight under nose of aircraft. Looks to be balanced pretty good now. This jives with what another guy did only he cut a 1/2" wide slot inside top of nose and epoxied them in.

ARF Guy

My gear is just old park flier parts and tail wheels from departed aircraft. The plastic plates for the mains are from a GWS P-40 and I just looked at pictures on line of Sabres to approximiate the locations. The nose wheel uses a ball point pen barrel cut to less than an inch long with end caps on BOTH openings drilled for the wire and small aluminum wheel collars holding the wire in. A servo control arm is epoxied to the lower collar. I re-enforced the nose wheel mounting area inside and out with a layer of thin clear plastic from packaging material used to retail many ordinary products (in this case a "card" of ink cartriges for my printer) expoxied on the bottom and inside the intake, then drilled to the pen barrel size. The pictures I posted show it. Don't think the Saber's wing is thick enough for the retracts and the nose wheel servo would have to go in the intake area.

If you add gear, be sure to work on that landing speed and flair. Don't want to stub the nose gear first or it will bounce like a rubber ball!

I've seen Sabres fly at the Chino Flight of Fame in California several times and as a 10 year old, we had one crash on a farm less than a mile from our home.

ARF Guy

Oh and always use 2.4 radios for small electronically "noisey" planes.

52Sabre

Sounds like you have a very ingenious setup for your gear. kudos.

Seeing that Sabre crash as a young-un must have been quite exciting and memorable. Hope the pilot was ok.

You need to update your profile to show the Sabre.

My brother is in Glendale, Az.. My nephew is in Tucson and works for Raytheon.

cheers!

ARF Guy

I just saw the aftermath of the crash, the crater, debris and some fire. Missed the farm house but parts did hit it. The pilot bailed safely.

Flew the F86 and my F-16 again today. Perfect morning here and was warmer than the last few days.

ARF Guy

OK, back by popular demand, Venom Micro T-33 WITH landing gear! Same method as I outlined earlier with the Sabre but I used an aluminum tube instead of a ball-point pen barrel. Added an $8 servo for steering. Works great! Maiden flight this morning needed up trim and some expo to tone down the ailerons while leaving enough throw for rolls. Decent landing attributed to F-86 Sabre experience. 2nd flight in gusting wind. Those big wing tanks catch the wind but easily controled. 2nd landing good in spite of wind. Have flown fuel and electrics since the 70's and these little jets are fast becoming my favorite planes! Cheap fun! Hobby Partz has 1000 mah 30c batteries that fit in these planes for about $9.50 each and NO shipping charges!! Both Venom planes and my radio are from my local hobby shop, Valley Hobby in Prescott Valley, AZ, a family owned/run shop and EVERYONE in the family is an accomplished RC pilot!