Hi Al

2 days on the build....lol makes my turn around times seem even longer...It great to see FEJ are listening to their customers and improving, looks to be a good model.

I like the install although those cockpits do look bad, wouldn't it be better to lower the trays for a proper cockpit? I know you said space was good with the poor cockpits but wouldnt that be a price worth paying? The factory seem to have pre installed a lot, could they not pre install a proper size cockpit into the canopy frame? I know some wont be fussed but for me it puts me off... I know i'm fussy though... Ive been suggesting to Skymaster for years to paint the inside of the models as an option but they never seem that interested in my feedback so I gave up trying... I'd love that as an option along with some proper cockpits for their models. Ive not built one model where the customer has not gone with the option of internal paint.

Cheers, Alex

Hey Ali, did you weigh the Hawk yet?

Thanks Ali for the build thread. I was in line for a skygate Hawk and decided to cancel it for a L39 . However I still have a desire to have a Hawk. I live in Toronto Canada and I was wondering if you could give me the contact for this gentleman so I can order the same one as you have .

Thanks Peter Woo

Hey Peter.

Try James Chen at [email protected]. You can also contact Lowell Wexler.

[8D]

Thanks I will email James today..

That's who I ordered my Hawk through.

Excellent gentleman to deal with.

My dice for FEJ tops them all. Five out of six is good![8D]

Hey Ali,
If the manual has 38 or so pages, that would have been my Manual I wrote for FEJ a few years ago Glad some folks are using it. I have sent it to several that was aware I did one. A few things have changed but it's still pretty close...just finished and delivered one for a friend in Louisiana.

Rex

Ali:

Very good job on your building thread. 2 days building and finishing it. That is really fast, especially it is so neat and professional. Well done.

Company is coming out another bigger Hawk soon. It is 3 meters size (about 120" long"). More details will be added to the large Hawk with options.

I Will keep you guys update.

Thanks
James

Rex:

That is the one you wrote. very nice and professional. Thank you so much.

Please do another one for me, LOL.

James

A new hawk drom fej 1/3.5? let me put my radar in the tripod

One way would be to install the servo in the fin,but would need a small hole in fuze to tighten clamp,regards Keith

Pete,
I just delivered a brand new one...built with mechanical air system, K-180 Kingtech Turbine, A123 Fromeco Batteries (which are really heavy), D4S Scale Light system, CAT Large UAT...42.5 lbs. dry.

Rex

Thanks Peter. James and I are always available to help. My email is: [email protected]
Thanks again,
Lowell

HI Rex, thanks, but I need the weight out of the box. I weight all my jets before I start the build, that way, you are comparing, apples to apples, no BS.
It seems that guys that build FEJ's, should buy better scales. they seem to be always broken.
Rcpete

Sorry...thanks DAVID!!!

Lowell

Mario! Did you mean put your Gun in your Bullet?? Man that would be one frigging huge baby. Anyways, I have also made the plunge for the 1/4.5 scale and can't wait to get my hands on it. FEJ, keep up the good work...

rcpete, for what it's worth, my F-14 (honeycomb version) came out in the weight range I was quoted.

Thanks James. It really was a pleasure to build, and I am not the worlds fastest, or by any means the neatest builder so I guess most of the credit goes to the factory for making such a prefabricated jet that needs such little work to get it to the field.

I am so glad that you have lifted the lid on the news of the bigger hawk. I have been keen to tell people about it since we had our discussion at BITW. If the giant hawk can be like the big hawk, then thats one that I cant wait for. Needless to say, my order is confirmed please
Regards Al

Nothing other than my usual weight test of picking the model up when its ready and deciding what weight class of my own it falls into. My detailed analysis of the situation came up with the prognosis of Mmmmm not heavy, but not light
I will weigh it later tonight. Sorry Pete. I have never, ever weighed a plane before it's built. I am more interested in the flying weight than what it weighs in the box.

Hello Ali.
I have a question about your feeling about fly eagle jet Kit. If I don't make an error it's your second kit after the Big F16 and before the vampire.
Lot's of people are afraid by the quality of the fly eagle jet Kit. COuld you tel us more about your feeling about the kit? the weight of the kit? the strong of the different part?.
I'm interested about different kit of fly eagle jet but I'm afrid about what I read and what I listen about it.
Tell us your objective feeling.
Thanks a lot.
Best regards.
Fifou

Hi Fifou,
Of course you can ask, and this is a very important question. Before I start, let me get some things clear. yes, I am just about to start selling Fly Eagle jets, and yes I am working with them closer to try and improve the products if possible. Something that I have tried to do with any of the manufacturers that i work with. Some have been open to suggestions that I and others have put forwards, others not so. I am pleased to say most have been very willing to listen and improve, and I think its the feed back form normal flyers like me and you guys that makes the products improve as they have. I have been selling ARTF jets since the very early days of generation 1 Skymaster back in the day. I always try and keep an eye on the market and I have seen all the products from airframes, to turbines and even radio equipment improve so much. I remember a time when people were giving a certain ARTF supplier that I was working with so much criticism for their substandard gear and how it performed... yet today the same company sells ARTF jets with an undercarriage system that sets the industry standard.
I try and make it my policy to only sell items in my jet centre which I have first hand/ real life experience with. I know this is not always possible with every single item, but on the bigger stuff such as airframes and turbines I maker it a rule. Now a year ago I would not have gone near a Fly Eagle jet product. I guess like many. I had seen various examples of their jets that were not to a standard that I would except in my own jet. However, just recently I have saw what I thought to be a noticeable improvement in the quality of their newer products, and the closer I looked. The more it became clear that something had changed. Enough for me to take the plunge and get my first jet which was the F-16, and then soon after the Hawk. I am not going to sit here and tell you that either jet is perfect.. as they are not. Far from it! However. I do not know of any of the jets that I have ever owned or flown that is. Yes I am going to stick my next out and say that includes jets such as Ultra Bandits, Lightnings, Airworld hawks, skygate hawks... the list goes on. Name me one jet that I have owned ( and there have been a few) and I assure you I can find fault in them, and thats without mentioning the costs and build times involved. Oh and just to clarify the commercial interest... I am a dealer for pretty much all of the jets I fly so its not just a case of my pumping up one product as I sell it, and belittling another as I don't.
I guess the simple demonstration with the current hawk is the fact that I am more than proud to put it side by side any other hawk on he market today and feel confident enough that the good points in the FEJ weigh out weigh the bad, and that if you add all of the positives up and take away the negatives the end result would not be far apart/ any worse than any other hawk on the market today...

When I get time, I will try and do my usual list of bad points/ snags that I have had with the Hawk. I dont do these build/ assembly threads very often.. but when I do I make it a point not hide the bad points and just sugar coat it with the good aspects. I myself have bought toys based on overly bias build threads that I have read, which as it turned out came from someone with an agenda. Only to be disappointed with the fact that the product I received was nothing like what I saw or read about in the build thread.

This hawk I have was a kit that came from stock. In fact, it was on display in the factory showroom, so in no way was it a special that was made for me. I know this as I saw photos of it before I ordered, and the time it took to be shipped from the time I ordered meant there was no extra or "special" work that could have been done especially for me.

Sorry about that Fifou. A lot of writing before answering your questions.. I just wanted to try and make my position clear, and assure those reading it that I am not saying this just because I am trying to sell the product.

The Vampire will hopefully be my next plane. This will be interesting as its the first plane I have been involved with from an early stage as this. The F-16 I guess you can say I am a Beta customer, and with this in mind, I have been involved with testing new undercarriages and new wheels. The Vampire, I have already picked up on a number of points from the photos that I think can be improved ( All based around the aesthetic ( Look ) of the model. I have reported them back and straight away got acknowledgement that the factory would deal with them.. so lets see.

Weight... The F-16 feels and is really light for its size. The Hawk did not feel super light ( Especially the wings ) when I took it out of the boxes. Now its together it feels much more reasonable for a jet of its size. Based on that size and the fact that I have had quite a few hawks in the past. I would be looking for an ideal weight of this model dry to be around 18-19kg. Thats to replicate what I class a scale type of flying presence. I have owned a Skygate hawk which weighed 19Kg and I have also flown a much smaller hawk that was too heavily wing loaded. I did not enjoy either when in the air. To date, the best hawks I have ever flown was a Skygate that came in at 24Kg and my Skymaster which was 19Kg. Yes the super light weight large hawk was extremely easy to fly, and had a near non existent stall... but if I want to fly a fool proof jet trainer I take the Turbinator out to the field... I want a hawk to fly like a hawk!

Strength.
Thats always a tough one to answer. I guess you can only tell a model is strong enough right to the point a part fails. I am not a structural engineer, and even if I was.. how could I see inside the hawk to know if its strong enough? I have seen models fail that you would have sworn ( based on the manufacturer they came from and how they were built ) would never ever fail in flight, break up. Just like I have seen some of the cheapest artfs take more abuse than you would ever think. I gave my hawk a good old wiggle and tug of all the important parts, before and after each flight and all seemed secure. In fact the only part I was not happy with was that the elevator pivot blocks seemed to have loosened up on the bolts.. but that I will investigate tonight. Wings seemed to have little to no flex in them. I did some high speed stuff and a 3/4 power inverted circuit with a push negative to vertical. All of which caused no issues. For me. This is about as much as I would want to subject a hawk to. If I want to fly super fast and hard.. I take my Ultra flash out. Hawk is for smooth and scale flying.
Someone asked about the strength of the gear... This one I cant answer as yet. I have had five flights and all of them have been from very smooth surface and the plane is so easy to land that the gear has not really been put under any pressure as yet... I am sure I will in time. I can report that the gear mounts are super strong. Thick ply with carbon sandwich and plenty of glue used on the areas I can see.

I dont know what I can tell you to out your mind at ease. Also remember, all my findings are after the build and only one day at the field. I guess you would be better to listen to more experienced people such as Keith ( Jetmodeler ) I know he has many many more hours on this plane than me, and he is not " in the business" so his opinion you know comes from a regular guy who pays his money for a jet, so his advice is golden!

So far, I am sure you can tell I am more than happy with my FEJ experiences. I will be sure to update you and others as I go. I have no trouble answering any questions related to this and any other product I sell.
regards Al

Hey Rex,
Yep, it was your manual, and it was a massive help. Superbly written and put together. In a perfect world. Every jet would come with one

Regards Al

Hi Peter,
Sorry about missing your post . Every decent model fleet deserves a hawk I am sure James and the crew will get you on track. If I can be of any help. Just ask... Dont go working Graeme too hard now.. I need him for TG next year
Regards Al

Hello
As usual a perfect point of view from you Ali.
Thanks a lot for the informations I think after reading it I will buy fly eagle jet kit.
Thanks a lot.
Best regards.
Fifou