FT 3D - Speed Build Swappable

by FliteTest | June 26, 2013 | (45) Posted in Reviews


We wanted to be sure the FT 3D was the best it could be before we offered it in our web store as a speed build kit. 

 

The speed build kit and free build plans have been updated to feature key design characteristics based on the feedback from you and our own tests.

Arron Bates stopped by to review the final version of our speed build foam board swappable 3D airplane and to give us additional feedback.

A few examples of the updated FT 3D; we increased the size of the elevator and rudder, added a counter balance, decreased the size of the stabilizer, and decreased the size of the fin. 

The flaps have been chamfered to offer a full range of movement.


We also added optional VG's (vortex generators) to the wings.

These are only a few of the many improvements we've made to the FT 3D to maximize it's 3D flight characteristics and it's overall performance.  

If you are interested in scratch building your own FT 3D, the free build video and plans are available here

Josh was flying the GT2215 motor from LazerToys available in the Swappable power/electronics pack.

Arron is flying the Omega 72g Brushless Outrunner which offers much more power but also created more heat. 

So, we added a NACA duct to the foam board swappable!

We'd like to thank Arron Bates (of 3D HobbyShop) and our friends at Precision Aerobatics for their input, as well as the feedback we've recieved from viewers like you!

More photos and interaction in the forum post here

The laser cut speed build kit is available in our web store!
If you are interested in scratch building your own FT 3D, the build video and plans are available here. 

Electronics mentioned in this episode:

3D Hobby Shop: 
Omega 72g Brushless Outrunner 

LazerToyz: 
SWAPPABLE POWER/ELECTRONICS PACK "THE BEEF"
"THE BEEF" (Motor only)  GT2210/11 55G

 

 

- Find this article & others like it at www.FliteTest.com -

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COMMENTS

khattak on June 26, 2013
The new and improved version of the ft3d amazing
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liveyourdreamsRC on June 26, 2013
That looks really good guys! Like all the improvements made and also how you seek the professional help on these things you want to be the best they can be.
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casehatter on June 26, 2013
Love the Plane not much on the swappen stuff..!! but it's great to have one chasie and all the wings to go on it so ya'll go, and it fly's great ya'll knocked it outta tha park good job Bixler, yea all you guys looken good..!!
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Furiou5 on June 26, 2013
Plane flies and looks amazing. Great job Bixler.

Also Chad has a knack for finding property with an adjacent radio tower.
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AdamS on June 26, 2013
Arron is an amazing pilot! Awesome plane too.
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Good Kebo on June 26, 2013
New pad looks good, lots of space. New plane looks like it is going to be fun.
One improvement I think you could make on video quality would be to somehow filter the car, truck and traffic noise out, if possible.
Loved the aerial
shot looking down on the plane in hover.
Keep up the good work.
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gr1999 on June 26, 2013
Will it work with the powerpod for the spitifre?
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iimeme on June 26, 2013
Yes, they are "swappable" you might want to put a bigger motor, but that is up to you.
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gr1999 on June 27, 2013
Would a 1200kv motor work?

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AcBates on June 27, 2013
1200kv is fine, 50g-72g in weight and typical efficiency. The motor I preferred was 72g and 1100kv... at this power the plane was consistent through large loops and other maneuvers that required power, punching out of hovering, etc.
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Arunabha42 on June 27, 2013
Awesome! Will an NTM prop drive 1350kv work with this?
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AcBates on June 27, 2013
will also add, that we took the 72g Omega motor setup and swapped it into the Spitfire, and it was fantastic :)
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MikeI on June 27, 2013
Looks like Arron was excited about it this time.
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AcBates on June 27, 2013
it really is a fun plane to fly. when filming was wrapped up they asked what we wanted to do to entertain ourselves... I still had packs left so I said that was a silly question and continued to fly them out in the FT3D :)
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MikeI on June 28, 2013
Are you going to put high speed digital servos and carbon push rods in your own ones and try to get it to do the high speed maneuvers. I am assuming the guys gave you a couple to experiment with. You are so awesome flying, and you have really helped open up 3D to lots of people with your help to Flitetest!
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AcBates on July 1, 2013
I do want to try some quicker servos, but I don't think it needs carbon. I was thinking of making a lighter version, but I really like how it handles as it is... it feels and moves like a larger balsa plane, perfect to transition up to larger 3D models.

Thanks for the kind words! hope you enjoy the FT3D!

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Hansi on June 28, 2013
FANATASTIC!!
Just checking if you could update the .pdf plans to incorporate the changes to the tail and also the shape and position of the VG's. I couldn't find the updates anywhere.
Thanks so much
Hansi
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AcBates on June 28, 2013
maybe they were only just updated, but the free plans have the modifications as I see them at the moment...
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Hansi on June 30, 2013
Yes, its updated now.
Thanks so much
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Hansi on June 30, 2013
Actually the FULL and TILED plans are updated, but after all the pictures in the build thread there are three PDFs (fuselage,wing and tail) which need to be updated.
Something for Chad;)
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simonvedvik on June 29, 2013
That look so nice, i really want this one :)
The links are wrong, the beef pack and only the motor need to be switched...
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Willsonman on June 29, 2013
For the NACA ducts you could get these for a more finished look:
http://parkflyerplastics.com/cart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=44&products_id=278
I've used many of his parts and they are exceptional. They should look to him to source canopies for the Spit and Cruiser. Make him a mold and he will for it for you. His book is a treasure as well.
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Hansi on June 30, 2013
@AcBates:
It turns out that I have a little bit of negative decalage in wing. Leading edge is about say 7mm lower than the trailing edge. I guess I wasn't paying attention to everything while trying to glue the wing in. Can I improve this error by adding some down thrust or should I revamp the rear stabilizer to match? Or both?
Thanks in advance for your wisdom;)
Hansi
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AcBates on July 1, 2013
can try adding a little bit of down-thrust... elevator will be flying with some up-trim. The plane should harrier and roll just fine... but most likely wont have the nice coupling characteristics for knife edge practice though.

if you want knife edge flight, I would try and correct the wing (or just build another one ;) ). If you get a box cutter (the long blades with snap-off sections), a fresh blade, push the blade out as far as it will go... you should be able to flex the blade to lay it flat against the fuselage and cut the wing root from the fuselage. only cut to the wing spar, not all the way off... just enough so you can twist the wing to reglue it with the right attack angle. then cover up anything visible of the repair with stickers :) ...I can't say that I've done this exact procedure myself on an FT3D, but the long flexy blade trick is great for such times you need to cut flat against a surface.
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Hansi on July 2, 2013
Thanks so much for the reply. That's a great and fast fix. I was envisioning having to pull the whole wing...the work for me is in keeping the finish, I have it all finished in colored packaging tape;) Ok, I will try it with some down thrust and trim it out. When I get into KE, I will look at the wing.
Thanks for the great help
Hansi
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Hansi on July 7, 2013
The down thrust did a lot for me. Much more stable now. Just have to move my CG back a bit, since it was pulling out way too fast in the dive test.
Thanks for all the input.
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agvr35 on July 1, 2013
awesome! I have been waiting such a long time! going to build this tommorow
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miguel9712 on July 3, 2013
What prop are you using with the updated one?
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Meradin on July 6, 2013
I am so excited to put this plane together! Just got my two kits on Friday. I am a bit concerned with the motor however. My biggest ear with the swappables was that a different motor would be needed to fly different planes. Not that swappable if you need to swap parts too.

How does this plane fly with the suppo motor option?
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rcwilli on July 8, 2013
Hi Guys!!
nice job you did with this Plane! I love 3dees

About the Vortex Generators on the bottom side: The air "flows" over the top of the wing faster (due to Bernoullis effect) than on the downside. This generates that the air pressure is lower than on the bottom. And that (partly) generates the lift needed. The Air flowing over it, is (due to the Coandă effect) "glued or sucked" unto the top of the wing. And when you do High Alfa it cannot follow the shape of the wing for a long time and the stall happens. The VG´s delay the flow separation by doing some kind of mini "tornadoes".

The air flowing under the wing does not produce lift the way the air flowing over the top does. It generates lift due to the drag of the flowing air against the wing. ------------> \ This produces far less lift than the one on the top. Therefore the VG´s are usually not used on the bottom of the wing because you dont have that "air sucking unto the surface" issue.

I hoped it helped to understand the theory.

Ben
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AcBates on July 8, 2013
yup, VG's on the bottom side don't help much, but it's an aerobatic airplane that flies upside down as well as it does the right side up... so VG's go on both sides for this reason; aerobatic planes usually get a mirror image on the bottom of the wing for whatever you do on the top (symmetrical airfoils, etc etc).

...but the "the air flowing under the wing does not produce lift the way the air flowing over the top does" is only partly right... in 3D flight the plane is stalled, lift is from the thrust of the prop and the stability of the airframe in deflecting airflow. VG's can help get some air to control surfaces, help departing airflows during the stall break, etc etc.
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flyn_brian on July 14, 2013
I think it's awesome that flitetest would offer the plans as well as a kit to anything they sell. A big thank you goes out to all of you at Flitetest for being so supportive of all that are in the hobby or even considering it.
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miguel9712 on July 15, 2013
It is awesome, definetly amazing what flite test can do!!!

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Meradin on July 16, 2013
Where do the ailerons get centered? Down the wing center line or form a straight edge down the top of the wing?
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pgorey on July 22, 2013
I don't know if anyone has used the recommended Laser Toys "THE BEEF" GT2210/11 55G but it seems very underpowered for the job. Granted I'm using the 8 x4 prop that Laser Toys bundled with it and have the 10x 4.7 on the way so hopefully that does the trick. What i don't understand is why the specific package for this plane from Laser Toys has the wrong props bundled with it? Also, there are two different Laser Toys motors recommended- Josh is flying with this onehttp://www.lazertoyz.com/GT221509-70g_p_25.html but the first recommendation is the 2210/11. Which one is the "right" one?
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AcBates on July 24, 2013
I recommend the 72g Omega from 3dHobbyShop, it's the motor that woke the plane up for me and is what I was flying in this video. If you want the power for pulling out of hovers, or KE loops, etc... this is the perfect setup.
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pgorey on July 25, 2013
I'm not exactly sure I want to spend that kind of money on a motor but considering the low cost of the everything else, I could maybe justify to my wife ;) Would a 30amp ESC be enough for this motor, 10x4.7 prop and 1.3mah 3s battery?
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ikvasager on July 24, 2013
So if I buy this ft3d kit and the swappable power kit from the link provided I will have everything I need to build this? (minus the transmitter and receiver? I am new to this and don't understand the "swappable" part?
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Taxez on June 22, 2014
The term "swappable" refers to the "power pod" which is the carriage which your motor is mounted to. It usually also holds your esc, battery and receiver. You can build several FT planes and use one carriage with all the expensive electronics to fly them all.
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Taxez on June 22, 2014
I'm having a hard time with my FT3D. I decided to remove the gear after having trouble with the durability of the included design. Looking at many of David's builds I thought belly landings on a soft surface (grass/tall grass) wouldn't be problematic. However it seems as though I'm burning a hole in my pocket buying new props ever since I managed to get my FT3D flying.

Am I just a terrible pilot coming in to fast/steep on landings or is there a way I can avoid constantly breaking my props?
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maue on October 18, 2014
Great design. This plane has so much precision designing.
Would there be a possible FT-3D by plane. I'm not positive but I'm willing to bet that Aaron would not mind testing and helping design a norther 3D plane. And we would love to see what you guys come up with.

PS: No body can believe that I can build a plane for less than $30 thank you guys for inspiring me to scratch build.
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Carwashmec on September 23, 2015
I love your show Josh, David , Chad, Josh ,Arron and everybody I am forgetting.
What a great 3d plane for an affordable price. I hope to be able to fly like Arron someday.
Can you recommend a 72g motor from Hobby King? That would be turning a 1047 prop.
I can't wait to get started building with my kids.
Greetings from across the lake (Lake Erie that is).
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iXi PerfXtionZx on November 30, 2015
Does anyone know the total flying weight on this plane?
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Desthy Yap on April 14, 2021
hi guys, anyone tried a 2212 1000kv motor on an ft 3d? I tried this using a 1045 prop and she did fly but I feel she is under powered. Will increase the prop to 1050 or 9060. can you share your setups please for the 2212 motor? thanks!
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FT 3D - Speed Build Swappable