FT Alpha newbie

[kdobson83]

Ok, I'm not new to flying or FT. But I am new to the FT Alpha. I just finished my build a few days ago. Got the paint scheme from someone else's on Google image. So here it is.

And here it is hanging up with the 3d plane wall hanger I designed specifically for the Alpha

I don't care to much for attaching wings with rubber bands and I knew I wouldnt be swapping wings or anything since I love how the alpha looks so I glues the wing in place. So no BBQ skewers and rubber bands holding the wing on. Just one BBQ skewer holding down the canopy.

Running a x-motor 2205 2300kv on a 6045 prop on an 850mah 4s. I'm expecting it to be pretty quick. It feels pretty light too, I was surprised. Anyone have experience with this plane? Are they squirrelly? Does it fly similar to the Arrow?
Keep your fingers crossed I don't bonk it on the maiden. It looks so nice I'd like to keep it that way. Lol

 

[Merv]

Looks great!

 

[JTarmstr]

Dang it i like that plane so much. Gotta get me a Powerpack A

 

[kdobson83]

Dang it i like that plane so much. Gotta get me a Powerpack A

May I suggest the Power Pack F instead? The A pack is a tad small. Would probably fly but I would think it would seriously lack power. The A packs max thrust is about 400 or so grams which would fly the Alpha but no vertical, what jet doesn't have vertical? 😉 But the F pack will do about 800-1000 grams with the right set up. I don't have experience with the Alpha but I have many 1806 motors and while it is a good motor, they lack speed and power.
Anyway, have windy/rainy weather here... Might be a week before I maiden it... Ugh, the anticipation hurts. Lol

 

[JTarmstr]

May I suggest the Power Pack F instead? The A pack is a tad small. Would probably fly but I would think it would seriously lack power. The A packs max thrust is about 400 or so grams which would fly the Alpha but no vertical, what jet doesn't have vertical? 😉 But the F pack will do about 800-1000 grams with the right set up. I don't have experience with the Alpha but I have many 1806 motors and while it is a good motor, they lack speed and power.
Anyway, have windy/rainy weather here... Might be a week before I maiden it... Ugh, the anticipation hurts. Lol

sorry, i meant powerpack F but i wrote A, i sometimes get them confused, right now i am looking at buying a 2212 2200 kv motor for it with a 6x4.5 prop. Good luck with the maiden!

 

[kdobson83]

sorry, i meant powerpack F but i wrote A, i sometimes get them confused, right now i am looking at buying a 2212 2200 kv motor for it with a 6x4.5 prop. Good luck with the maiden!

The 2212 motor isn't a bad motor, but my I suggest the 2205 or 2206 motors? The emax red bottom or equivalent will give you a bit more power and speed for about the same weight/amperage.
If money is a factor, which it is for me, may I suggest this motor -
Racerstar Racing Edition 2205 BR2205 2300KV 2-4S Brushless Motor Red for 220 250 RC Drone FPV Racing
https://banggood.app.link/g9X9LXtHCR

On 3s with a 5x45 prop it'll do almost 700 grams of thrust at only 19 amps. This beats out most of the numbers I see for the 2212 motor. Plus it has the capability of 4s bringing your thrust up to just under 1000grams with only about 27amps.
The 2212 motor will work, just wanted to suggest a possible better motor.

 

[Gazoo]

I think the F-pack with 4S is the way to go. Mine has a lack of power with F-pack and 3S.

It is not squirrelly by any means. It is very stable and I love to do super low passes. Like 3 or 4 feet off the ground. It looks wicked cool! Mine is not very acrobatic though. I think I did a roll once but it was super slow to roll and lost a lot of altitude. The Alpha likes to cruise around the sky nice and gentle.

All in all, it flies like a fighter jet should. Mine is super gratifying to fly but only lacks power. You're going to like it on 4S!

Good luck. It looks awesome!

Mine for comparison...

 

[JTarmstr]

The 2212 motor isn't a bad motor, but my I suggest the 2205 or 2206 motors? The emax red bottom or equivalent will give you a bit more power and speed for about the same weight/amperage.
If money is a factor, which it is for me, may I suggest this motor -
Racerstar Racing Edition 2205 BR2205 2300KV 2-4S Brushless Motor Red for 220 250 RC Drone FPV Racing
https://banggood.app.link/g9X9LXtHCR

On 3s with a 5x45 prop it'll do almost 700 grams of thrust at only 19 amps. This beats out most of the numbers I see for the 2212 motor. Plus it has the capability of 4s bringing your thrust up to just under 1000grams with only about 27amps.
The 2212 motor will work, just wanted to suggest a possible better motor.

It says counter clockwise screw thread, i am not familiar with this type of motor so does that mean i need anything special to mount a prop on it? money is a huge factor with me and the only reason i am not buying a F pack for it (that and the F pack is always on backorder)

 

[JTarmstr]

I think the F-pack with 4S is the way to go. Mine has a lack of power with F-pack and 3S.

It is not squirrelly by any means. It is very stable and I love to do super low passes. Like 3 or 4 feet off the ground. It looks wicked cool! Mine is not very acrobatic though. I think I did a roll once but it was super slow to roll and lost a lot of altitude. The Alpha likes to cruise around the sky nice and gentle.

All in all, it flies like a fighter jet should. Mine is super gratifying to fly but only lacks power. You're going to like it on 4S!

Just curious, what type of 3s are you running on it? is it the recommended 850 mah or somewhere in the range of 2200 mah. i wonder if its weight that is the factor. Unfortunately i dont have a charger for 4s batteries so i have to stick at 3s.

 

[kdobson83]

It says counter clockwise screw thread, i am not familiar with this type of motor so does that mean i need anything special to mount a prop on it? money is a huge factor with me and the only reason i am not buying a F pack for it (that and the F pack is always on backorder)

No special mount. Your prop will come with small prop adapters. You pick the adapter the props come with that fits the motor shaft and put in on the prop. Then slide the prop on to the motor shaft and screw on the nut that comes with the motor. Super simple. The ccw and cw means the direction of the threads on the motor shaft. It's mainly ment for quads. I think ccw threads on a motor that you intend to run ccw will keep the nut from back off with the quads constant motor speed changes. But your doing a plane, so as long as you snug it up decent you shouldn't have any problems.

 

[JTarmstr]

No special mount. Your prop will come with small prop adapters. You pick the adapter the props come with that fits the motor shaft and put in on the prop. Then slide the prop on to the motor shaft and screw on the nut that comes with the motor. Super simple. The ccw and cw means the direction of the threads on the motor shaft. It's mainly ment for quads. I think ccw threads on a motor that you intend to run ccw will keep the nut from back off with the quads constant motor speed changes. But your doing a plane, so as long as you snug it up decent you shouldn't have any problems.

Thanks for the help!

 

[kdobson83]

Just curious, what type of 3s are you running on it? is it the recommended 850 mah or somewhere in the range of 2200 mah. i wonder if its weight that is the factor. Unfortunately i dont have a charger for 4s batteries so i have to stick at 3s.

I plan to use my 850mah 4s batteries but if I used my 3s batteries I'd go with the 800mah I have. You may be able to go up to a 1200 mAh 3s on the alpha but wouldn't recommend going too big. A 2200 may be too heavy. With my 800mah it balances at the back of the canopy. Adding too much more battery and you might have to add tail weight.

 

[kdobson83]

I think the F-pack with 4S is the way to go. Mine has a lack of power with F-pack and 3S.

It is not squirrelly by any means. It is very stable and I love to do super low passes. Like 3 or 4 feet off the ground. It looks wicked cool! Mine is not very acrobatic though. I think I did a roll once but it was super slow to roll and lost a lot of altitude. The Alpha likes to cruise around the sky nice and gentle.

All in all, it flies like a fighter jet should. Mine is super gratifying to fly but only lacks power. You're going to like it on 4S!

Good luck. It looks awesome!

Mine for comparison...
View attachment 118175

Awe man, I like your canopy better. Looks more realistic. If the maiden goes well I'm gonna add some decals. Print with my desktop printer, cover with packing tape front and back, cut out, and super77 spray glue on.
And thanks for letting me know so how yours flys. Takes a tad anxiety out of the maiden. I can't wait to buzz the tower(me) at full speed on 4s.

 

[Gazoo]

Can't wait to see the details you're going to add. I get a lot of ideas from the pics that everyone posts.

 

[Gazoo]

Just curious, what type of 3s are you running on it? is it the recommended 850 mah or somewhere in the range of 2200 mah. i wonder if its weight that is the factor. Unfortunately i dont have a charger for 4s batteries so i have to stick at 3s.

I have been running a 1100mAh 3S 50C battery from the FT store. Hyperion I think. It was actually a pretty good deal and Hyperion seems to be a quality battery. I think this is the one: https://store.flitetest.com/hyperio...ery-11.1v-1100mah-hp-g550-1100s3-xt60/p761569

 

[mrjdstewart]

i always flew alpha w/ a 3S-850mah, 20A esc, emax 2205-2300kv, and a 6x4.5 prop. with this set up it is stable, powerful, fast, and fun. easy to get 5 mins of flight. if going to a 4S i would make sure to drop the prop to at least a 5" and possibly go up to a 30A esc.

alpha is an awesome flyer for being a simple elevon set-up.

good luck,

me

 

[Merv]

Mine for comparison...

Great looking plane

 

[Grifflyer]

The Alpha flies great, but it doesn't fly much like the arrow, and as @Gazoo said it's awesome doing low passes!!

Here's mine.

 

[kdobson83]

The Alpha flies great, but it doesn't fly much like the arrow, and as @Gazoo said it's awesome doing low passes!!

Here's mine. View attachment 118229

View attachment 118230

Dang, I like the extra stuff you added to the bottom to give it more profile underneath. Looks nice. Wish I woulda done that before I painted...

 

[WasabiRC]

Hi Guys.
I built a FT Bravo over the weekend. Using a XNova 2205 2300kv motor with a 6x4 APC prop and 850mAh 3S. The model is a bit heavy (450g all up) due to foam heavier here in South Africa.

I’m only getting 2 min flight time out of my battery. Flying around 60-75% throttle. I tried a 1400mAh 3S and get 3 min with it.

Looking for flight times of over guys. Seems to be a bit slim for me at the moment.

Thinking of trying a 4S there by being able to fly at lower throttle. Just not sure if my setup will handle it. I have 30A ESC. Need to check the current and watts before I fly.

Any suggestions would help.