FT PNP planes!

K3V0

Elite member
Anybody else super excited to see the new PNP planes coming out?🤩🥳 I know @Hoomi is stoked on the Widgeon. The Beaver and the Adventure are available for preorder but the teased future lineup sounds cool too! I celebrate Flite Test growing and making an effort to revive the LHS! 🎉
 

IcedStorm777

Well-known member
Anybody else super excited to see the new PNP planes coming out?🤩🥳 I know @Hoomi is stoked on the Widgeon. The Beaver and the Adventure are available for preorder but the teased future lineup sounds cool too! I celebrate Flite Test growing and making an effort to revive the LHS! 🎉[/QUOTE

I might have to buy their adventure just for its versatility alone!
 

mrjdstewart

Legendary member
i personally think they are crazy. why are you making RTF planes when your bread and butter is FB? why, and what in your right mind, would make you think you can compete with places like Hobby King, Horizon, Motion, Tower, .... ?????

i'm sorry, i just don't get it and worry that FT is gonna be bust if they keep up this pie in the sky thinking.

my $.02,

me :cool:
 

BATTLEAXE

Legendary member
I know that FT has a greater then most profit margin on the SBK's, which kinda balances out given they give the plans away for free. As always you trade time for money or vise versa. The FB planes have garnered 1.5 million followers which is a huge representation of the RC flight community. Some within that community aren't huge on building from scratch off of free plans so if they spend the money the SBK's make it easier. The next level of growth to gain an even easier crowd, maybe more women and children, the offer for RTF PNP models makes sense. I am a loyal FT person for how they got me into the hobby, like the rest of us, but I also support the growth into this PNP side to welcome more people into the hobby if they want to spend the coin to do so. I won't be the kind to go that direction but if it means it broadens the demographic, it's got my two thumbs up.
 

K3V0

Elite member
what in your right mind, would make you think you can compete with places like Hobby King, Horizon, Motion, Tower, .... ?????
Sounds like you’re worried about a family member @mrjdstewart , I think we all want FT to thrive and do well.
I came to this hobby entirely through ft videos. Those guys make it seem like you could be flying with them as friends. I know how to scratch build and fly because of FT and this entire community. I can’t speak for everyone but it seems like a lot of others have had a similar experience. Bottom line, I was never welcomed into the hobby by any of those companies. With a more human and welcoming attitude I don’t think they’re going to have any problems continuing to grow and turn a profit.
 

IcedStorm777

Well-known member
I get where you are coming from but my perspective on it is this: I honestly don't think flitetest is trying to compete with HH and other big brands. I truly think they are just trying to get people into the hobby and what better way to do it than have small planes that fly well, aren't to light like a lot of HH planes, are highly configurable, cheap, and have long flight times. I'm a fairly experienced flyer and i still want an adventure!! Thats my opinion right or wrong.
 

Tontow

New member
How thick is the wire for the landing gear? (manly the nose gear)

If the wire is thick enough, we can jack the servo horn that is on the nose gear to use in other planes.
 

BATTLEAXE

Legendary member
Another Canuck?! Perfect. I have ordered stuff from FT before, nothing big, but does it take you 2-3 weeks to receive anything from the states? Stuff shipped form China is nuts, 6 weeks to almost 2 months.

Does your LHS stock any FT stuff?
 

ElectriSean

Eternal Student
Mentor
Another Canuck?! Perfect. I have ordered stuff from FT before, nothing big, but does it take you 2-3 weeks to receive anything from the states? Stuff shipped form China is nuts, 6 weeks to almost 2 months.

Does your LHS stock any FT stuff?

I've only ordered from FT twice, before the store moved. Both times took about 3 weeks, and the shipping and duties were ridiculous. There is a Great Hobbies in Edmonton, which is fairly close to me. They stock a bunch of FT stuff, I'm sure they will get the receiver ready planes eventually. Their prices and shipping from their online store is reasonable, and they will special order items to the store location for free if you pick it up.
 

BS projects inc.

Elite member
I think it's a great idea as long as they don't fixate themselves on the PNP planes. But I don't see that happening because John Overstreet has the next decades worth of new planes already made lol.
 

Keno

Well-known member
If you are going to survive in a competitive sales field you must constantly change and adapt to suit the current markets. So goes, Pay-N-Pack, Sears, Safeway, and many more who fail to change. Do not judge them by their actions but by their success.
 

Hoomi

Master member
In fairness, FT is starting out small (in more ways than one) with PnP planes. The micro Beaver and the micro Cessna are likely decent opening bets. They're reasonably priced, with a potentially broad market appeal. If this venture doesn't pan out for them, I'd warrant it'll be a setback for them, but not a catastrophic one.

The fact is, our modern culture is steadily moving more and more towards the instant gratification. While many of us enjoy the build process as well as the flying, many out there just want to be able to open a box, hook up a few wires, and fly. Maybe they don't have time for building, or maybe they have dexterity issues that render model construction beyond difficult. Either way, the industry is showing that RTF and PnP are a popular market segment, and has been shown with some other hobby retailers, some of the big players in that market are working to shut out the small, independent retailers, to push more business to their in-house online outlets. Motion RC is putting together their own line of foam planes to help offset their selection being reduced, and I can't blame the FT guys for doing so as well.

I hope it works out well for them.
 

mrjdstewart

Legendary member
please don't take my comments as a slight on FT. they ARE the reason i got into RC flight and i can't count the number of people i have taught doing the same. because of FT i am the pilot i am today.

with that said, i still have questions as to why?

FT made its mark into RC flight by being 1) cheap, 2) easily made, and 3) easily repaired/replaced.

in my opinion these are the 3 biggest limiting factors to people joining the club. they don't want to spend a ton of money on something they are gonna crash, and then not know how to fix. FT 's genius was to not only make it cheap, but make us build it and understand how to fix it.

these RTF are the oposite of that. not only did i not build it so i have no idea how it works, i'm back to the "i just spent a bunch of money and don't want to crash" anxiety.

next, have you googled "micro rc plane" ???? do you understand how many options there are? can you possibly make it cheaper (you are a business), and better? i know the answer to better, but cheaper?

lastly, have you ever worked on any micro airplane? i have more UMX models collecting dust that were given to me because their owners did not wont to fix than i can count. micro cub, got it, p-51, got it, f-4 corsair, got it, hellcat, b-17, b-25, yak, comander ... why??? because they are NOT easy to work on or fix but cost 4x of a FT mini if considering most parts can't or won't be reused in a crash. none of my FT mini's that have crashed have ever ruined the electronics and have always been usable again.

hope and wish the best but worry about focus.

me :cool:
 

Bricks

Master member
I like the idea as they do need to expand the market for RTF is huge and they are trying to take advantage of it. I cannot imagine how many Sport Cub S`s Horizon has sold hundred of thousands would be my guess. Me personally do not want to scratch build I will do an ARF way before. Which is another option for them offer RTF and ARF`s of the same plane, it opens a new market for them. Most of the guy`s at my field do not scratch build or kit build any more.Many even FT`s they will order a kit before cutting it out.
 

basslord1124

Master member
I'm on the same page as @BATTLEAXE . Some folks just like a plug up and go mentality and that's fine. If something quick helps someone new get into the hobby then I'm all for it. Is it for me? Well definitely not right now as it's cheaper for me to do foamboard builds. But overall, no issues from me if FT wishes to pursue this direction to see where it leads.

Actually another benefit of this: these planes are below the the weight requirement for FAA UAS registration. If the end user can continue keeping that weight under .55 lbs/250g after they add their receiver and battery that's one less headache the user has to worry about.
 

Hoomi

Master member
Granted, the FT foam board planes are budget-friendly for the plane itself, even buying the SBK, but we're still looking at some money to make it a flyable model. We can save some on that with swappable power-pods, but we still need servos for the controls, and unless we're swapping the receiver along with the power-pod, the control electronics.

Figure around $10 each for servos, $20 for a budget-friendly receiver, and we're already looking at $60 for a typical model. If we want a motor and ESC dedicated to the plane, we're looking at another $40 or more for those. We can lower those costs a bit with a power pack kit, that gets us 4 servos, ESC, motor, props, servo leads, and a few other miscellaneous pieces for about $80, but we're still looking at around $100 to get a model airworthy.

For those who like the models or just don't have the time, or don't want to spend the time, to assemble a foam board plane, those UMX PnP models really aren't that much more than we're already spending on a plane.
 

pjgilliam.or

New member
I got a mini adventure for my birthday. I don't see how a battery and a receiver are supposed to fit. Any ideas?
I could position the receiver behind the front brace that holds the wing on, but that might interfere with the two servos that are there. There just doesn't seem to be enough room in front of the plastic brace. Any ideas?
 

pjgilliam.or

New member
How thick is the wire for the landing gear? (manly the nose gear)

If the wire is thick enough, we can jack the servo horn that is on the nose gear to use in other planes.
It would be a PITA to get it out without messing up the nose foam. For little reward (pun intended). All of the h/w of the plane seems really oriented toward ultra tiny and light. I can't even find space for a battery!