*Unofficial* FT A-10 Warthog

mrjdstewart

Legendary member
Here's whats going in the nose! I cant wait to get this on video in the air!

that is so cool. great job.

mine is ready to fly, just need to set rates. was a little love/hate relationship during build but pretty happy w the result.

20210712_180713.jpg


20210712_173122.jpg


i re-did all the the stripes with construction paper. did not like the shiny vinyl plus it wasn't sticking well. used a trick @Rasterize recommended with elmers rubber cement. wish i had know this years ago. made this sooooo easy and the best part was you could not really mess up.

laters,

me :cool:
 

Fred Flintstone

New member
das ist so cool. gut gemacht.

Meins ist flugbereit, muss nur die Preise festlegen. war eine kleine Hassliebe während des Baus, aber ziemlich glücklich mit dem Ergebnis.

View attachment 203580

View attachment 203581

Ich habe alle Streifen mit Tonpapier neu gemacht. Ich mochte das glänzende Vinyl nicht und es klebte nicht gut. einen Trick @Rasterize verwendet, der mit Elmers-Gummikleber empfohlen wird. Ich wünschte, ich hätte das vor Jahren gewusst. hat das sooooo einfach gemacht und das Beste daran war, dass man es nicht wirklich vermasseln konnte.

später,

ich :cool:
Great Job with the Powdergun, think I will put it in
 

mrjdstewart

Legendary member
well, it did better for a bit. the first flight lasted almost 3 1/2 mins before it started acting up. started to sputter and you could hear the motors cutting out. thankfully this thing thinks it is a glider and can coast in from surprising distances.

the 2nd flight did not go so well though. it launched perfect and flew up into the air for about 10 secs before it completely cut out and i had to do an emergency turn back to the field. this time i lost everything, no controls or motors and it came in pretty steep and hit nose first. the damage isn't to bad but frankly i am ready to just trash the plane. kinda bummed, really wanted this to be a great plane but i am convinced that the motor/prop/esc/battery combo just is not enough.

i am going to put it aside for now and will decide its fate later.

kinda bummed,

me :cool:
 

CappyAmeric

Elite member
well, it did better for a bit. the first flight lasted almost 3 1/2 mins before it started acting up. started to sputter and you could hear the motors cutting out. thankfully this thing thinks it is a glider and can coast in from surprising distances.

the 2nd flight did not go so well though. it launched perfect and flew up into the air for about 10 secs before it completely cut out and i had to do an emergency turn back to the field. this time i lost everything, no controls or motors and it came in pretty steep and hit nose first. the damage isn't to bad but frankly i am ready to just trash the plane. kinda bummed, really wanted this to be a great plane but i am convinced that the motor/prop/esc/battery combo just is not enough.

i am going to put it aside for now and will decide its fate later.

kinda bummed,

me :cool:
Weird. Mine does not have any issues - losing your receiver is suspicious though - maybe it is whatever BEC you kept with signal line. Maybe try switching which ESC is powering your receiver.
 

CappyAmeric

Elite member
well, it did better for a bit. the first flight lasted almost 3 1/2 mins before it started acting up. started to sputter and you could hear the motors cutting out. thankfully this thing thinks it is a glider and can coast in from surprising distances.

the 2nd flight did not go so well though. it launched perfect and flew up into the air for about 10 secs before it completely cut out and i had to do an emergency turn back to the field. this time i lost everything, no controls or motors and it came in pretty steep and hit nose first. the damage isn't to bad but frankly i am ready to just trash the plane. kinda bummed, really wanted this to be a great plane but i am convinced that the motor/prop/esc/battery combo just is not enough.

i am going to put it aside for now and will decide its fate later.

kinda bummed,

me :cool:
Another thought - try powering it up and do some half throttle static runs for 4-5 minutes to see if you can narrow it down without a subsequent crash.
 

mrjdstewart

Legendary member
Another thought - try powering it up and do some half throttle static runs for 4-5 minutes to see if you can narrow it down without a subsequent crash.

ya. i'm gonna make @Rasterize come over and watch me put it on a watt meter. i have much smaller craft that run a comparable motor and they all require a lot more ESC. then, factor in the fact that the questionable ESC's have absolutely NO airflow. none, zero! :eek:

this would all be easier for me to just move on from but, they do look epic in the sky... :sneaky:

Jason-1.jpg


one good thing from the last flight/crash was the plane just kinda pealed its self apart at many of the seems and now i have access to everything again. i think we need to go to lower KV motors, bigger ESC's (60A), and 6" props.

hope springs eternal.

me :cool:
 

nevenelestate

No Agenda FPV
I think we need to go to lower KV motors, bigger ESC's (60A), and 6" props.

I only went back a couple pages, but don't think I saw if you had posted what motors and batteries you're using. Also is yours just the FTA-10 modified to look better and have the motors in the back of the nacelles, or is it a "different" version similar to the master series one?

The way I see it your A-10 is now perfect for continued testing, then build another once you get the "quirks" figured out.
 

mrjdstewart

Legendary member
I only went back a couple pages, but don't think I saw if you had posted what motors and batteries you're using. Also is yours just the FTA-10 modified to look better and have the motors in the back of the nacelles, or is it a "different" version similar to the master series one?

The way I see it your A-10 is now perfect for continued testing, then build another once you get the "quirks" figured out.

this is the FT kit that they just released. the only way to get it is to buy with all the electronics. so, it has 2x 2207-2300kv FT Rotary motors, 5x4.5x3 props, and the FT 35A ESC.
 

nevenelestate

No Agenda FPV
this is the FT kit that they just released. the only way to get it is to buy with all the electronics. so, it has 2x 2207-2300kv FT Rotary motors, 5x4.5x3 props, and the FT 35A ESC.
What battery are you running? 4S that should be fine, but on 6S I certainly fried my 2207/2300kv motors.
 

nevenelestate

No Agenda FPV
I've had a box of 25sheets of DTFB in the garage for almost the whole year, at least since spring, with the intentions of building a new FT-A10. That foam board started peeling apart from the humidity, so the build fell to the way side. Well with the FT sale going on I decided to spend the money on the waterproof foam speed build kit. So hopefully by the end of the year I might have it built up :)
PXL_20211126_230144756~2.jpg
 

Tench745

Master member
I've had a box of 25sheets of DTFB in the garage for almost the whole year, at least since spring, with the intentions of building a new FT-A10. That foam board started peeling apart from the humidity, so the build fell to the way side. Well with the FT sale going on I decided to spend the money on the waterproof foam speed build kit. So hopefully by the end of the year I might have it built up :)
View attachment 212502
If you enjoy scratch building, paperless DTFB makes for some light builds.
Enjoy the A-10 build!
 

nevenelestate

No Agenda FPV
Been taking my time with this second...third? A-10 build. I have been messing with modelling up the 3D printed ducts to hold a 5in prop instead of the 4in, this should fit directly to the inside diameter of the wooden nacelle plates that come with the kit. The new goal is to have the 3D printed duct fit inside the foam board. This is also reducing the duct design down to only two pieces in between the wooden plates, two piece to print easier, and then likely some sort of nose cone.
NAFPV FTA10 Motor ducts V4.png


Started building the foam board also. The three wing pieces are built up, used clear gorilla glue with hot glue only to hold it together while the GG cured. Started building up the fuselage pieces but paused to make sure I get all the 3D printed pieces that might need glued in before the skin, like the battery tray reinforcements I made.

Hope to have some pictures to share soon.
 
Wow! Love the BDF housings! I built up the big A10 like you have with the smaller housings, but haven't flown it yet. What motors are you planning for these? I'd love to be a beta tester!
 

nevenelestate

No Agenda FPV
Wow! Love the BDF housings! I built up the big A10 like you have with the smaller housings, but haven't flown it yet. What motors are you planning for these? I'd love to be a beta tester!

The motor mounts are designed for any 220X size motor. My first A-10s I used 2300kv on 6S and melted PLA and then fried the motors. I am now going to try ETHIX Cats 6S Motor 2207 1750KV and using PETG should lessen the melting likelihood.

Once I get them printed out and working I will share the STLs, likely on Thingiverse, and linked here.
 
Great!! Mine are printed from PLA, but I was trying 3s. Never got to the maiden as it didn't seem to have enough static thrust.

Looking forward to project updates!
 

nevenelestate

No Agenda FPV
Great!! Mine are printed from PLA, but I was trying 3s. Never got to the maiden as it didn't seem to have enough static thrust.

Looking forward to project updates!
If you look back in this thread there are videos of my flights, including at Edgewater, and all were on 6S (made 6S by putting 2x3S packs in Series). I had attempted some ground taxis with 4S but it was nowhere near enough thrust.

My A-10 YT playlist, might be some extra videos in there that I hadn't shared(some I have as unlisted)
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvXzKj36YjWheVS-ZMRVUiaYLV4v222-u

Got the first motor mount section printed out, looking good so far.

PXL_20220115_162239136~2.jpg

PXL_20220115_162356680~2.jpg

I will be cutting the 4 tabs off of the wooden piece. And the black dots are where the holes will be for holding the duct to the wooden brackets.
 
Last edited: