When will Power Pack C be in stock?????

[Douglas]

I discovered flitetest about a six weeks ago. All of the planes I am very much interested in building require Power Pack C, but it has been out of stock the whole time. Is there an estimated time frame when it will be back in stock? If not, can I order all these parts from another seller? I have no idea what to order so it would be difficult for me to replicate Power Pack C.

 

[Mozella]

I have no idea what is in a Power Pack C either Douglas, but just like you, I have Internet access so replicating a Power Pack C is NOT difficult. I've done it myself numerous times. In fact, I have purchased my own version of their power packs for all my many F.T. foam airplanes and I've never had any trouble.

Rather than give you a fish, I'll teach you to fish if you aren't offended by a Biblical reference. If you plan to do any serious RC flying, you need to know how to shop for components. It's not hard at all. Do this:

Google Power Pack C or go to the Flite Test site and see what the Flite Test PP C contains. Note the motor output and weight, or Google the motor specifications and dig them up elsewhere. Then go to your favorite source and purchase a similar motor. You may have to search several RC outlets to find what you want in stock and/or at a good price. Just use ordinary Internet shopping techniques.

Claimed output seems to vary quite a bit from manufacturer to manufacturer so take what they say with a grain of salt. That's why you also want to compare motor weight because I've found it to be as good an indicator of performance as is the claimed output. Another peremater which might help is the way some sellers recommend their motors for airplanes of a certain weight; for example, "suitable for airplanes weighing 150 to 250 grams. Take that data with a grain of salt too, but every hint helps. Remember that for the typical foam board airplane, an DIY combination to replace the Flite Test Power Pack C need not be an exact match.

Pick a similar ESC, prop, and battery and you're good to go. This is NOT rocket surgery, as they say. Close is almost certainly going to be good enough. Normally you'll want to be sure your ESC has a power connection for your reciever (some don't) and pay attention to the type of connector used between the ESC and battery. Of course they much match. All batteries will have a connector and most times you can select the one you prefer. Some ESC's have connectors soldered on, some have a loose connector in the package, and some have no connectors at all. So, if necessary, buy a battery connector too.

 

[Dunfielder]

Power pack C contains 4 servos, 4 servo extensions, y harness for ailerons, 35 amp esc, I believe it's an 1180kv motor. You also get a couple 1045 props, and a screwdriver. In all honesty after buying from FT, I found I could have gotten everything on Amazon cheaper.

 

[SP0NZ]

Yes you can find cheaper components online and there certainly isn't anything wrong with that. I only have two comments to add to this conversation. First, by purchasing from Flite Test you help support them and the free content. Second, the Flite Test motors and ESCs are guaranteed for life.

 

[Dunfielder]

Yes you can find cheaper components online and there certainly isn't anything wrong with that. I only have two comments to add to this conversation. First, by purchasing from Flite Test you help support them and the free content. Second, the Flite Test motors and ESCs are guaranteed for life.

And that is exactly why I purchased from FT, to show support for what they do. But If the guy can't get what he needs from them due to it being out of stock, Amazon is the place to go. I will add though you may wait a long time on certain things through Amazon to show up, especially if they have to come from China.

 

[Douglas]

I have no idea what is in a Power Pack C either Douglas, but just like you, I have Internet access so replicating a Power Pack C is NOT difficult. I've done it myself numerous times. In fact, I have purchased my own version of their power packs for all my many F.T. foam airplanes and I've never had any trouble.

Rather than give you a fish, I'll teach you to fish if you aren't offended by a Biblical reference. If you plan to do any serious RC flying, you need to know how to shop for components. It's not hard at all. Do this:

Google Power Pack C or go to the Flite Test site and see what the Flite Test PP C contains. Note the motor output and weight, or Google the motor specifications and dig them up elsewhere. Then go to your favorite source and purchase a similar motor. You may have to search several RC outlets to find what you want in stock and/or at a good price. Just use ordinary Internet shopping techniques.

Claimed output seems to vary quite a bit from manufacturer to manufacturer so take what they say with a grain of salt. That's why you also want to compare motor weight because I've found it to be as good an indicator of performance as is the claimed output. Another peremater which might help is the way some sellers recommend their motors for airplanes of a certain weight; for example, "suitable for airplanes weighing 150 to 250 grams. Take that data with a grain of salt too, but every hint helps. Remember that for the typical foam board airplane, an DIY combination to replace the Flite Test Power Pack C need not be an exact match.

Pick a similar ESC, prop, and battery and you're good to go. This is NOT rocket surgery, as they say. Close is almost certainly going to be good enough. Normally you'll want to be sure your ESC has a power connection for your reciever (some don't) and pay attention to the type of connector used between the ESC and battery. Of course they much match. All batteries will have a connector and most times you can select the one you prefer. Some ESC's have connectors soldered on, some have a loose connector in the package, and some have no connectors at all. So, if necessary, buy a battery connector too.

I know nothing about RC planes so this helps a great deal. I would have thought I had to match number for number in terms of size, power, etc., or else the plane wouldn’t fly correctly. Now I know. Thank you!

 

[Duck]

I know nothing about RC planes so this helps a great deal. I would have thought I had to match number for number in terms of size, power, etc., or else the plane wouldn’t fly correctly. Now I know. Thank you!

From my own experience, when buying each part individually you will sometimes run into small hiccups. For example, sometimes ESCs do not come with bullet connectors. You would have to purchase these separately and solder them on. More common is the battery connector on the ESC is wrong and needs to be swapped out. One other issue I ran into is that the flight test firewalls have holes drilled that may not match your motor. These are all fixable but may require small additional purchases and/or additional steps. Going with the power pack is the easiest way to get started successfully. You might try looking at other stores that might actually carry flight test branded power packs. There are a few local hobby shops that might have them in stock as well but that is fairly rare. For some planes the b pack can be substituted for a little less power. Although this does not work on all planes.

 

[Duck]

From my own experience, when buying each part individually you will sometimes run into small hiccups. For example, sometimes ESCs do not come with bullet connectors. You would have to purchase these separately and solder them on. More common is the battery connector on the ESC is wrong and needs to be swapped out. One other issue I ran into is that the flight test firewalls have holes drilled that may not match your motor. These are all fixable but may require small additional purchases and/or additional steps. Going with the power pack is the easiest way to get started successfully. You might try looking at other stores that might actually carry flight test branded power packs. There are a few local hobby shops that might have them in stock as well but that is fairly rare. For some planes the b pack can be substituted for a little less power. Although this does not work on all planes.

That said, purchasing the parts individually with similar but not completely identical specs is usually fine. You are welcome to post here with your parts and your plane and people can give you advice on whether they will cause a problem.

 

[SP0NZ]

Another option, if you plan on building multiple planes, is to buy the Power Pack C Twin Pack. You'll just need to buy some more servos and CCW (standard) props.

https://store.flitetest.com/flite-test-power-pack-c-twin-radial-edition-flt-3062/p983488

 

[SP0NZ]

And that is exactly why I purchased from FT, to show support for what they do. But If the guy can't get what he needs from them due to it being out of stock, Amazon is the place to go. I will add though you may wait a long time on certain things through Amazon to show up, especially if they have to come from China.

Completely agree.

 

[sprzout]

If you've NEVER built a FliteTest plane before, I'd highly recommend one of their power packs. The plus is that your stuff is pretty much guaranteed to work with the plane you're buying it for, since they've likely already tested that pack with that airframe. Also, FT stuff tends to be fairly reliable - I've never had a bad servo, motor, or ESC from them, whereas I HAVE had issues with servos and ESCs bought from Amazon having issues right out of the box (and I KNOW it's not my soldering skills, batteries, receiver, etc., because I can switch it over to test with other known good components and see problems).

I'm not going to say you won't get good parts from Amazon; you can find good stuff there. I know I have...But it's more of a gamble than the Flite Test power packs...And if there's an issue with replacing a part with Flite Test, customer service is second to none, as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Mozella]

If you've NEVER built a FliteTest plane before, I'd highly recommend one of their power packs.......... snip.............

I would too. And I would recommend their laser cut kits over a DIY plane made from locally sourced D.T. foam board.
However, it's hard to follow that advice if FliteTest can't sell you a power pack or a laser cut kit.

I think that most people responding to this thread would agree that a beginner would be better off buying the entire package from F.T. But if certain common components are not available from F.T., I think even a beginner could be successful sourcing power components from another source like Amazon. The potential problems you (and others) mention are real; i.e. wrong battery connector, lack of bullet connectors on an ESC, and so-on. But if the alternative is not building and flying for many months, then I say make substitutions, perhaps with the help of people here and on other forums.

 

[SP0NZ]

FYI... Power Pack C is back in stock on the store.

https://store.flitetest.com/flite-test-power-pack-c-radial-edition-flt-3061/p983487