I managed to get out to the field yesterday and get in another 9 flights on my FRC Foamies F15 MK2 before the rain started up again... :), :(, happy to fly, sad it started raining)
Through my You Tube channel I have had a couple of questions on how I feel this plane compares to the RC Powers V3 lineup. Tough question to answer really as each plane is unique in it's characteristics and I have thus far only 18 flights on my F15 and 250+ flights each on my F18s and Mig29s. I have also not had a chance to fly the F15 in any sort of windy conditions to evaluate it's performance there. I also have not flown the F15 very much below 50% throttle nor have I tried any high alpha with it, but I haven't seen too many real F15s do a lot of high alpha, so I'm not sure that is a flight regime I will explore for reasons explained in the next paragraph. I won't compare it to the RCP F22 V3 as that plane is kind of in another category, not bad, just more challenging to set up and fly correctly and less forgiving than the Mig, F18 or FRC F15 by far.
I should caveat that as of late I have been trying to fly my planes more scale (ie more like the real thing). Thrashing a plane around doing flips, tumbles and crazy aerobatics is a lot of fun, don't get me wrong and is one of the reasons I recently built another RCP Mig29 V1, but I find that trying to fly my planes more smoothly and in a more scale fashion is a great challenge and actually gives me a much better feel of how my plane is flying and responding to inputs. So what I am about to say is based on personal opinion and flying style. In truth, I love flying all three of these planes, each for their own characteristics, but perhaps you have already flown the Mig29 and F18 V3s, this might put the FRC F15 MK2 in context depending on what sort of flying experience you might seek. Or if you are looking for an alternative plane not in the RC Powers V3 lineup, perhaps this will help.
So, where do I start? Well, I do fly a Mig29 at almost the same weight as my F15, so I will compare those two, they both have the same power setup (NTM Prop Drive 2700 with a 6x4 APC prop) and all the same control surfaces (elevons, ailerons and rudder). The F18 unfortunately is much more weight sensitive and when I tried to fly my first F18 in the 25-26 oz range, bad things happened...broken wing, horrible death spiral...blah, blah, blah...:(
So perhaps because of the lighter weight, the F18 V3 feels just a little more floaty than the F15 and the heavier Mig. Not floaty in any way that in my opinion is detrimental to flight characteristics, but rather makes it very easy to handle at low speed and in high alpha. The F18 in my humble opinion is a great second plane after say the F35 if you are just getting started as it's handling and tracking are still amazing, but since you really need to build it light to keep the weight and wing loading down, it will be "floatier" in comparison to the Mig and the F15 and therefore give you a little more time to react to a situation. Plus as I have written in the F18 V3 thread of the RC Powers website and on my blog, it almost has self correcting tendencies without the benefit of on board stabilization. Also I find that with the right weight and power setup (I like to fly mine around 21.5 oz with the Focal Price 2700 motor with a 6x3 EMP prop), the F18 can be very responsive and aerobatic but is never going to be a speed demon.
The Mig29 could also be a good choice for a second plane if you are just learning, but I would keep it light with low wing loading to make it a little easier to handle and then work your way up if you want to get it going fast. The Mig29 V3 of all the parkjets I have ever flown is by far the most flexible from the standpoint of weight and wing loading, proven to fly well from 15.5 oz to 40+ oz with very light setups like the MJV2 all the way up to huge powerful 6 cell setups. The Mig29 built at a heavier weight and with the higher speed of a big power setup might make it a bit too challenging if you are still learning. Not that this is a bad thing, but the difference between my lighter Mig at 21 oz with a 2200 battery and my heavier Mig at 25 oz is significant in the feel I get in the sticks when flying aerobatics and turns, more stick travel and pressure required for the heavier Mig than the light Mig (and the F15 for that matter). Even at 25 oz the Mig does feel just a little more agile and snappier than the F15, but again, just my humble opinion.
The F15 MK2 would probably be a good choice for maybe a third plane, not because it is difficult to fly, but it is a bit more advanced and challenging build than both the F18 and Mig29 V3s. In handling, the F15 tracks maybe even a tiny bit better than the heavier Mig29 (again just my opinion), yet it feels much lighter on the sticks. The extra lift from the body of the F15 makes it feel more like my 21 oz Mig29 rather than it's 26 oz AUW. Not sure if that makes sense, but if feels and handles like a lighter plane that it is. The weight and wing loading still keep it exceptionally stable and smooth, but not as much input required to maintain the same amount of turn rate as with the 25 oz Mig. I have yet to find any bad habits with the F15 MK2 and not only does it look very scale, it flies very scale as well (at least in the setup I have). In the regimes I have flown it, I would say it is the most scale looking, feeling and stable yet responsive (not as agile as the FRC Su jets of course... :)) of all the FRC Foamies planes I have built and flown (again, my opinion, I have built and flown the F15 MK1 in 100 and 120% sizes, Su37 MK1, Su37 and Su35 MK2s and the F35 600).
As I said earlier, I love all three of these planes for their own unique characteristics, but boiled down, here is how the F15 compares in my opinion -
- tracks and handles a bit more smoothly than both the F18 and Mig29 V3s (Mig29 is very close);
- doesn't handle quite as well at slow speeds as either the Mig29 or F18 and a little bit less agile than the Mig29;
- with the extra lift of the body, flies lighter than it is, lighter than the Mig29 of comparable weight;
- it is fast, very close in speed to the Mig29, I'm excited to see how it handles 4S;
- more challenging build than the F18 and Mig29, good choice for maybe a third plane if you are just getting into the hobby and are learning to scratch build; and
- in my humble opinion, it really deserves a heavy power system like the NTM Prop Drive 2700, you could build much lighter I'm sure and use a lighter power system, but some planes just deserve some good old raw horsepower and I think this is one of them... :)
So if you are looking for an amazing looking and amazing flying classic US designed and built fighter jet to add to your hangar, the FRC Foamies F15 MK2 would make an excellent addition in my humble opinion... :)
Cheers,
Scott
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