Corsair/Mustang - FT Mighty Minis

by FliteTest | December 8, 2015 | (21) Posted in Reviews

Corsair / Mustang - FT Mighty Minis

Today we see how crazy we can get with a single piece of simple foam board. The goal was to use every square inch of our building material to make a fun plane to fly, build, and crash!  Then we thought, let’s make some one-sheet warbirds!

CORSAIR

Peter designed the FT Mighty Mini Corsair. It is the first round fuselage design Flite Test has ever done! This little warbird park flyer is the perfect size to always keep with you in the back seat of your car and is small enough to fly at most medium sized parks. Though this little Corsair doesn't have the 2,000 HP Pratt & Whitney R-2800 radial engine that the original full-scale warbird had, it does use a 2204 sized brushless motor that is commonly found on mini race quads. This gives this little 4 channel plane enough power to climb vertically endlessly and pull off most basic aerobatic maneuvers with ease. 

FT MIGHTY MINI CORSAIR 


SPECS

WEIGHT WITHOUT BATTERY: 5.5 oz (156 g) 

CENTER OF GRAVITY: 1 inch (25 mm) from leading edge of wing 

CONTROL SURFACE THROWS: 12 ˚ deflection (elevator/aileron/rudder) Expo 30% 

WINGSPAN: 24 inches (609 mm) 

RECOMMENDED MOTOR: 2200 kv 2204 size motor 

RECOMMENDED PROP: 6 x 4.5 prop 

RECOMMENDED ESC: 12 amp minimum 

RECOMMENDED BATTERY: 800 mAH 2s or 3s 

RECOMMENDED SERVOS: (4) 5 gram servos

The Mighty Mini Corsair relies heavily on the use of poster board. This may seem complicated, but it is not! The internal foam board former makes building both quick and easy. It even makes a battery hatch possible. The final result is a simple little plane that is heavy on detail and features, but light and nimble in the air.

MUSTANG

The P-51 is definitely one of the most iconic airplanes of all time and this one sheet foam board airplane kit is a great way to experience the great flight characteristics of this icon. Using 4 channels, and the power of a 2204 size brushless motor the Mini Mustang has more than enough power for endless vertical climb, and most basic aerobatic maneuvers such as knife edge. With it's wide flight envelope, this little Mustang can fly slow enough to easily be flown at a decent sized park. 

FT MIGHTY MINI MUSTANG


SPECS

WEIGHT WITHOUT BATTERY: 5.5 oz (156 g) 

CENTER OF GRAVITY: 1 inch (25 mm) from leading edge of wing 

CONTROL SURFACE THROWS: 12 ˚ deflection (elevator/aileron/rudder) Expo 30% 

WINGSPAN: 24.5 inches (622 mm) 

RECOMMENDED MOTOR: 2200 kv 2204 size motor 

RECOMMENDED PROP: 6 x 4.5 prop 

RECOMMENDED ESC: 12 amp minimum 

RECOMMENDED BATTERY: 800 mAH 2s or 3s 

RECOMMENDED SERVOS: (4) 5 gram servos 

The Mighty mini mustang carries the same fun flight characteristics as its larger FT Swappable brother.  We took what we learned from the larger design and applied it to the mini. The Mighty Mini P-51 features a rigid hatch that gives access to the servos, battery bay, and all the electronics. Both the Corsair and the Mustang fly great on a 2204 2300kv motor.  This motor is available in our F Power Pack, or can be purchased separately. It's the same motor used in many race quadcopters flown today.

The speed and characteristics of the Mustang and the corsair can be changed by simply changing the cell count of the battery.  A 2 cell battery yields 8.4 volts and makes for a fun and relaxing back yard flyer. A 3 cell setup will give vertical capabilities and bring speeds up to 54 mph (87 km/h). Install a 4 cell and you can expect to hit above 64 mph (103 km/h). That is, if the wind is in your favor! Be sure to match the proper prop with your battery choice. As the cell count goes up, your prop diameter goes down.

Peter decided to go big on cell count and small on wings.  The final result was more useful as a gardening tool.

So Peter went back to his roots!  Two big rocket motors and a fuse…  Check!!!! 

With about five seconds of fuse and our health insurance paid up, we lit and launched Peter's Rocket Corsair

The sound and the sight where very exciting!  But the top speed will never be known. At least we were able to find the wreckage and also test the strength of the wing. Although you may not put rockets on it, we hope you will find tons of enjoyment building and flying these fun little warbirds. Remember. Planes are better when they fly together. And so are people!

Be on the lookout for FREE plans and build videos coming later this week!

If you'd like to cut down on your build time, Speed Build Kits for both the FT Might Mini Corsair and FT Might Mini Mustang are available now! 

COMMENTS

firey_simon on December 8, 2015
So excited to see the Corsair! Will there be a larger version like the Mustang?
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The-One-Who-Never-Crashes on December 8, 2015
Finally, an FT Corsair!
This is definitely one of my favorite episodes.
Thank you, Peter and Josh!
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Desert Wings on December 9, 2015
Nice planes and very fun episode. Thanks!
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808aerosquadron on December 9, 2015
Great looking designs. Keep the mini warbirds coming.
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Digital Wolf on December 9, 2015
Great episode guys hahaha! More rockets!!! Plz do an episode on balsa/glow/gas planes! And when are the Shinden and the Mig3 gonna release?
Fly safe, Land safe and have a nice flight!
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The-One-Who-Never-Crashes on December 9, 2015
You asked the question that I was going to: where's the Shinden?
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wanabeRCexpert on January 10, 2017
I know, this is what, a year old and yet its still not out. PLEASE? (this is my puppy face)
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mad_milchmann on December 9, 2015
So happy about the mini-Corsair! I already ordered a small corsair similar to the Fun-Fighter (in fact from the same manufacturer probably, but with another paint-job and from a German reseller who put his lable on it)
The webshop had a great offer (30$) but didn't have the planes really in stock, so they couldn't deliver to all who bought them... long story short I got my money back but no small Corsair and I was really frustrated. But now I can build my own! :D HA!
I'll try it with a funfighter Motor... since the rockets didn't fold the wing it should be able to take it and go Reeeealy fast with it on 3S. :)
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rcrc on December 9, 2015
Haha I had the same idea!! All I could think about last night was putting a funfighter motor on it! Only problem is I am no way ready to fly that fast!😜😜
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mad_milchmann on December 9, 2015
Learning by doing I'D say ;)
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TimmyGT on December 9, 2015
Love it, wish you guys would Do a review on the horizon hobby corsair with safe, then build an FT version with roughly the same dimensions
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Epitaph on December 9, 2015
You're right about those XT30's, they are nice plugs!! I've never liked the XT60's because I always end up breaking a nail when trying to unplug them, they are just so stiff!! But the XT30's are just right, smooth, good rating (30A on paper, but they can handle more), good weight and size...
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The-One-Who-Never-Crashes on December 9, 2015
Wow, 30A on an XT30? Pretty amazing. I always thought it was less.
Isn't that the number from which the name comes from? Because I know that an XT60 can handle 60A, XT30 can handle 30A, etc. That pattern got me thinking.
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danb448 on December 9, 2015
Awesome episode! I love that Corsair. My son loves the Mustang. Do you all have plans to build a mini FT 3D? That would be SWEET! :)
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The-One-Who-Never-Crashes on December 9, 2015
A mini FT3D would probably be difficult to scale down because of the small wing area. The 3D tendencies would be gone.

I am currently working with the original FT3D; experimenting with different wings, tails, layouts, etc. There might be a mini version of that!
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flying-coqui on December 11, 2015
Try to scale down the pdf file and add some wing area. That will be a nice mighty miny.
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LordVader on December 9, 2015
Just awesome, can't wait to build. This winter will be a building frenzy of fun.
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Noobi1951 on December 9, 2015
As usual, you guys make me grin like a little kid. It makes my wife shake her head, and roll her eyes. You must be doing something right. I will have to build these, plus everything else you have designed (if I could only come up with the money, time, etc., etc. ).
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jordy123 on December 9, 2015
I saw this, and literally screamed like a girl. YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Ron DuBray on December 9, 2015
this size plane would be awesome for a full line of WWII war birds, for streamer combat flying, 2 or 3 from each side/ county would be a nice product line. :)
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Jozimoto on December 9, 2015
Mini Spitfire? Should do a mini B25 to commemorate the raid on Tokyo.
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ultramicrobe on December 10, 2015
I posted plans for a B25 a while back, and then later a mini Lancaster. It would be pretty easy to adapt the Lancaster plans to be a mini B25 (it would be easier since it is a twin and not a quad). The mini system used differential thrust, and it was super fun. You should do it. if you search for "mitchell" I think you get both posts.
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gellings on December 10, 2015
These mini planes look sweet! Thanks for all the good work. I wish you guys would try something that flies slow rather then fast. The high airspeed of these planes are a big detractor for me. I need something that is small and can be flown in small spaces without high-alphaing. Could the next mini have a slower airspeed? Maybe you guys could do a competition for the slowest airspeed plane...
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JMN- on December 13, 2015
Yes! I've only flown once, with the FT flyer (although I've got many hours of sim time), so a slow flyer with a fun build and fun flying would be great!
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gellings on December 17, 2015
I made a forum post to show what I'm talking about... http://forum.flitetest.com/showthread.php?23774-Slow-flying-mini-speedster
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JMN- on December 13, 2015
The corsair looks like a fun build! It would be cool to have a couple of recreational planes like the Piper cub or arrow or a Cessna. Just a thought.

I like the piper arrow:)
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FlatspinRC on December 13, 2015
I was wondering could you put an airsoft gun in a plane wing??
For dogfights I mean
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Ron DuBray on December 16, 2015
only if its as small as a Bic pen :)

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RC Plane Addict on December 3, 2016
Hey, you guys did a great job on the plane. I built the Mini Corsair and noticed after painting the balance was all off. I had to add a lot of dead weight to the nose to try to balance and still no luck. How did you balance the painted version of the mini Corsair?
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Corsair/Mustang - FT Mighty Minis