FT3D Version 2 Build Review and Tips

 Hello, in this article I will show my FT3D version 2 and the problems I encountered during the building process.

I want to congratulate Josh Bixler for making such an easy but complex and durable build. It took me less than 2 hours to build, paint and cover the airplane.

Here are some tips I want to share because they are absolutely important:

First of all, balance your plane, every airplane is designed to provide lift in a specific area which is your CG (Center of Gravity). Flite Test eases this by telling you exactly where the CG is, which is in front of the aileron servos.

Next, you definetly have to reinforce the middle of the elevator, it is such a flimsy area where if you leave it the way it is, it WILL break, so glue a long piece of plywood in there; that way, you won´t have any problems if you accidentally hit the back of your plane with a wall.

Due to the incredible roll rate in this plane, if you don´t paint or cover your plane, you will most definetly loose the orientation of it. So I suggest you paint the top of your canopy with black acrylic paint, which will not eat through the foam, and also paint the sides of the canopy. You can guide yourself through the painting process with this pictures.

Next, when you are building your FT3D and have finished the tail of your plane (Vertical and horizontal stabilizer) don´t glue it until you have your wings glued in because you might get it tilted to one side. 

Being a 3D airplane, you will be making a lot of turns and rolls, and may lose the orientation of your plane, so you can go buy two rolls of different colored self-adhesive vinyl to make your personal trim scheme and be able to differenciate your airplane airborne.

Definetly make the VG´s (Vortex Generators) Flite Test suggests, they make your flight way more easy and stable as well as your 3D maneuvers. You just connect the dots in the plans making sure to not cut through your spar (because that is where the VG´s stand). They might not look as good but they will do their job.

Thank you for reading this and hope this helped.