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The FT STEM Micro Freighter kit is a perfect kit for kids, teachers, classroom STEM projects, or families looking for easy entry into powered RC flight. Aircraft kit, LiPo battery, transmitter, USB LiPo charging cable, and even a tube of glue is included (only needs 3 AA batteries for the transmitter). The durable foam kit assembles quickly with the included adhesive and easy-to-follow instructions. Charge the aircraft battery with the included USB cable while you build, and you and your students will be soon be flying! The FT Micro Freighter uses the FT 2 channel EZ Pack which provides differential thrust to steer and the altitude of the plane is controlled by varying the throttle. Even if you have never flown before, flights with the FT Micro Freighter are smooth and stable with the stabilization board, making it easy for new pilots to be successful. The electronics in the FT Micro Freighter can be reused in other aircraft designs, making it perfect for STEM projects. Start here with the FT Micro Freighter kit for classroom STEM projects, after-school programs, STEM summer camps, or fun family STEM projects.
Features:
- Multi-Axis Gyro Stability System
- Durable EPP Construction
- Reliable 2.4 GHZ Control System
- Efficient and Powerful Dual Motor Control
Wingspan: 390mm
Length: 405mm
Flying Weight: 50g
Battery: 3.7V 300mAh Lipo (included)
USB Battery Charger: (included)
Includes:
- Aircraft kit
- LiPo battery
- Transmitter
- USB LiPo charging cable
- Tube of glue
Needed to Complete:
- (3) AA Batteries
No wind is definitely the best time to fly, but we've had the Freighter in 5-8 mph of wind without issue. It definitely takes quite a bit more space to turn around in wind than no wind. It can also become fairly pitch sensitive with increased head wind. The transmitter range says 400 feet and we've had it close with no loss of control issues. However, it gets pretty small at 400 feet away!
Glueing the tail on with proper offset is probably the single most important step in assembly. I think your entire flight experience hinges on getting that dimension as close to correct as possible. We live at one of the in-between altitudes so we adjusted accordingly and may have leaned a bit more toward the nose us side. That may be why ours is a little more "pitchy." However, since the stabilization relies on some throttle, if the pilot panics for any reason and cuts the throttle to 0 (which disables all stabilization), there is no control left and right either. Solution: always keep a little throttle in - which is also clearly stated in the instructions.
PROS:
-Easy construction with great printed instructions and build video
-Flight stabilization is spot on
-Customer Support: Our initial main board was bad. Flite Test sent us an entire new kit, no questions asked (which meant a lot to me since my son saved his pennies and purchased it with his own money)!
-JST 2.0 battery connection - we happen to have several in the size class that work with the Freighter
-Good flight times on the stock 300mAh 1s LiPo (we take off and land repeatedly for 30+ min on a battery)
-Super light and extremely durable. Admittedly, It is difficult to outright crash though...
-The thing looks awesome! Who else flies and RC C-17?
CONS (well, sort of...I had to say something...):
-Can pitch up quite a bit in wind. However, the stabilization manages this reasonably well and stalls are avoided by keeping the throttle up/in
-When the battery is depleted, the main board activates a low voltage cut-off which disables the throttle (and therefore steering also), no matter what phase of flight you are in. The instruction say land immediately when you notice "the power starting to drop." Trouble is its so light that, for level flight, so little power is required, we never tend to notice the "power dropping," So, since the model relies on throttle entirely for control, this means when the voltage cutoff activates, your model free flies down. With altitude and some wind, this could be a bad combination. My preference would be surging motors a little before an outright cut off. But hey, we are nit picking now!
BOTTOM LINE: What's not to love? It looks great, flies better, super tough, and is backed by second to none customer support. Thank you Flite Test for giving me the gift of flight with my son.
This is an awesome 2-channel plane! Please see my YouTube video above for my maiden flight!
The plane is very easy to put together and it even came with its own glue.
You only get throttle control which acts as your elevator. If you want to climb, then give it more throttle. It uses differential thrust for the yaw. If you want to turn left, then the left prop will turn slower than the right one and push the plane to the left. That is vice versa if you want to turn right.
I flew this in a baseball field so you do not need a large flying field to fly this. You can either hand-launch or use the wheels if you have a smooth surface.
I have flown this many times and even with not so smooth landings, the foam is very tough and the plane is very light weight.
So, this is great if you are a complete beginner.
Watching the video and building along with Josh made the assembly easy. I couldn’t wait to fly it, but the weather wasn’t cooperating so it was a week before I got to play with it.
I’m a complete novice. The only time I ever held a controller before was, well, not good. But this was fun and exhilarating. I did auger in a few times and bounced it off a steel roof once. Side note, don’t lose the extra parts, I already used one of the props.
If you’re a novice, you won’t be disappointed buying, building and flying this fun little airplane. I can’t wait to develop my skills so I can advance to a slightly more complex system.