The RC Geek Blog

By: Chris Wolfe

Schwalbe there for you!

The Me 262 is an airplane that I have had a fascination with since I was a kid. To envision the world's first operational jet fighter and the mark that the airplane made on aviation history certainly made my mind run circles. That's not to mention, the look of design was not only appealing but also futuristic for the time that it was made! There was so much ingenuity occurring during WWII on both sides this airplane was one of many advances which changed and accelerated aviation in ways that I don't think we'll ever see again.

So, needless to say, as a fanboy of the Me 262, I had always liked the looks of the Freewing Me 262. Frankly though, I wasn't a fan of the original pastel gray paint scheme and having flown one, the power systems worked but left room for improvement. Well, enter the Freewing Me 262 Version 2 with the correct colors and upgraded power systems and I absolutely couldn't resist picking one up…and I tell you what it was worth the wait as this V2 is a great looking and absolutely wonderful machine to fly!

AIRCRAFT ASSEMBLY NOTES

What truly struck me with this V2 airplane was the paint scheme and pulling the airplane from the box, the paint was beautifully applied and the colors were spot on. The paint job truly transforms this model. Though a little older kit, the airplane still goes together fairly easily and quickly, but it does require a bit more work than some of the newer kits now in comparison. Mostly, there's quite a bit of wire routing getting everything from the wings into the fuselage. There are no quick disconnects for any of the wing wires, so that pretty much relegates this to a one piece airplane. ;) I should note that just like the E-Flite Spitfire assembly, I had some help on this one too from my friend and his son as we had an assembly marathon the night they came to stay with me. It was awesome!

The assembly starts with the wings by joining them together and routing all of the wiring into the wing center section. There are a number of y-harnesses that are used to join the servos together as they are routed to the receiver. From there, the wing was joined to the fuselage and then the tails were installed. There was quite a bit of wire to get sorted and plugged into the receiver, but just requires a little time to make sure things are correct. From there, it was on to the radio setup.


Having the airplane assembled and on the bench, it looks absolutely fantastic.  Freewing has really done a great job on the shape and especially the paint on the model. It looks the part exceptionally well. It's without a doubt one of the best looking 262 kits out there currently. I do wish that the main tire size was more scale out of the box. The main tires on the full scale airplane were quite large in fact and these are definitely on the small side. That's an easy fix though if I decide to swap them out. Also, the tires are pretty hard, so with a little side load you can get a little drift action going on the landing roll out.

One of the modifications we did make was to the flaps. The model comes with split flaps which isn't scale to the airplane. So, we simply cut the foam upper flap surface and glued it to the lower plastic split flap which then created a more scale flap setup. If I were to do it again though, I would have cut the forward flap separation line at an angle vs a straight cut to create a little cleaner and scale looking flap. One thing to note is that the inner and outer flaps are connected by a piece of wire and operated be a single servo. The wire isn't super stiff, but it certainly works well enough.

AIRCRAFT SETUP & CG

Interestingly enough, setting up the airplane, I couldn't find any control surface throw information in the manual anywhere. So, I was pretty much on my own there. I setup triple rates based on what I thought looked about right based on my experience and then gave it a go. Through flying the airplane here's what I honed in on for throws.


  • Elevator - 12mm up and down with no expo
  • Aileron - 13mm up and down with 5% Expo
  • Rudder - 24mm left and right with 15% expo to desensitize the steering
  • Flaps - 20mm half with 5% elevator mix and and 40mm full with a 10% elevator mix (equates to ~2mm up elevator at full flap)


In terms of the CG, the manual recommends 100-110mm as measured from the wing root leading edge aft. I found that the CG location was spot on and never messed with it from the first flight. In terms of batteries, I've used Roaring Top 6s 5800s and 6250s which were good, but I really fell in love with the 30c Spektrum 6s 7000mah pack in the airplane. With the battery placed all the way to the rear of the battery tray, the CG worked out perfectly and the flight times are fantastic with that pack. I can fly the airplane as hard as I want for 4+ minutes and still have enough reserve for a go around or two if I have to. The 7000 packs are about 6oz heavier than the 5800s and are highly recommended for the airplane!

FLYING THE FREEWING Me 262 SCHWALBE

The Freewing Me 262 V2 certainly delivers on looks and it absolutely delivers on flight performance as well. I could tell from liftoff on the maiden flight that it was going to be a sweetheart and it is. The airplane delivers on all levels being fast at full throttle with great big vertical capability while also being able to slow down beautifully in the landing configuration. The airplane cruises and maneuvers well at 60% throttle which can really extend the flight times while at full throttle will perform huge vertical maneuvers. Plus, at the partial throttle settings, the airplane even has a beautiful sounding growl to it which gives it a sense of realism. Interestingly enough, the airplane will even perform a beautiful knife edge the full length of the field without a problem and with minimal coupling. It's extremely fun! One thing to note is that takeoffs only take about half throttle to get in the air. Taking off at full throttle is fine, just note that the airplane likely lift off sooner than expected based on the thrust offset from the underwing nacelles.

Here's a short flight video of the airplane in action. This is the stock Me 262 with the Spektrum 30c 7000 mah pack. My timer is set for 4.5 minutes which is when I setup for landing which means it's over 5 minutes of flight time. I like to fly the airplane pretty hard, but that could be extended with greater throttle management.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Needless to say, I have been thoroughly enjoying the Freewing Me 262 V2 as it looks good and flies even better. It's been a great airplane to have in the hangar as it really feels and flies like a larger jet. The overall flight characteristics combined with the power systems really make this a fantastic model.  Until next time, I'll see you at the field!

The RC Geek Blog is your place to learn about all aspects of the RC hobby. Learn to build, design, drive or fly that RC project you’ve always wanted to build, but have been intimidated to try. This blog is here to help you on your journey and provide tips and tricks as you go! My hope is to inspire builders both experienced and new! So, welcome, please look around, it’s an exciting beginning!  I’m currently documenting my latest competition scale RC jet build, a Mark Frankel F4D Skyray, along with some other fun tips and videos. If you can’t find what you’re looking for on this front page, click on any of the categories to the right and it will show just posts related to those categories. Please feel free to add comments and/or contact me directly if you have questions, I’m here to help! And don’t forget to check out my YouTube Channel, I post new videos every week!

Subscribe To Our Blog Now

By Chris Wolfe 19 Sep, 2023
The B-58 Hustler Saga - From Triumph to Tragedy
By Chris Wolfe 13 Mar, 2023
Preparing for Battle: The ULTIMATE Guide to Scale Documentation Maybe you've heard about RC Scale Aircraft competitions, but the thought it sounded intimidating, or the process of it all seemed daunting and discouraging. Well, fear not! I am here to encourage you and dispel any myths you may have heard if any. Scale competition is a fun and challenging segment of the hobby that will undoubtedly make you a better pilot! So, in light of this, I've started a new "Preparing for Battle" live series and in my first episode, "Preparing for Battle: The ULTIMATE Guide to Scale Documentation," we talk about the AMA Scale Nats with special guest Joe Vermilion from Balsa USA and peel back the layers of scale competition and provide information on what it's all about! As an experienced RC Scale Aircraft competitor and two time US Scale Masters National Champion, my hope is to share whatever knowledge and practical advice I can for newcomers and seasoned competitors alike.
By Chris Wolfe 14 Feb, 2023
Are You Ready to Take Your RC Flying to the Next Level?? Then you’re in luck, because we’re giving away an FMS 1400mm F4U Corsair and an FMS 1100mm PC-21 ! But first, let's address the elephant in the room...it's been quite a while since my last blog post. With the move to TN and everything going on trying to get The RC Geek up and running full time, it's been difficult to sit down and set aside time to write. My goal is to change that going forward, so here's hoping! (check the vid below for even more details about everything mentioned here!)
By Chris Wolfe 25 Jan, 2022
Flight of the Flir Cat…The Sequel!! I tell you what, it has been quite the journey getting here! As a project, this Freewing F-14 Tomcat refinish took much longer than I had originally planned based on all of the other distractions that have come through the shop, but I'm so happy with how this model turned out in the end. It did take a few flights to get tuned and I have made a few small modifications in the process since our last installment, but otherwise I'm happy to report that the Tomcat is flying quite well. The F-14 Tomcat has such a great look and presence in the air, you just can't beat it!
By Chris 10 Jan, 2022
10 channels of power…and 1 receiver to rule them all! I personally love having the option for more channels, especially when building my own scale aircraft. While not always necessary, having channel options available is almost always helpful and it opens up opportunities to add scale functions and/or customize the controls more to your liking. And that's not to mention having individual servo setup across the same functions. So, I was excited to finally see the AR103060T and AR10100T 10 channel receivers released from Spektrum. It opens of channel options in a lighter weight package while also supports all of their new technology. Having been flying the NX10 for some time it is nice to finally be able to utilize all of those 10 radio channels.
By Chris 10 Jan, 2022
Good times and Warbird Flying are back! Needless to say, the last year and a half plus has been hard on all of us. With so many of our normal routines and activities disrupted, it has only brought that many more challenges it seems. This hobby is not just about the airplanes and flying, it is about the friends and comradery that can be enjoyed together with others as well. So, when the Scale Squadron's Warbirds & Classics came up again this year after being cancelled in 2020, I was beyond excited to go; it had been almost 2 years since the last event I went to!
By Chris 24 Nov, 2021
Refinish a Foam Jet Ep 4 – Freewing F-14 Tomcat Low-Viz Navy Weathering How low can you go?…a little low-viz Tomcat weathering. Finishing up the refinish work on the Freewing F-14 Tomcat, it’s time to apply some characteristic low-viz Navy weathering. The Flir Cat paint scheme is from the mid 90’s at a time when the Tomcats in service were painted primarily in Dark Ghost Grey (FS36320) with variations thereof. They were high maintenance workhorses at this time and the aircraft got extremely dirty during operation. This opens up lots of opportunities to apply different weathering techniques on the airplane to simulate those years of service on the carrier.
By Chris 24 Nov, 2021
Refinish a Foam Jet Ep 3 – Freewing F-14 Tomcat Paint, Markings, & Panel Lines
By Chris 27 Sep, 2021
Refinish A Foam Jet Ep 2 - Freewing F-14 Tomcat Cockpit 3D Printing, Painting and Moving Pilots
By Chris 27 Sep, 2021
Fill…sand…poly…sand…primer…sand…aaaannnnddd repeat… You've probably figured out by now, I have many favorite aircraft. ;) However, if I was to put together my top 5 favorite aircraft of all time, the F-14 Tomcat would probably be at or near the top of that list. The airplane was one of brute force, but packaged in an elegant and distinct looking airframe that truly personified its name, Tomcat. And that's not to mention, it was an extremely capable fighter that filled many roles through the years that operated from the early/mid 70's into the mid 2000s.
More Posts
Share by: