Technical Service Bulletin - Freewing 90mm EDF F/A-18C Hornet

Revised July 18, 2019

Thank you for purchasing the Freewing 90mm F-18 Hornet from Motion RC. To maximize your enjoyment of this model aircraft, please carefully review the Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) and overview video below. IMPORTANT - It is critical that you review this information completely before you attempt to fly your aircraft. If you have any questions regarding the information listed below, please Contact Customer Service and we will be happy to assist you.

ISSUE SUMMARY - ELEVATOR MOUNTING PLATE

The F-18 uses a large plastic plate that contains both the elevator servo mount and the elevator control armature. This plate is referred to as the “Elevator Mechanism Mounting Plate”, or “Mounting Plate” within this document. This Mounting Plate is glued at the factory to the surrounding foam and allows the elevator servo and elevator control armature to be screwed into plastic for servicing instead of being glued directly to the foam.

Two potential problems were discovered with this Mounting Plate:

ISSUE 1 - PIERCED ELEVATOR SERVO WIRES

In less than 1% of inspected units, examples were found of pierced elevator servo wires caused by the tight fit during factory installation. Exposed wires may result in glitching servos and potential loss of the aircraft. Future production runs have been modified at the factory to eliminate this potential hazard. However, we advise all current customers to visually inspect their elevator servo wires. If a servo wire appears as below, please contact Motion RC customer service immediately for a free servo replacement under warranty. Even models currently beyond the normal warranty period as of July 15, 2019 are eligible for a free servo replacement.

ISSUE 2 - INSUFFICIENT GLUE ON THE MOUNTING PLATE

Early production runs of the F-18 Hornet have experienced a greater than 1% occurrence of insufficiently glued Mounting Plates. If the plastic Mounting Plate becomes dislodged from the surrounding foam during flight, the Mounting Plate may lift upward enough to adversely impinge the elevator servo, resulting in servo failure, control armature failure, loss of elevator authority, or loss of the aircraft.

Accordingly, we advise all current customers to conduct the following inspection procedure for their F-18 Hornet, even if the model has already been successfully flown (if any of the steps below are not clear, please review the Overview Video below) :

1. Unscrew the horizontal stabilizer (elevator) and remove it.
2. Remove the thin plastic surface panel to observe the Mounting Plate.
3. Disconnect the control rod between the servo and the elevator pivot arm.
4. With a firm grip on the elevator pivot rod, exert a strong, vertical force to try and pry the Mounting Plate upward. The target is greater than approximately 6-7 pounds of force. Try repeatedly and forcefully up to but not beyond a force that would deform the surrounding foam.
5. If the plastic Mounting Plate remains firmly bonded to the foam, then your F-18 is most likely not affected by this potential hazard.
6. If the plastic Mounting Plate begins to lift away from the foam under the above stated amount of force, then it is most likely that your model is affected by this potential hazard, in which case proceed with the following additional steps.
7. Continue to pry the Mounting Plate until it lifts as shown in the photo below. DO NOT attempt to fully remove the Mounting Plate from the foam.

8. Peel away the existing glue, perforate the foam surface, and rebond the Mounting Plate to the foam with a durable adhesive such as epoxy.
9. After the adhesive cures, repeat Step 4 again to verify the bond satisfies Step 5.
10. Reconnect the control rod, reapply the thin plastic surface panel, and screw the horizontal stabilizer back on.

TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN VIDEO OVERVIEW

The following video explains the issue with the mounting plate and how you determine if your model is affected. 

SUPPORT

If you have any further questions regarding this model, do not hesitate to Contact our Customer Support team. You can also find tons of useful information and guidance from fellow pilots by visiting the Freewing 90mm F/A-18C Thread on Hobby Squawk. 

Thank you for being a valued Motion RC customer!

Sincerely,
Your Motion RC Product Support Team