The FMS Avanti is an aircraft developed jointly by the FMS team and the Sebart team in Italy.
Introduction
The FMS Avanti is an aircraft developed jointly by the FMS team and the Sebart team in Italy. Originally designed in Italy and integrated with the design concept of FMS, this Avanti brings together the essence of Chinese and Italian design. With official authorization from Sebart, quality is more guaranteed.
About the model:
Our product concept remains the same, "perfect appearance, excellent performance." Based on this, we require this 90mm EDF Avanti to resemble the full-sized original as closely as possible, while improving on the maneuverability performance and low-speed performance of our previous 90mm EDF jets. To meet these ambitious requirements, the engineers have spent more than a year in research and development. FMS 90mm EDF features a low stall point, high fault tolerance, and ease of control when turning and circling. It is flexible and precise in the air, easily performing side flight, inverted flight, rolls, spirals, loops and other maneuvers. The rear fuselage can be upgraded to install vector unit (purchased separately), for experienced modelers to challenge themselves super maneuvers such as pirouettes (leaf floating). "With the vector unit and Reflex flight control system, modelers can fly however they want in the sky," the R&D engineer commented after the fourth phase of testing. The combination of a high-efficiency 90mm EDF 12-blade ducted fan unit, a high-thrust in-runner 3670-KV1950 motor, and a high-quality 120A ESC, paired with the recommended 6S 5000–6000mAh 45C battery, provides unparalleled performance for flight. The throttle response is almost instantaneous, and the sound is immersive. This scale jet combines the smooth flight characteristics of a sport airplane with the agility for incredible aerobatics and high speeds! Additionally, the Avanti 90mm EDF incorporates the latest structural and assembly techniques, such as the screw-together structure, ball-linked control surfaces and multi-connector system, enabling fast and simple assembly; equipped with electronic retract system with over-current protection mode and CNC machined kneeling metal landing gear, the Avanti effectively resists violent landings; featuring large, wear-resistant tires suitable for takeoff and landing on rough surfaces; four navigation lights are distributed on both wingtips and top and bottom fuselage, with both wingtip and bottom fuselage lights capable of flashing, adding realism and interest to flights against a backdrop of a setting sun. The 90mmEDF Avanti is the first choice in its class in terms of assembly, take-off, flight and landing, and is ideal for experienced modelers to advance their flight.
Features:
- Electronic Configuration: High-quality 120A ESC, high-power in-runner 3670 KV1950 motor, high-efficiency 90mm 12-blade ducted fan unit, high-precision metal digital servos.
- Extremely versatile performance and speed range, enabling leisurely, high-speed, and aerobatic flying, with smooth and effortless takeoff, flight, and landing.
- Electronic retracts with over-current protection and CNC machined kneeling metal landing gear, effectively resisting harsh landings. Landing gear adding strong adhesion damping silicone oil, more smooth travel, more even cushioning force.
- Functional flaps significantly increase the aircraft's lift coefficient.
- Realistic flashing navigation lights (except for the top fuselage light) and turbine-like simulated sound.
- Two-piece fuselage and main wings for convenient storage and transportation.
- Latch-type transparent cockpit with realistic instrument panel and pilot figure.
- Large battery compartment for accommodating batteries of different sizes from various manufacturers.
- Pre-installed ball-linked control surface for increased throw and precision
- Screw assembly structure.
- Environmentally friendly water-based paint.
- High-strength EPO 34.5 foam.
As mentioned in the manual, the FMS Avanti is a 90mm EDF foam version of the Sebart International turbine Avanti. The Sebart Avanti is known to be a great flying aircraft that is popular worldwide. But most people would probably be more familiar with the 80mm Freewing Avanti or the 70mm FMS Avanti. Fast forward to the 90mm FMS Avanti which after it was announced, quickly gained traction on forums related to RC. The optional thrust vectoring unit also seems to attract attention. It did have a few mixed reactions from the RC community about whether we needed another Avanti model since a 70mm and 80mm EDF foam Avanti already exists. Its paint scheme also attracted attention. I admit that I wasn’t fond of the paint scheme until I saw it in person and now, I actually like it.
I have seen modelers comment that they see the same old thing being produced by different companies (or the same thing in different sizes) and it would be nice to “see something different”. Well, this isn’t exactly different. If you have flown a lot of RC at a few local fields you would probably have run into some form of Avanti at this point. What can make this different is the optional thrust vectoring unit … but since I don’t have that yet, let's see how different or similar the FMS is from the others. I have flown an 80mm EDF Avanti and have also seen the 70mm version fly as well. My hope is the FMS Avanti will fly at least as well as, if not better than other EDF versions given its size. We have all heard that bigger flies better … let’s find out if that’s true!
Kit Contents
The kit contents were precisely packed into a two-layer molded foam cradle inside the kit box. As I have mentioned in previous reviews, designing the foam cradles that hold the foam airframe components inside the kit box could be a job itself that takes a lot of skill. The fit of the sub-assemblies in the foam cradles was impressive and all the parts arrived damage-free. I was impressed with the quality of the molded foam components. The foam is dense and smooth. What stood out quickly was the color scheme. It’s a little more vibrant in person than in the pictures I had seen.
- Avanti parts in the foam cradle as provided. There are two stacked cradles to save space.
- Avanti parts as they are packed in their foam cradles.
The wing panels looked great and felt very stout. They didn’t feel overly heavy for their size. The control surfaces for the airframe are hinged with plastic hinges instead of foam, which is nice to see given foam hinges tend to deteriorate over time. The main gear struts and wheels also look great and resemble the struts and wheels that can be found on other FMS aircraft; however, I noticed one of the main gear strut covers didn’t lay flat against the wing like the other one. The stab feels solid without much flex. It includes a servo for each elevator half. These servos are eventually connected together with a y-connector during assembly. One of my elevators had much more resistance than the other when moving it, but this has not proven to be an issue.
The fuselage comes in two pieces. Each section had a nice solid feel to it, and I was glad to see the fuselage and wings included DB9 connectors. The fin and rudder looked good as well. My first impression of the fin is that it seemed a bit oversized even for a model of this size. The fin includes a factory-installed servo for the rudder. As noted in my last two FMS reviews, FMS uses a mix of paint and decals (stickers) to complete their paint schemes. The stickers are mostly good, but they were lifted somewhat on some of the edges and points. I eventually ended up using some CA glue to hold it down in a few places. It would be nice to see an all-painted airframe, but I understand that would mean more cost. At this point, I wasn't concerned with anything I saw. The components looked great, and I was ready to proceed with the assembly.
Assembly
FMS provides a paper instruction manual that is easy to follow. The manual also includes clear illustrations that help guide the modeler through the assembly steps. Sections on included parts, safety, pre-flight checks, flight, and ESC programming are also included.
Rear Fuselage Installation
The front and rear fuselage sections are aligned with the factory installed carbon tubes in the rear fuselage section. The are also two tabs on the rear fuselage section and two tab pockets on the main fuselage section that aid in alignment. After the two sections are pushed together, machine screws are used to secure them.
Although the manual recommends installing the wing panels at this point, I chose to continue working on the fuselage assembly. These steps will be easier without the wing panels attached.
The horizontal stabilizer has two servos factory-installed that control each elevator half. The elevator servos are connected together with a Y-harness. Once installed on the elevator servos, The Y-harness connector is then run underneath a plastic piece just in front of the stab saddle. As you can see in one of the included pics, I got a little ahead of myself and just connected the Y-Harness without going under that plastic. If you don’t go under the plastic, there will be an issue when you go to install the fin. Once the Y-harness is installed correctly, the horizontal stabilizer can be installed on the stab saddle on the rear of the fuselage. Three machine screws are used to secure it in place.
- Elevator Y-harness / connector.
- A Y-harness is used to connect the elevator servos ... but don't do it like this. The Y-harness needs to be run under that plastic piece just in front of the stab saddle. See the picture below for correct installation.
The fin is installed by first connecting the rudder servo wire to the rudder servo extension. This connector is then placed in a small pocket on top of the fuselage. The elevator connectors are also placed in a small pocket on the fuselage. Once all connections are set in their pockets, the fin can then be set in place and secured with three machine screws.
The two wing tubes slide into holes in the fuselage. One of the wing tubes appears to be fiberglass while the other appears to be carbon. The wing tubes are different diameters so there is only one way they can both be installed properly. After the wing tubes are installed, the wing panels are then pushed up against the fuselage on the wing tubes. Make sure the DB9 connectors are together firmly. Each wing panel is then held in place with two machine screws.
- Root of the wing panel showing the DB9 connector.
- Wing saddle on the fuselage showing the DB9 connector.
Nose Cone
The FMS Avanti nosecone is held in place with a tab and clip system instead of magnets. The nosecone simply slides onto the front of the fuselage until it clips into place.
Canopy / Cockpit
The canopy / cockpit assembly is held in place with a tab and pin design. A foam tab is inserted under a lip at the front of the fuselage canopy opening, and the rear of the canopy is held in place with a pin at the rear of the fuselage canopy opening. The fuselage has a sliding tab that retracts and inserts the pin into the canopy.
The cockpit looks good for a sport foamy EDF jet, but that pilot on the other hand needs to be updated.
- Battery bay.
- Avanti cockpit / canopy top view.
- Avanti cockpit and canopy, bottom view.
- Cockpit details.
Receiver / Gyro
The battery bay on the FMS Avanti is very large and will easily accept the 6s 6000mah battery packs that I plan to use. I did modify the stock layout somewhat. I replaced the provided strip of Velcro with something a little longer so I could move my battery around to test different C.G’s. I also moved the “control box” from the factory provided shelf and mounted my receiver and an FMS Reflex gyro there. The “control box” was moved and mounted to the inside of the turtle deck with Velcro.
- Battery bay.
- Modified battery bay. Long strip of Velcro added, "control box" moved, received and gyro installed on the "control box" platform.
Control Throws and CG
The recommended control throws and center of gravity are provided in the clipped pictures below from the instruction manual. I followed their recommendations for control throws and balanced my FMS Avanti at 135mm … the aft end of their recommended range.
Additional Details
Some interesting additional details are shown below in pictures.
- Pilot figure. FMS needs to update this!
- Canopy latch. Top fuselage light can also be seen behind the latch.
Completed Airframe
Power System
The power system is a 12-blade 90mm electric ducted fan with a 3670 KV1950 motor mated to a Predator 120-amp ESC. With a 6s 6000mah LiPo battery, I was seeing a peak of 124 amps (right off the charger) and 118 amps and 2700 watts after about 5 seconds of run time on my wattmeter. This should be plenty of power for a decent sport jet flight.
At the Field
For anyone who lives in the Midwest, you know getting to the field on an acceptable day for flying doesn’t always come easy. But as luck would have it, the event E-Jets and E-Warbirds was quickly approaching and the forecast looked good. I took the very recently completed FMS Avanti to E-Jets and E-Warbirds (at Deer Creek State Park, Ohio) and took the obligatory field pictures, did my range test, checked my control surface directions and throws, and prepared for flight.
Flying
As mentioned above, I was at the event E-Jets and E-Warbirds, and the time had come for the first flight (after event hours). Everything was good to go, so I set the FMS Avanti down and began to taxi out to the runway. The Avanti rolled out about ten feet ... and then a main wheel fell off. The c-clip that keeps the wheel on the axle had fallen off. Although we had a team of event participants looking for that c-clip on black pavement, we were unable to locate it. I had mentioned previously that one of the main gear axles was not assembled properly on the strut. My guess is that I didn't quite get the c-clip all the way back on while fixing the axle issue. Luckily, an event participant had a spare c-clip but at this point, I decided to skip the maiden for now to make sure the c-clip was properly applied at home ... and avoid another wheel issue.
Taking Off
Maiden flight … After doing my pre-flight routine, I taxied out to the center of the runway for the first flight. Like some recent FMS jets, the Avanti rolls very easily on pavement so care must be taken especially when taxiing back to the pits. At this point, I did not have reverse thrust activated since I was using the 7th channel on my 7-channel receiver for gyro control. The FMS Avanti taxies easily and is planted solidly with its wide gear stance. The wind was blowing but not too hard. I would estimate it to be gusting around 10mph. I advanced the throttle somewhat quickly to full throttle and the FMS Avanti responded promptly.
Under full throttle (on pavement) the FMS Avanti gains speed quickly. I was up to flying speed in about 60 feet. As I fed in up elevator, it lifted off a little quicker than I anticipated and started a powerful and somewhat steep climb out. The FMS Avanti needed some down trim to fly level, which was why it took off a little earlier than I expected. The maiden takeoff was without flaps … as I do with all maiden flights and most of my flights in general. With flaps, the FMS Avanti can takeoff in less distance and lift off shallower for a given elevator input... it lifts off more level. My preference is to leave the flaps up and go full throttle for quick takeoffs. Takeoffs without flaps have a more locked-in feel, especially at higher takeoff speeds. Takeoffs with flaps seemed more susceptible to crosswind, which caused more of a slight side oscillation during climb out. Subsequent takeoffs have proven to be a non-issue as this plane tracks exceptionally well.
Landing
The first flight included takeoff, adding a little down and left trim, getting used to the FMS Avanti’s flight characteristics, and trying some moderate aerobatics and show passes. Although I had set a timer, for this flight I was going by the telemetry on My Jeti DS16 transmitter which can show individual cell voltages on a 6s flight pack. When the cells were hovering around 3.7v, I decided it was time to land. This first flight was with a 6000mah battery, which is on the heavier end of their recommended 6s battery spectrum. The C.G. felt good in the air, and my stall test went very well, so I wasn’t too concerned about this first landing.
The wind was gusting about 10mph and was mostly across the runway. This was my maiden landing which happened to be in somewhat gusty conditions and mostly crosswind, so I decided to come in a little steeper than normal and stayed into the power the entire time until touchdown. I had the landing gear down and the flaps in the half flap position due to the crosswind (Full flaps tend to be more problematic in crosswinds and higher winds in general. If there is a heavy crosswind or headwind I often land without flaps). The FMS Avanti settled in quite nicely as I reduced power and set up for landing. There is a small group of trees at the end of the runway that tend to cause turbulent air around them, and I could see the plane wobble as I flew over and between them. I tend to leave the gyro off for the first few flights of a new plane so I can get used to the raw feel of the aircraft before I turn it on. I’m sure the gyro would have smoothed this out, but it was nice to see that the FMS Avanti handled it fine without a gyro. As the FMS Avanti got closer to the runway, I slowly began to reduce the throttle and add up elevator. The wind was buffeting The FMS Avanti a little, but it remained positive in control the entire time and I was easily able to correct for the wind.
I kept the throttle at about 20 percent as the FMS Avanti settled over the runway. The wind was buffeting the airframe, but the Avanti stayed very controllable. I held off touching down for quite some time just over the runway until the FMS Avanti finally settled in on all three landing gear. After touchdown and some rollout, I finally cut the throttle and rolled the FMS Avanti all the way back to the pits without power. Did I mention this thing rolls easily? Most of the subsequent landings have been uneventful using the same procedure outlined above. As I began to move the battery back on subsequent flights and try different C.G.’s, it became easier to hold the nose gear up and settle the aircraft down on the main gear first.
The one landing that was not uneventful was my fault. For the maiden, I used the battery telemetry on my Jeti DS16. For the second flight, I decided to use my timer so I could concentrate more on the flight without monitoring the cell voltages of the flight pack (I had not set a pack alarm yet). During this flight, it felt like I had been in the air for quite some time, but my timer had not gone off yet, so I kept flying. Unfortunately, The FMS Avanti lost full power in the air, and I had to execute an emergency landing with very limited power (the esc doesn’t completely cut out on low voltage but goes to about 10% power). I had to quickly set up for a landing and avoid a few trees in the process. Luckily, the stock FMS Avanti glides fairly well for a jet and I barely made it back to the runway. What happened? Why did the esc hit low voltage? Well, I had set my timer to 4 hours instead of 4 minutes! Oops, no wonder it felt like I had been in the air for quite some time. From the time I took off until the time the wheels touched the ground was 6.5 minutes … and my battery was feeling that 6.5 minutes! Check out the included flight video of me dodging trees with the FMS Avanti during the emergency landing.
A few things to note … full flaps are very effective, so more power is needed when settling onto the runway. In higher winds, especially crosswinds, the FMS Avanti will waggle a bit at slow speeds. A gyro will help with this issue but the low flap setting, or no flaps will also help calm this issue. Speaking of gyros, The FMS Avanti does not need a gyro in its 6s stock configuration. Sure, it will help smooth out wind conditions and flight in general, but don’t feel like you must have one!
Basic Flight
As mentioned, I was not a huge fan of the paint scheme before I saw it in person. In person, and especially in the air is where this paint scheme shines. The FMS Avanti is very easy to see in the air! The FMS Avanti does require some down trim to fly level. I am reluctant to give an exact amount here because that will also depend on your preferred center of gravity. At this point, I have moved my 6000mah SMC battery pack back about an inch from the recommended reward C.G. suggestion in the instruction manual. What I noticed during my first flight is that the ailerons are twitchy on even their recommended low settings. I have since lowered my low-rate ailerons to 9mm (15% expo) but left my low-rate elevator at the recommended setting. The FMS Avanti really excels at just about all aspects of flight; it tracks well, especially at full throttle, and has positive control input even at lower speeds.
For basic flight, I prefer my new low-rate transmitter settings which for me translates into smoother flights. Especially with jets, I prefer a smoother presentation rather than quick motions or stalls and spins. The high rates are a bit sensitive for my taste, especially at full speed (rudder excluded). The only time I use high-rate elevator is for landing in higher winds where I want more control. I also like to make slower show passes and low flying slower patterns. Even though I usually fly my jets at high speed mostly, I find myself slowing the FMS Avanti down and enjoying its stable low speed flight characteristics. My impression of the FMS Avanti during basic flight was very positive, so it was time to push it a little more and see what it could do.
Aerobatics and Special Flight Performance
The stock FMS Avanti will do the normal jet aerobatics, but it takes those aerobatics to the next level, for a jet. Since my Avanti required some down trim to fly level, I first wanted to try some inverted climbs and dives to see how the airframe reacted. The FMS Avanti does need a bit of down elevator to fly inverted but not an excessive amount which leads me to believe the CG is close to being ideal for how I like it. Remember, I moved my C.G. back a little bit from the rearward recommendation. The FMS Avanti flies well inverted even at lower speeds without having the wing rock some airframes have while inverted. Now that I had established my comfort level with this C.G, I wanted to toss the plane around hard “three mistakes high” to see what kind of negative characteristics it might have before I tried any lower-level aerobatics. On high rates, the airframe becomes somewhat twitchy but not unstable unless you pull hard on the elevator. The FMS Avanti will snap and spin easily when pulling full elevator, rudder, and aileron … and combinations of those control surfaces, which can be fun if that is what you are intending. Be careful doing this low, it does take some time and altitude to recover from these violent snaps and spins.
Knife-edge flight with the FMS Avanti is easily accomplished. At high speed, it requires little rudder input to stay level and a minimal amount of elevator correction to stay straight. At lower speeds, it simply requires a bit more rudder. At high speed with a lot of rudder input, the FMS Avanti will actually climb in knife edge. The FMS Avanti has a good amount of side area and a large canopy which helps in knife-edge flight. Given its knife-edge prowess, The FMS Avanti also does 4-point rolls very well … probably my favorite maneuver with this airframe. It has a nice locked-in feel and doesn’t over-rotate when stopping at each point in the roll. It will also do slow rolls very well with the proper amount of elevator and rudder correction.
Loops with the FMS Avanti can be large. The FMS Avanti has a good power system that provides a very good vertical climb, although not unlimited. I just needed to make sure my power and flight speed was kept up to close in the loop at the top, so it didn’t fall out. Smaller tighter loops are easily accomplished but don’t pull too tight on high rate, it will snap out. I don’t usually do many or any loops in a normal non-review flight routine but it’s nice to do during a review or a maiden flight to establish some parameters for additional advanced maneuvers. On high-rate rudder, stall turns are easily executed. Unlike a prop plane, you just need to keep a little speed at the top, so the rudder is effective. Once back on the downline, the FMS Avanti does have a little waggle after doing a stall turn but it smooths out very quickly. The FMS Avanti performs most basic maneuvers with ease as noted above including things like Cuban eights, reverse half Cuban eight, split-S's, and Immelmans, etc … but as mentioned above this airframe excels, for a jet, at somewhat violent aerobatics as well. As a matter of fact, this is the most aerobatic, snap-and-spin happy jet that I currently have, although I don’t prefer to fly it that way.
Post Flight Notes
- My FMS Avanti requires 2 mm of down elevator to fly level.
- My low-rate and high-rate elevator throws match the recommended settings. I take off and fly on the low-rate setting and land on the high-rate setting (15% expo).
- My low-rate aileron throw is 9mm and my high-rate aileron throw is 16mm. I fly in the low-rate setting almost all the time now (20% expo).
- My low-rate flap is now 20mm and my high-rate flap is 40mm.
Is this for Beginners?
The FMS Avanti is not for a true beginner. It could possibly be a first EDF for someone who has mastered a trainer and sport plane. It would definitely be a good fit for someone who has some previous, and successful, EDF experience.
Flight Video
FMS AVANTI 90MM EDF (11 min 1 sec) |
Conclusion
It has been established in the hobby industry that Avanti’s of all sizes fly well … but does the FMS Avanti continue that tradition? In a word, yes! The FMS Avanti is a go where you point it type of jet that responds to control input well and has great top-end speed for a stock 90mm jet. Will it be your fastest 6s stock 90mm jet? Maybe not, but possibly. Takeoffs and landings are easy with the Avanti. I really am impressed with how easily it settles into a landing and remains very controllable even at slower speeds before touchdown. I will say that it flies well with or without a gyro but does feel a little more locked in with a gyro. I used a manufacturer-supplied FMS Reflex V3 gyro and can say that it does remove slight inconsistencies in flight that are present without the gyro, especially in higher winds.
As mentioned, I wasn’t a big fan of the paint scheme when I first saw it in pictures, but it has grown on me to the point that I like it now. It definitely looks better in person. Given its flight characteristics, and it's easy to see in flight paint scheme, I see myself taking the Avanti to the local field often. I look forward to trying the 8s power system as well as the thrust vectoring nozzle and reporting back, but until then, keep the FMS Avanti on your potential buy list if you are looking for a great flying 90mm sport jet.
Pluses:
- Fit and finish. The FMS Avanti has a high level of prefabricated parts. Build time is minimal. I had no issues with the fitment of any of the parts. Machine screws, not self-tapping screws are used which is a huge plus. No glue is necessary. The paintwork is well done.
- DB9 connectors used for the wing to fuse electric connection simplifies wing attachment and makes assembly easier.
- Electric retracts with metal suspension struts look great. The main and nose gear wheels look good as well (See neutral and negative for additional comments on these).
- Nice cockpit and canopy.
- Great flight characteristics. The FMS Avanti tracks well and provides stress-free takeoffs and landings
- Large battery bay.
- Factory-installed lights.
- No cheater holes.
- No Foam hinges.
- Comes with an ESC that is 8s capable. Making the transition to an optional 8s EDF easier and less expensive.
- Optional thrust vectoring unit available.
Neutral:
- The FMS Avanti paint scheme has been a little polarizing. When I first saw it in pictures, I wasn’t a fan, but in person, it has quickly grown on me to the point that I actually like it now.
- Although the stickers are mostly well adhered, some of the tips and edges have needed to be repeatedly pressed back down. I finally added a little medium ca to the back of some tips of the decals to hold them in place.
- Although the main and nose wheels look good, it would be nice if the tires themselves were softer.
- One of my main gear axles was not installed properly.
- The edges of the cockpit/canopy and cockpit opening on the fuselage are not covered with hard plastic; neither are the leading edges of the intakes. I would like to see plastic here, especially around the cockpit opening on the fuselage since this area tends to get dinged up from the installation and removal of the battery.
Minuses:
- The struts are way too stiff as provided to the point that they hardly move. I used some Goo Gone in the struts to remove the factory-added grease. The struts now work perfectly.
- I realize The Avanti is not an original FMS design, but this thing really could use a proper tail cone. The rear of this one even looks a little more odd than other Avanti’s.
- This needs a better-looking pilot figure.
- The battery connector wire on the ESC is too short. It needs to be about 3 inches longer.
- The included EC5 battery connector is made from spring-type plugs instead of bullet plugs.