{"id":2560,"date":"2026-05-06T15:10:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T13:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.robin-trumpp.de\/?p=2560"},"modified":"2026-05-06T15:16:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T13:16:13","slug":"pilot-rc-f-16-power-update","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.robin-trumpp.de\/en\/2026\/05\/06\/pilot-rc-f-16-power-update\/","title":{"rendered":"Pilot-RC F-16 Power Upgrade"},"content":{"rendered":"

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After thoroughly enjoying the Pilot-RC F-16 last year, it quickly became clear that the jet could use a bit more power for my flying style. The Prowing trade show presented the perfect opportunity: I was able to take delivery of the JetCat P350Pro, and Tony from Pilot-RC also brought me custom-fit fuel tanks.<\/p>\n

Barely back from the show, I immediately started modifying the F-16.<\/p>\n

Since the P350 naturally requires more air than the P250, I proactively designed and printed some “cheater holes” from carbon fiber reinforced plastic. These were neatly glued into both the top of the fuselage and the bottom of the fuselage. Visually, the whole thing blends in perfectly \u2013 almost as if it had been planned that way from the start.<\/p>\n

With the JetCat P250 and smoke equipment installed (without smoke oil), the takeoff weight was previously 24.7 kg. The Kevlar tanks for kerosene and smoke alone, including hoses, the hopper tank, and the smoke pump, weighed in at around 950g \u2013 weight I’ve now largely eliminated. As a result, the new setup with the P350 and bladder tank, without any smoke system, weighs almost the same as before \u2013 but offers around 10kg of additional thrust. I’d say: mission accomplished.<\/p>\n

The model has now completed four flights. Fortunately, Dennis from HMSV Vaihingen filmed a video at their flying field over the weekend. Feel free to check it out \u2013 I’m more than happy with the plane now! \ud83d\ude01<\/p>\n