There are not many things more important to completing a flight than having
enough fuel and being able to use all you have. fortitude tanks handle that.
Text, photos and video by Tom Hintz
Flight video by Clark Ponthier Posted - 5-31-2017
Like any good RC’r I found myself in need of a gas tank in the middle of the night when there was no legal way to get one. Realizing that petty theft (these tanks are not expensive) was the best solution I boosted the tank from my Extreme Flight 78" Extra 300, temporarily grounding it. Then on my next trip to my favorite hobby shop, Anderson RC in Thomasville, NC I found a large display of Fortitude gas tanks and chose a 20-ounce ARF V2 Fuel Tank. This is a new (to me) style of tank from Fortitude so a review was in order. I should note that this Fortitude ARF V2 Fuel Tank is NOT for use with glow fuels, just common gasoline mixes.
The Fortitude ARF V2 Fuel Tanks are available in 8, 12, 16, 20 and 32 fluid ounce sizes. I like that they are made from a crystal-clear material that lets me see inside of the tank clearly when I need to diagnose a possible fuel related problem. The Fortitude ARF V2 Fuel Tank is seamless and remarkably strong. These tanks are also VERY light which is always a good thing in an RC aircraft.
The line fitting block is made from glass filled nylon which produces a very strong, very accurate molded piece. Two O-ring gaskets insure a leak-proof installation. The Fortitude ARF V2 Fuel Tank comes with all of the internal lines pre-cut and formed to make assembly easier. You also get a filtered clunk weight that adds another layer of junk protection before the carb. I also like that they use a thread-on cap rather than an expansion plug that can over stress the neck of the tank. This closure is simple and secure, both are good things.
The Fortitude ARF V2 Fuel Tank comes with a piece of foam chosen for its ability to cushion the tank and prevent damage through contact with other parts of the plane. Also included is a length of hook and loop strapping for securing the tank in the plane. This really is a no-brainer tank to install and use. Paying attention to the basics makes a traditional style even more dependable.
The hoses are secured to a special plastic
fitting with CA. I've never had one of these
connections loosen up.
The Extreme Flight 78" Extra 300 needed no modifications to accept the Fortitude ARF V2 Fuel Tank. When I first ran the DA50 fed by the Fortitude ARF V2 Fuel Tank I had to lean it just a bit. I can’t say that the difference relates to the tank or not but it ran smooth and the idle stable. All that remained was to get the Extreme Flight 78" Extra 300 and Fortitude ARF V2 Fuel Tank in the air and thrash it to see if I could induce fuel starvation somehow.
As I expected the Fortitude ARF V2 Fuel Tank fed the engine smoothly and the attitude of the plane seemed to have nothing to do with that flow. I tried tumbles that has starved other planes for fuel but the DA50 ticked on without a hiccup. Nose the Extreme Flight 78" Extra 300 up and let it go and the engine ever sagged, fuel flow again remained consistent. Before long I ran out of ideas on how to coax the Fortitude ARF V2 Fuel Tank to compromise the flow of fuel. It worked no matter how I angled the plane.
If there was any difference it was in the CG. I had put the Extreme Flight 78" Extra 300 back on my EZ Balancer after installing the surprisingly light Fortitude ARF V2 Fuel Tank and found that it had gone a bit tail heavy. I decided to leave it alone until after I could fly it to see if there was a big change in handling. After logging a few flights, I can say that the Extreme Flight 78" Extra 300 is a little more active in hard aerobatics and I like that so the CG remains a little rearward.
The Fortitude ARF V2 Fuel Tank is an impressive-looking that performs on that level as well. The clear container makes investigating a fuel-related problem fast and labor-free. I’m betting the problem will be found elsewhere when a Fortitude ARF V2 Fuel Tank is on board.
The new cap design is easy to use, secure and seals well. A lot of folks wanted to be able to open their tanks to refresh the lines over the winter and this version makes that all easy. I like the components used and the fit of the lines that will not fall off under any loads the airframe can remotely handle.
With a street price of $24.99 (5-30-2017) the Fortitude ARF V2 Fuel Tank is modern technology at old school prices, something that is very rare in todays’ RC world. If you are building (or rebuilding) a plane and want to insure dependable fuel delivery you need to give the Fortitude ARF V2 Fuel Tank a hard look, in any of the available sizes.
See the Fortitude ARF V2 Fuel Tank product page with other sizes and prices – Click Here
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