Originally Posted by littleoak

..........then I hooked up the servos, as soon as I started to use them, ESC overheated and shutdown.

In any event, you will have to replace the brushed POS ESC. A lot of folks are reporting failures with the one that came with the plane. It is junk and will continue to fail using 2 or more servos.
AJ

Thanks AJ. I will try hooking up the stock radio again tonight and set the end points, but I am using a different ESC now, so I think it will be good. Will fly this weekend once the winds moderate a little. On the stock ESC I never got any sounds from it, it was junk. I called BH and they said it was junk, and will send me a new one when they come in....... Still I did my own brushless upgrade with spares I had lying around, so with motor and esc was probably about the same as buying it.

Originally Posted by littleoak

Thanks AJ. I will try hooking up the stock radio again tonight and set the end points, but I am using a different ESC now, so I think it will be good. Will fly this weekend once the winds moderate a little. On the stock ESC I never got any sounds from it, it was junk. I called BH and they said it was junk, and will send me a new one when they come in....... Still I did my own brushless upgrade with spares I had lying around, so with motor and esc was probably about the same as buying it.

You are most welcome. Good for BH for sending you a new one. I do not blame them for the problem. It gives them a chance to get their vendor to fix the problem. I like reading the positive input about BH. Let us all know how long it takes to get the new ESC.
AJ

I don't blame them either. They are just a middle man really, but they do have some good value models. What they are selling is generally lower quality chinese planes, so you have to expect some issues, and the need to tinker a bit. Otherwise go buy from horizon, pay more, but you will get a good product and they stand behind there stuff in my experience. The sky surfer is very easy to modify, so I am not too agitated.

The Good News-> I got my SS last night at 11pm PST from UPS (I get special treatment from them) delivered to my front doorstep. So, I submit this as a record for a BH order to delivery time. Technically, they got the order Mon morning 4/05 at 8am and it was delivered on 4/7 at 11pm. That is 2 1/2 days from order to delivery. WOW!!!! Since Saralyn gets blamed for everything else, I give her the "blame" for this OUTSTANDING service. Well, done Saralyn and BH. To me, this is a big step in the right direction and I am seeing more and more positive input from other customers. IMO, I would not hesitate to order again from BH. I hope others feel the same way.
The Bad News- I am not home to put it (ARF) together. I am in Hawaii until late tomorrow night to inspect my SS. My daughter-in-law got it off the porch last night and called me immediately. So, I hope to have it assembled this weekend and submit some pics and video and hopefully another positive report on the process.
Forgive my cross posting. But, I am happily sharing my positive news with the other 2 threads that I follow. BH has a long way to go to a good reputation and I for one think they can do it.
AJ

Has anyone flown the SS as a 3 channel plane? I'm curious as to how effective the rudder is WITHOUT ailerons...

Originally Posted by Jim Duda

Has anyone flown the SS as a 3 channel plane? I'm curious as to how effective the rudder is WITHOUT ailerons...

Jim,
You worried about me only goin three channel? The SS rudder appears to have plenty of throw and with out a high / low switch on the TX it should be enough for me. I just want to get some flight time in no 3D for me. Yet!

? Sky Surfer Prop ?
How do you know which way to install the prop on the SS? It pushes air mounted both ways ?

Jon - No 3D concerns...just want to make sure the rudder only will be enough to turn it sharply if the need arises.

You can usually tell prop orientation by looking at the airfoil of it. Or, try it both ways and see which moves the most air.

Originally Posted by JP n Texas

Jim,
You worried about me only goin three channel? The SS rudder appears to have plenty of throw and with out a high / low switch on the TX it should be enough for me. I just want to get some flight time in no 3D for me. Yet!

? Sky Surfer Prop ?
How do you know which way to install the prop on the SS? It pushes air mounted both ways ?

A picture is worth.......
AJ

AJ,
I printed the image. Thanks. The pitch on the SS prop is not like any other prop I have seen although I haven't seen many. My T-Hawk prop probably has twice the surface area and a very defined pitch.
Hope you get your SS built and flyin. Looking forward to a report!
JP

littleoak,

I have the same exact issue with my sons Sky Surfer. But once put together and plugged up the motor keeps turning once the button is pressed. I tried the above mentioned tip but these ESC are not brushless and do not beep. I tried over and over and no luck.

I am going to go ahead and order a brushless set up and fly this one like it is. I will pretend the electric motor has idle lol. I did try the radio with brushless ESC and motor on another plane and it worked fine. I then tried my 9303 and my own receiver and I have normal control over motor. But I had some major glitches and stuttering so something is wrong with that ESC making it act up.

I had another problem with the radio. When my son opened it up on his birthday he mentioned the radio had two throttles. I was confused what he meant until I held the radio and seen there was no tension to make the elevator stick return to center once pulled down. I did not want him to get discouraged so I told him I can adjust that. Once I opened the radio I found one of the pegs that touches the spring lever was broken and laying there in grease. I was annoyed but nothing I cant fix. I just drilled a small hole and ran a screw through it to make up for the peg. It works fine now.

I dont mind issues like that I been doing this hobby for years and I can pretty much fix anything. It is just those annoying electric problems that make you feel helpless sometimes. For the price I dont mind messing with it.

Over all I like the plane and we are ready to fly it. I think this will get my son into the hobby and hopefully gives him the bug as I got years ago when I learned to fly. I think it is a good looking plane and feels solid and looks easy to upgrade. Next will be the FPV head set to fly with on it.

Also anyone know what size prop is on the brushed version?

Hey Slick,

I think the prop is listed as a 5x8" but as posted previous I don't really think it is 8" pitch! Maybe 5x5" looking at it. I need to run to my local hobby store and try a 5x5". Right now I am still using stock. As discussed prev. my ESC probs were same as yours, but all fixed now with brushless setup. One thing is that it is a long distance from the motor mount to the battery box area. You will probably have to lengthen wires on your ESC. Or like I did, mount the esc on the top of the plane (super cooling!). I mounted a little inrunner I had just with expoy, and it fly's fine, but if your getting an outrunner, it should be easy to add a mounting plate. To crack the fuse open you have to xacto a fair distance along the seam cause this foam does not flex much. Once in the air she is a nice flyer, just cruises around. She'll do loops and very slow rolls, with lots of altitude loss. But for beginners to just cruise and do rudder turns she's good. Our 5 & 6yr old's can fly her around, with some close watching from dad. I flew on a 1300 and she went 10min, and I only put 750mah back in. She glides forever, I overshot my landing zone every time. So if your flying with the bad ESC with some idle, then you may have to force it to the ground. I also noticed with my stock brushed ESC that throttle response from the motor lagged behind stick input. The ESC was just a dud.

Glad you got your radio fixed.

Anyone know what the CG is supposed to be on a Sky Surfer? TIA.
AJ

My CG is just behind the carbon wing spar. About 75mm from leading edge. Seemed to fly nice and stable at that point.

Originally Posted by littleoak

My CG is just behind the carbon wing spar. About 75mm from leading edge. Seemed to fly nice and stable at that point.

I will probably put it there. Thanks for the reply.
AJ