Another beginner question....does the red antenna coming off the receiver ride inside the fuselage, or should it be routed outside, maybe thru the small hole in the bottom?

Inside is fine

I couldn't figure out how to get rubber bands on my hooks without building a stand or bracket, or putting dowels in the sides.... Which i was not ready to do yet. So I went with zip ties.... This makes a semi-permenant wing attachment, which is perfect for me. Most of my flying will be a mile down the road, and i will hang the plane on the wall when not flying... But i can cut the zip ties for longer transport or storage.

Do you guys normally put some packing tape on the bottom to keep the foam in decent shape on landing? Hope to test fly her later today!

Originally Posted by Mikeamondo

Do you guys normally put some packing tape on the bottom to keep the foam in decent shape on landing?

YES!

Andy

Originally Posted by Mikeamondo

I couldn't figure out how to get rubber bands on my hooks without building a stand or bracket, or putting dowels in the sides.... Which i was not ready to do yet. So I went with zip ties.... This makes a semi-permenant wing attachment, which is perfect for me. Most of my flying will be a mile down the road, and i will hang the plane on the wall when not flying... But i can cut the zip ties for longer transport or storage.

Do you guys normally put some packing tape on the bottom to keep the foam in decent shape on landing? Hope to test fly her later today!

Yes. The packing tape not only protects from scuffing on landing it also improves the fuse structure along the dividing lines. For that matter using the tape along the leading edge of the wings will help prevent deep dents from impacts.

Excellent.... I think i will pick up some tape today.... Too windy to fly her today anyway.. Thanks for all the help and advice! Since i habe a little more time.... Any advice for not only the maiden flight of this plane, but also my first 3 axis control plane?

Originally Posted by Mikeamondo

Excellent.... I think i will pick up some tape today.... Too windy to fly her today anyway.. Thanks for all the help and advice! Since i habe a little more time.... Any advice for not only the maiden flight of this plane, but also my first 3 axis control plane?

The plane is pretty easy to fly. Before you fly it under power try to see how it glides by tossing it forward like you were going to fly it. That will tell you if your CG is good. It should glide for a good number of feet and then slide to a landing. If it noses up or down the CG is not correct.

When you are ready to really fly it make sure you have the throttle about 70 to 75% then throw it forward with a little up nose.

Get it up about 60 feet (high enough to recover from a mistake) then you can power back to 50%. Practice making gentle turns. It will nose down due to drag so gently pull back on the elevator to compensate.

Remember it is a glider. If you go into a stall just drop throttle to 0% and let go of the control sticks. It should level out by itself. Then take control again.

Take your time and enjoy. If it crashes it can be fixed.

If you have a buddy then take videos. You will enjoy watching them again or learn from possible mistakes.

Good luck with the maiden.

Vince

Hi everyone,

I'm fairly new to the glider scene but have been flying helicopters for several years. I've read about the many ways to hold the wings together such as the rubber bands etc. but I wanted something that was simple and quick to install and remove.

I went with putting a velcro tab on each wing across the spar area and then a matching long piece of velcro to connect the two tabs on each side. Holds perfectly and the wings can be removed in seconds.

I was flying mine for only the 3rd time today, had it up about 500 feet doing loops and rolls and flying upside down. Flew beautifully in about a 10-12 mph wind for 12 minutes on a 3S 2200mah battery. Had plenty of power to go at least another 5 minutes if I had wanted. Only things I've done to the ARF version is install a 30 amp esc, an APC 6 x 4EP prop and a AR600 Spectrum long range receiver. I also put packing tape down the bottom of the fuselage and along the leading edge of the main wings.

Only thing I think it needs is a stronger spar. In a strong breeze the wings will flex quite a bit. I've been thinking that I might take out the spar, fill it full of expanding foam and put it back in there. Has anyone tried that? It wouldn't add much weight to it.

Anyway, enjoyed flying the Bixler very much. No speed demon but plenty of power with the 2200mah batts. Mildly aerobatic too.

Thanks for everyone's advice here in the forums. I haven't posted in this area before but I've read a lot of the posts about the Sky Surfer/Bixler and it helped immensely.

Donnie

Originally Posted by DragonFly711

Hi everyone,

I'm fairly new to the glider scene but have been flying helicopters for several years. I've read about the many ways to hold the wings together such as the rubber bands etc. but I wanted something that was simple and quick to install and remove.

I went with putting a velcro tab on each wing across the spar area and then a matching long piece of velcro to connect the two tabs on each side. Holds perfectly and the wings can be removed in seconds.

I was flying mine for only the 3rd time today, had it up about 500 feet doing loops and rolls and flying upside down. Flew beautifully in about a 10-12 mph wind for 12 minutes on a 3S 2200mah battery. Had plenty of power to go at least another 5 minutes if I had wanted. Only things I've done to the ARF version is install a 30 amp esc, an APC 6 x 4EP prop and a AR600 Spectrum long range receiver. I also put packing tape down the bottom of the fuselage and along the leading edge of the main wings.

Only thing I think it needs is a stronger spar. In a strong breeze the wings will flex quite a bit. I've been thinking that I might take out the spar, fill it full of expanding foam and put it back in there. Has anyone tried that? It wouldn't add much weight to it.

Anyway, enjoyed flying the Bixler very much. No speed demon but plenty of power with the 2200mah batts. Mildly aerobatic too.

Thanks for everyone's advice here in the forums. I haven't posted in this area before but I've read a lot of the posts about the Sky Surfer/Bixler and it helped immensely.

Donnie

Nice build. I haven't heard of anyone using foam to fill the spar. I used a 4mm carbon tube glued inside the 6mm one that came with my SS. Some people add a 3rd 2mm rod inside the 4mm.

I wanted to comment on your stand. It looks very much like the one I built for about $9. It does a great job to hold the plane while I work on it at home or in the field.

This is a good thread for the SS or Bixler that is used for FPV flying. Although you get a lot of good info just about the planes themselves. Glad you checked it out.

Vince

Originally Posted by DragonFly711

...
Only thing I think it needs is a stronger spar. In a strong breeze the wings will flex quite a bit.
...

I left the spar alone and embedded carbon strips into the bottom of the wings, cut in vertically into a slot. After pushing the strips into the slit, I rad a bead of thin CA down the strip to lock it in place. Turned the wings into concrete!

Originally Posted by Eagle202

Nice build. I haven't heard of anyone using foam to fill the spar. I used a 4mm carbon tube glued inside the 6mm one that came with my SS. Some people add a 3rd 2mm rod inside the 4mm.

I wanted to comment on your stand. It looks very much like the one I built for about $9. It does a great job to hold the plane while I work on it at home or in the field.

This is a good thread for the SS or Bixler that is used for FPV flying. Although you get a lot of good info just about the planes themselves. Glad you checked it out.

Vince

Thanks Vince,

I may give the expanding foam a shot. If it doesn't work, I'll add a stronger spar.

The stand I have is exactly like yours. Picked up the idea on the forum somewhere originally for my Dynam T-28 which is approximately the same size as the Bixler/SS. Use it all the time to work on my bigger planes.

Donnie

Originally Posted by erkq

I left the spar alone and embedded carbon strips into the bottom of the wings, cut in vertically into a slot. After pushing the strips into the slit, I rad a bead of thin CA down the strip to lock it in place. Turned the wings into concrete!

That's an idea. May look into that method also.

Donnie

Originally Posted by Mikeamondo

Excellent.... I think i will pick up some tape today.... Too windy to fly her today anyway.. Thanks for all the help and advice! Since i habe a little more time.... Any advice for not only the maiden flight of this plane, but also my first 3 axis control plane?

Yes - fly the sim first! Make sure you turn on wind - more than you will really encounter, and more erratic. The most useful learning maneuver on a simulator for me is probably a low pass. But just about anything is useful, as long as you have wind and turbulence turned on.

The big problem in RL when new is losing orientation. So put the sim plane far away, look at your GF for 5 to 10 seconds, and then see if you can recover.

You can also use Gorilla glue along with your spar in the wings. Fill the hole full of glue, insert the spar and work it in and out to fill voids. The glue will expand once it starts drying. Solid as a rock!!!

Here is my best Bixler FPV video :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=un9i6SynyMY