Bitten by the VTOL bug

Having gotten interested in eventually building an FPV Skysurfer V1(aka BixlerV1) Quadplane using Ardupilot, I decided to see if I could build a workable FPV VTOL using just a common quadcopter FC and some fancy programming on my Taranis (OpenTX) RC transmitter.

As a cheap and easy platform, I decide to use an old, discontinued F-27C Stryker as the test platform. I have several FPV Strykers, from ultra light to full speed version with a Gopro, and love its simplicity and size. Even though discontinued, the fuselages are still readily available and only about $22. Add some elevons from 1-1/4 aileron stock, fins cut from DollarTree foamboard, a couple of 9g servos and a 2212/6 class 50g motor and 30A esc and you have a quickly built fun FPV plane platform.

My first attempt was, in effect, to add a 5 inch, 1806 motor based miniquadcopter, mounted 90 degrees at the rear motor mount area...ie have the Stryker sitting straight up on the quadcopter....thereby not requiring the 5th flight motor and esc...I used a NAZE32 mini flight controller and built a 3d printed quad frame (a simple X frame using 10mm carbon squares) which attached to motor mount area of the Stryker...I would use the NAZE in angle mode to hover and switch to ACRO mode for transition and level plane-mode flight.....I did not have fins nor elevons on the Stryker fuse....the theory being that the NAZE would just hold the whole setup in whatever attitude in forward flight, with the flying...Continue Reading