Originally Posted by BajanFlyer

Hi all. I'm a new proud owner of a Sky Surfer V4 and all my searches for experiences with this plane have pointed me to this site. I can definitely see why - the wealth of knowledge on this thread is unmatched and I want to say thanks to all who have contributed to making this site such a valuable resource for novices like myself.

So far I have completed assembly and tested to make sure everything on the plane works as it should. To be honest, that process was hindered by the poor documentation that came with the plane. It felt like I was putting together a puzzle - not the sort of stress I think a beginner should be put through. Anyway, given the weather, it looks like the maiden flight should be next weekend. Until then, I'll be on the flight simulator.

My one question is - how can I tell when the battery on the plane is running low? Is there a warning light/sound I should look out for?

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

David.

I've picked up several cheap lipo alarms from ebay and so far so good. They are loud enough and have LED to tell you voltage on each individual cells. You can also program the low voltage threshold level as well. I used my 3S lipo on my son's power wheel; this alarm comes very handy.
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=...at=0&_from=R40

Originally Posted by BajanFlyer

Hi all. I'm a new proud owner of a Sky Surfer V4 and all my searches for experiences with this plane have pointed me to this site. I can definitely see why - the wealth of knowledge on this thread is unmatched and I want to say thanks to all who have contributed to making this site such a valuable resource for novices like myself.

So far I have completed assembly and tested to make sure everything on the plane works as it should. To be honest, that process was hindered by the poor documentation that came with the plane. It felt like I was putting together a puzzle - not the sort of stress I think a beginner should be put through. Anyway, given the weather, it looks like the maiden flight should be next weekend. Until then, I'll be on the flight simulator.

My one question is - how can I tell when the battery on the plane is running low? Is there a warning light/sound I should look out for?

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

David.

There is no sound, the only indication is that you no longer get as much power from the motor. There is a point where the speed controller will warn you by slowing the motor or even shutting it off so you do not lose radio control. This is called LVC or Low Voltage Cutoff. See your speed controller documentation.

However you should not run a Lipo battery down to LVC. I never run my Lipo batteries lower than 3.7 volts per cell. The way I do this is by setting a timer on my radio and when it alarms I have plenty of power left for several approaches and a powered landing.

Originally Posted by Shimmy

The International Warehouse is fine for me. I think that shipping will be cheaper than US.

After reading about the V4 with screws to hold the wings in, I thought that was a good idea. Less mod work to do. I also thought that control rods in the inside would keep them safer from a novice like me,

My question is BH the only source of the V4 ? The HK Bixler is V1 only ?

Shimmy ~ I have the V4 Sky Surfer with the long carriage bolts that pass through the wing. Frankly, the design scares me! Long, slender, threaded bolts are going to cut through the foam of both the wings and the mounting point in the event of a crash (which for me is nearly a certainty!)...

Picture the rotational forces generated by the long wing sticking out and contacting something solid upon collision. Those forces are going to be transmitted directly to the two threaded and unsupported (except by foam) screws. It is not going to be pretty, I'm afraid.

I am going to try to come up with some combination of rare earth magnets and the hook and rubber band methods, leaving the screws for someone else to mess with.

The irony of all this is that I laboriously worked my way through the reading of this entire thread (all 1075 pages!) only to order and receive an airframe kit that was different from all the carefully described work of Versions 1 - 3! Isn't THAT just special!

As for negotiating the HK website: I'm with the posters who find it darn near impossible to make work. Each time I try to add something, it turns out that it is from the International site, not US. And yes, it is way overdone in design and very hard to figure out. I'm happy for you, AJ, that you've been able to figure it out well enough to spend over 15K there over the years... you are a much more patient man than I! I actually had a trouble-free ordering experience with BH, which was a complete surprise given the poor reviews they get here and everywhere else.

I was completely impressed with the excellent customer service, excellent packing and quick shipping from Headsuprc.com. for all the miscellaneous necessary supplies, motor, etc. All vendors should be that professional and well organized. Two thumbs UP!

Now to get organized and get this jewel built...

Thanks for all the great ideas and help I found while reading through the thread!
Don
Spokane, WA

Shimmy, Don is absolutely right when he says "Picture the rotational forces generated by the long wing sticking out and contacting something solid upon collision. Those forces are going to be transmitted directly to the two threaded and unsupported (except by foam) screws. It is not going to be pretty, I'm afraid."

I can tell you a nose -in impact will rip the screws and there wooden implants out of the wings. I know this from personal experience. Any 'hard wing' attachment will NOT serve to help mitigate damage. Attachments that flex work and no, gluing them in solid does not help. If you really get a good glue joint it will rip out the side of the fuselage in a hard nose-in crash.

The 'rubber band' Idea is the best I've heard so far. But the 'hook in the wing needs to have almost no protusion above the surface because you want no angle of leverage. Otherwise you will just manage to tare out a section of foam in the wing. Remember anything attached to foam is only as strong as the foam it's connected to. This planes durability is based on flexibility.

Too 'embed' something in foam find or make a metal tool out of copper or sheet metal. Then trace the 'embed' onto the surface. Take your 'Tool' and heat it up with a bic lighter or 'mini' touch and use it as a 'brand' to 'burn-in' the shape allowing the attachment to sit below the surface so that glue will cover both top and bottom.

In my opinion, the V4 is superior because of it's big wing spar in-cased in cast in tubes and internal servo rods which limit 'Rod Flex' .

Like I've said "I am not yet qualified to comment on how to fly the SS but am very qualified to comment on crashing it an what happens.

DJ

Originally Posted by Sculptor

I can tell you a nose -in impact will rip the screws and there wooden implants out of the wings. Personal. Any 'hard wing' attachment will NOT serve to help mitigate damage. Attachments that flex work and no, gluing them in solid does not help. If you really get a good glue joint it will rip out the side of the fuselage in a hard nose-in crash.

The 'rubber band' Idea is the best I've heard so far. This planes durability is based on flexibility. DJ

Actually it is not nose-in but wing tip touching and spinning the plane on the ground that does the most wing-attachment damage.

I use 3M hooks, smaller than a friend's but if over stressed they open up. They will need replacement but I class them as "replacement items". I don't consider a rubber band strong enough so use a wire hooked over the 3M hooks. It is retained by a rubber band. The rubber band has no stressing on it when flying.

Also note the 3M hooks are hot-glued, not attached by their patent stretchy "glue". I saw one with the stretchy-glue fall off after landing today and it was an OK landing. Two of us were flying Bixlers this morning, a bit cool, 6C but very light wind until we finished. It's now gusting up to 12 knots.

I've not found a problem ordering from HK (admittedly only from China), seems simple enough and their wish-list scheme is good, especially for back-ordered items. I also like being able to see the weight and cost of shipping with options - works well for me.

High quality rare earth magnets is my wing fixing method. Used this from new, and my Bixler carries weight with FPV associated equipment.

Originally Posted by Grazer

High quality rare earth magnets is my wing fixing method. Used this from new, and my Bixler carries weight with FPV associated equipment.

Ultimately, whatever wing attachment method you use is the best for you based on only one test - If the wing doesn't pop out, then your method is a great one. For me, I did not care for the magnets for two reasons:
1. The weight - It takes 3-4 pairs minimum IMO.
2. Once in a while, even on a smooth landing on the grass, the wing has come just a tiny bit off and I missed it. Only once did the wing come off because of that. But, since then, I use the Velcro method (NOT a butt joint) and I have been flying with no wing problems since then. Originally, I used (and still do on some early planes) the rubber band method (my design). Same old rule applies though, if it aint' broke...........
AJ

After crashing my Sky Surfer into a field of 6 foot high corn I want to have an alarm that I can turn on at will with my DX6i. They plant corn so close together these days that you have to put your head on the ground to see 30 feet along a row, and about five feet across rows. So downed planes are almost impossible to find in a large cornfield.

So I need a loud alarm and a way to configure it so I can turn it on and off at will. How can I do this?

Originally Posted by StanHilliard

After crashing my Sky Surfer into a field of 6 foot high corn I want to have an alarm that I can turn on at will with my DX6i. They plant corn so close together these days that you have to put your head on the ground to see 30 feet along a row, and about five feet across rows. So downed planes are almost impossible to find in a large cornfield.

So I need a loud alarm and a way to configure it so I can turn it on and off at will. How can I do this?

THIS is what you need.
AJ

Hello Bixler fans. I'm working on a new project. I'm building a twin Bixler. Not sure what to call it yet but a friend suggested Twixler (twin Bixler) or Bixtang (after the P82 twin Mustang).

My CAD skills suck but you get the idea of what it's might look like.

I'll start a build log if anyone is interested in following.

Will the Twixler have counter-rotating pusher props?

Originally Posted by ajbaker

THIS is what you need.
AJ

I see that it connects to the receiver but what does that second plug go?

Originally Posted by Grazer

Will the Twixler have counter-rotating pusher props?

I could do that. I have the basic design complete and parts on order. I'm open to any suggestions.

Originally Posted by ajbaker

THIS is what you need.
AJ

Nice. That looks like a really easy way to find your RC. Too bad it is back ordered.

Originally Posted by StanHilliard

I see that it connects to the receiver but what does that second plug go?

I'm guessing but it looks like a "pass through" wire that allows you to connect something else to the same channel.