Strix StratoSurfer

© Mark Qvale - January, 2018

Contents 1 Introduction 2 General Specifications 3 Components/Flight Gear 3.1 Power Set-up 3.2 Flight Control 3.3 FPV Gear 4 Airframe 4.1 Stabilizers 4.2 Wings 4.3 Fuselage 5 Maiden Video! 6 Mods 7 Project 3D Print Files 8 See Also 8.1 Some of the Vendors I used for this project 8.2 Comments? Questions?
	New plane! Ready for some graphics and maiden

Introduction

I decided to try something different and having never gone down the Bixler style road, the Strix StratoSurfer seemed like a good place to start. Also, after reading much about this plane, I decided to start with a larger motor/prop combo. For flight management/control I'll be starting with an Omnibus F3Pro flight controller to keep it light and simple.

Here then is a collection of my build notes and eventually a flight review of this plane.

General Specifications

Distributor - BangGood USA
Aircraft - X-UAV Mini Talon
Build Date - April 2017

Airframe Type -	Top Wing FPV Specialist	All-Up Weight -	55oz (1565g) w/ 4S/7000 Li-ion Pack
Wingspan -	59 inches (1500mm)		56oz (1586g) w/ 4S/5200 Li-Poly Pack
Length -	39 inches (1000mm)	COG -	65mm - 70mm @ Wing root (Stock)
Wing Area -	2.95 ft^2 (27.4dm^2)	Wing Load w/5200mAh/4S -	18.9 oz/ft^2 (58g/dm^2)
Motor -	Sunnysky 2216-1250kv	Max Continuous Power (4S) -	370 watts continuous (4S)
Propeller -	7 x 6 Aeronaut Cam Carbon Folder	Max Prop Power -	295 watts @ 2550ft ASL
Static Thrust -	1135g @ 2550ft ASL	Static Thrust/Weight -	0.72
Battery Type -	4S1P Lipo -or- Li-ion	Battery Capacity -	5200mAh/10C or 7000mah/3C
In flight efficiency -	TBA	Flight Time -	TBA

Components/Flight Gear

Below is the approximate layout of installed components:

Power Set-up

For power on this build I have chosen the Sunnysky X2216-1250kv. For an ESC, I will start with a HobbyKing Blue Series 40A with extra Low ESR capacitors added. At some point I will replace the Blue Series ESC with a Hobbywing Flyfun v5 40A unit to get active freewheeling.

Motor - Sunnysky 2216-1250kv
ESC - Blue Series 40A
Prop - Aeronaut Cam Carbon Folder, 8x7

For more informaion on setting up a pusher folding prop - How To - Set-Up a Pusher Style Folding Prop

Battery - Multistar 4S/5200, 10C or a 4S/7000 Li-Ion

Mounted with a 7x6 Aeronaut folder

Motor Mount

For the motor mount I designed and printed one that spaces the motor 6mm rearward and 19mm above the original mount to get the clearance needed for 7" & 8" props. Additionally, I printed a cowl to protect the motor and direct cooling air to the rear of the motor.

Motor mount parts

Mounted

Front and rear views

ESC Mount

I decided to design and print a simple mount to hold the ESC. It mounts with four M3x6mm nylon screws and a wire tie to hold the ESC. This print is sized for a 25mm wide ESC.

ESC craddle

Flight Control

For flight control I have chosen the Omnibus F3Pro from Banggood. It is very inexpensive and in my experience completely reliable.

Omnibus F3Pro

w/iNav 1.8.1

All wired up!

FC Mount

To mount the FC I drilled out the existing mount holes to 2.3mm then tapped them to M3 and flooded the tapped holes with thin CA. This makes them more than strong enough for a set of rubber M3x6mm stand-offs.

FC mount

RC Control

For radio gear I am using my standard DragonLink V2 system. I have mounted the DL dipole inside the verticle stabilizer. The RX is mounted on a printed deck below the GPS mount.The printed part is glued in with contact cement but you could also use E6000 or UHU-POR.

DragonLink UHF antenna

RX mount

GPS Mount

For the GPS I created a mount plate to replace the white plate on the rear of the fuse. This is sized for a Ublox Mini M7 GPS.

Mini Ublox M7/M8

FPV Gear

For an initial setup I am using the stock foam cowl piece with simple mounts for the FPV camera, VTx and HD camera. I will be changing to printed canopies as I did on my MiniTalon builds to get a more aerodynamic profile and cool looks! Here are the initial components and a picture of their mounts:

VTx - RMRC 800mw, 1.3G
FPV Camera - HS1184 with 2.8 lens
HD Camera - Mobius Mini

Initial FPV gear

Airframe

Stabilizers

On the tail linkage I used the stock linkage bits with Hextronic MG14 metal gear digital servos.

Wings

Nothing new or special here. I added 1" (25mm) of 3 mil laminate to the leading edge. Linkage is the same as the elevators and servos are Corona DS929MG's.

Fuselage

The beauty of a plastic fuselage is it is already very durable. Because of where I fly (and land) I still felt I needed a little more protection on the nose and rear skid so I designed up a couple of skids which conform to the fuselage shape. The new nose skid also has a provision for a bolt-on tow hook which I will add later. These are printed in ABS at 80% infil for durability. For glue, I used E6000 which is similar to UHU-POR and Beacons FoamTac.

Front skid

Rear skid (with excessive glue)

Maiden Video!

Video TBA

Mods

Below are some canopy concepts I am working on for this plane. There is a short canopy which directly replaces the small foam piece and a longer canopy that covers the entire front end.

The short canopy with bevelled edges to fit the middle foam piece is shown with a cut-out for a Mobius/Runcam camera or bolt-on components for the Pan and Tilt and Roll gimbals. The bolt on components are the same ones (interchangeable) as on my MiniTalons.

Short canopy profile

Two short canopy styles

I haven't developed the cut-outs for the long canopy yet but here is the basic shape and how it fits on the fuselage.

Long Canopy concept

Stay tuned!

Project 3D Print Files

Below are the 3D print files shown in this build. General print notes:

1. All parts are shown printed in PushPlastics ABS filament

2. Motor mount and front & rear skids are printed at 80% infil, all others are 20-40%

3. All weights are as printed and subject to change depending on printer/slicer set-up

4. Print orientaion is dependent on printer/slicer set-up, please rotate if necessary

Image	Part Number	Part Description	Weight	Print File	Compatibility Notes
	52136	ESC Mount	6.7g	52136.STL	25mm wide ESC craddle mount
	52137	GPS Mount	3.3g	52137.STL	Mount for a Ublox Mini 7M GPS
	52138	Motor Cowl	4.0g	52138.STL	Motor and mount cover
	52139	RX Mount	4.2g	52139.STL	Mount platform for DL RX
	52140	19mm Offset Motor Mount	3.1g	52140.STL	Motor mount to allow 7 & 8 inch props
	52141	Rear Skid	2.0g	52141.STL	Glue on rear skid
	52142	Front Skid	12g	52142.STL	Fuselage glue on front skid (print on edge)
	52108	VTx Saddle Mount	2.7g	52108.STL	Saddle mount for a 26mm x 50mm VTx
	47010	HS1184 Camera Mount	4.9g	47010.STL	Simple box camera mount for the Surveilzone HS1184 FPV camera