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Looking for the perfect trainer? or an in-expensive FPV platform? Maybe you are a club pilot looking for something you can just pull out of the car and fly on one of those lazy Sunday afternoons? The Hobbyking Bixler ticks all of these boxes and more! Tested and approved for beginners through to intermediate pilots by Josh Bixler from Flight Test!
The Bixler has all the right ingredients, made from super tough EPO foam, everything is pre-installed so minimal assembly time is required, in fact, by the time you have charged a battery, it should be ready to fly!
Stop Press!!
Allow us to introduce the Bixler V1.1 with a myriad of improvements over the original Bixler. Our v1.1 features relocated elevator and rudder servos, now closer to the tail and accessible via a magnetic hatch on the underside of the fuselage. Why? you may ask - This allows much more usable space inside the front section of the fuselage, something that FPV'ers are going to thank us for! We have also updated the included hardware to include better quality components, such as the new 4 bolt control horns on all surfaces. We also include 2 different propellers, one for high speed and the other for carrying heavier payloads. You - our customers spoke, we listened! The end result is the Bixler V1.1!
Whatever you are looking for, the Bixler has it covered, also included is a color instruction booklet.
If you have one laying around you can. The motor comes with 3.5 mm bullets so if your ESC has the same it will plucg right in. The 2200mah batteris balance the plane out nicely. Make sure you place the battery so that the plane balances right about at the servo wires. I use a long strip of velcro on the bottom inside the plane to allow mw to adjust my battery to get the correct CG.
Well Folks: bought the RTF version. After assembly, and checking all controlls. Launched - unit makes extreme right hand turns and nose dives - just fine. Imagine a pug nosed Bixler. front nose is where the pilot sits. Trouble shooting found warped frame and tail section completly misaligned. Imagine the rear tail section with a 32 degree tilt ** starbord side down and port side up. NO wonder. Still no feedback from the company. So BEWARE, also did not get the alignment tools needed for correctly inserting the wing bolts. Not sure how to fix the nose of the plane. but will have to cut and reglue the tail section I guess. Get Some ASSistance if you are a newbie. 8.5 seconds of flying time with all the launches and nosedives. Sheez, Not much quality control there.
DO Not Glue anything untill you do a complete dry fit to ensure your system is not warped.
ARF version... a few things to note.
1. Manual is a good overview but really not too useful on the details of building (YouTube is great thou).
2. Screws to hold down wings don't mate with nuts that are glued onto the wood in the fuse, screws should have been just a bit longer. Not a big issue since I'll most likely use the 3M technique to hold the wings in place.
3. No where in the manual does it suggest gluing the two halves of the fuse together... I recommend it.
4. Recommended 1300mA battery seems way undersized. I put a 2700 Turnigy in it to see where the CG ends up and it's almost balanced ... just a little nose heavy.
5. First foamy for me.. should have made suggestions for Glue.. I used gorilla .. again YouTube is awesome.
6. Motor wasn't mounted and the manual never tells you to mount it... guess it would make a good glider!
Overall happy but just missing the finishing touches to really make this a great out of box experience.
Got my plane together and the ESC does not make it all the way into the fuse so I can't hook up the battery. I was thinking about making an extension to go from ESC to battery. Will that be good? Or should I extent the motor leads?
That depends on where your ESC ended up, If your ESC leads are short and there isnt much room around it for air to circulate I would extend the ESC. If there is room for the air to circulate I would make a langer battery lead wire.
Its located near the recess where motor leads rest. A few inches below. I can see and touch connector coming from ESC but I can't get enough of it to connect battery.
I mounted my ESC near the motor and added about 5 inches of silicone wire (12Gauge) to connect to my battery. Works fine. Like mac8079 my ESC sits right below the wing opening (used foam tape to keep if from flopping around).
Wow, I created an account, and tried to purchase this plane, including the discount they gave me from the window that popped up on the right of screen. So hey cool! I went to add the suggested ESC and a battery, nope! Said I had to empty the cart before adding these items. I did that and lost the discount. Nice, next I added the plane and the ESC and Battery, and then tried to check out, now they tell me my phone number is not valid? I entered it just as they asked. To no avail, I was not able to get past this part. Very very frustrating. I contacted support, and they were less than helpful, told me to follow the website format. I politly replied that's what I am trying to do? They or she (Mary) basically told me to come back to the site another time. Wow Really? I was not rude at all and feel like customer support could have helped along a little more than this. Sorry for my rant. I guess I will try again later.
The items in cart cannot be combined if you have one item from one country and try to put a second item from a different country in your cart. Happens to me all the time.
I am a platinum member and have spent at least a couple of thousand dollars with them and the discount is a joke. If you are in the USA, go to the HK homepage and on the right hand column select USA warehouse and shop one page at a time placing items in your cart as you go then checkout.
servo threw to far and yanked it off lol and tried some blue painters tape to keep it on but it flys off mid flight ...... don't want to use glue because it will stop it from moving.
I would probably try clear tape. I don't have my Bixler yet. Just ordered it today but I'm surprised the painters tape didn't work. I use blue painters tape on my homemade plane control surfaces and it stays put. Gaffers tape works well too.
i tried 3m packing tape as well but that stuff is to thick and the servos wont push it .... stock ones and just a basic hinge tape job, might throw a set of mg-90s on and see if it gets the job done.
Anybody have problems with their ESC getting too hot? I put in a 30 Amp and it still does at about 5 minutes flight time. I'm running a 3S 2200. If anyone else had the problem, how did you correct it? I'm figuring putting some circulation holes in the fuse. Think that will work as it has no circulation as built?
Where did you mount your ESC? I had to extend the wires to get mine in the viod of the body. I also think I am running a 35 amp ESC that I stole from something else (no idea what) I usally fly at 1/2 or less throttle and get over 20 min on 3s 2200 batteries, while carring a gopro.
How easy is it to change the motor in the ARF version? Trying to make my mind up between this and the kit version. Leaning towards the ARF version because it has the motor included but might want to change it out in the future.
It is not hard. It will depend on how you assemble the plane. The ARF comes LIGHTLY glued together. You have to split it in half to put in the motor and ESC. When you assemble it, you may need to extend your motor leads to leave "wiggle room" to pull out the motor if you intend to change it. The cover on top of the motor is also lightly glued and will need to be removed to access the mounting screw on the back of the motor mount. The ARF version is a great deal, because you cant get the motor and servos shipped for the same price.
I have "inherited" a new Bixler (w/ailerons)from a good friend who bought it trying to get into RC. He installed radio gear (HobbyKing 6ch), I verified all control surfaces moving in the right directions and balanced the model. Now I have a years worth of experience (I realize not a lot but fly a few times a week every week) so I figured I could probably handle it ok. It was a real handful, pitchy is the term I would use to describe it's flight characteristics. Ended up in a crash. We repaired all the crunched parts (nose) and had to rebuild the motor mount which had broken inside the foam. All back together and again balanced the model, launched this time with our field's 40 yr experienced pilot. It was a real handful again. He said it flew like it was both tail and nose heavy**it had characteristics of both. He was at a loss as to understand what was going on here. (and this guy is sharp) Fly it to altitude, acted like it was tail heavy, chop throttle and it drops like a rock. I tried my hand at it again, wound up going in pretty hard (couldn't get the throttle cut quick enough) so again substantial foam damage (easily repairable) but I'm at a loss as to know where the problem is. Looking for some constructive advice.
Probably too late but check the tail boom.
Unless it was beefed up it's quite weak, allowing the tail feathers to move about. And even when applying rudder/ elevator. Also if the motor mount is not secure it will change angle with prop speed.
Set up correctly it's a puddy cat to fly.
have this and my dragonlink ... i know overkill but want to know how to hook everything into the receiver lol any advise plz i am just wondering if i still use the y cable basically lol
Was this bix supposed to come with carbon rod for under belly to tail? Mine didnt, and was wondering if its needed, if I will only be flying FPV circles at field? Also to reinforce wing spar, is ok to simply use aluminum rod or maybe wood rod, as i dont want to wait for carbon rods, as I want to maiden this plane after the long FPV build and such :) Thanks!!!
This one does not have a carbon rod on center line. You will be fine flying without additional spars if your doing circuts at the field. If you want to add something I would sugest a wood rod as the aluminumm and carbon rods will block the signal for an FPV plane (at long distances)
Thanks Pete. On your vid below, did you simply use the screws to attach wings, or glue? I went with the rubber band method, but am worried that the bands will not hold :( so was thinking to also add velcro as well. Thoughts?
I use the screws for now, however the nuts have fallen off. The rubber band method is ok, but it will not prevent the wings from separating. You will be better off using the Velcro method.
1.1 is a little smaller and eaiser to transport. both fly really well as long as you ensure that your CG is correct and your control movments are not excessive.
Richard, I have had better luck getting thru to Hobbyking on matters like this when I ask the live support guys. If you really want it sooner, it is available in kit form(HK-SS-KIT), but you will pay a little more as the only motor they have in stock that fits this (in the USA wearhouse) is 17 dollars(NTM2836-1800 or NTM2836-2200). Might need a prop adapter (GON-D4T6). You will already have to order an ESC with this kit, and dont forget the two servos. It would almost be cheaper to get the RTF mode 1 Bixler and kock the remote on Ebay. I have given serious though to the later as I am also in the market for the plane. You could also order from the international wearhouse and if customs is in your favor have it in 2-3 weeks. Hope this was helpful!
Dan, Make sure you reply in the actual question, it will send the person you tried to respond to an email letting them know that you replied and give you a chance to get credit for helping them out! I hope this helps you out, as your anwser was correct, the 3s 2200 batterys work great in this plane!
You can get the correct CG really well with the 3s 2200mah batteries. I found it difficult to get the correct CG with the recommended battery. The attached video is with a 3s 2200mah 35c turnigy battery and a gopro2 in the waterproof case. I had to stuff the battery all the way in the fuselage(under the wings) to get the CG right. Without the GoPro, the battery is forward under the cockpit
I have a long strip of velcro on the inside of my plane that I use to move the battery fore and aft to get the CG gorrect. I found that the plane flys well with the manufatures reccomended CG, Happy Flying!!!
Go-Pro Bixler=awesome. The glide is awesome with the 2200 and Go-Pro. I like the bounce at 7:46. You can tell everything is perfect, and the waterproof case keeps noise down to a nice hum. Thanks for the video. I fly the new HD keychain cam on mine and really like the Bixler.
Looking for upgrades for the bixler 1.1 ive heard the factory ARF plane does not have that great of quality parts in it. Im new to all this and just looking for something to make this plane even better. Thanks
Unless you add a LOT of FPV equipment to it, the stock motor is plenty strong for this type of aircraft. The whole plane is a nice inexpensive, simple trainer or camera platform. If you're using it as a trainer the ARF is probably fine. If you're doing FPV, you probably want better servos and a bit bigger motor.
Many thanks EODpete and HeliDude35 *)
Best regards
Customer Reviews
Overall Rating
rainier
4 likes
Value
Quality
1 thumbs up!
Easy to assemble. Took about 45mins taking my time. One thing I do recommend is to switch out the control horns immediately to Dubro or some other quality brand that you have to screw on. Elevator control horn decided to detach on me during flight. Did not result in a crash but it did take me awhile to get her down safely. Removed the metal rings in the nose. Dont need the excess weight and it allows you to run bigger lipos. Torque rolls to the right.
No comments. Reply..
Overall Rating
gtoguy
34 likes
Value
Quality
1 thumbs up!
Just received my Bixler today. It is a J-Powers Sky Surfer V1 which is exactly what I was hoping for. Very nicely packaged, all parts were there, no shipping damage. Held up to my other Sky Surfer and it is identical except for the stickers. If you buy this plane, you should check out RC Groups thread on it. Search for: "Sky Surfer - aka Bixler" thread. There are lots suggestions post #2 that tell you how to set this plane up. Enjoy. This is my 3rd Sky Surfer, err, Bixler...
2 comments. Reply..
Overall Rating
waynemia
379 likes
Value
Quality
Like it?
Just got this in. It is virtually the same shape as an Easy Star but it has ailerons. The fuse is hollow the full length. There are no internal supports. This may not be as forgiving. The rudder broke off as I flexed it to get it ready for assembly. I will have to hinge it now. I am concerned about the ailerons and elevator. I will add hinge tape to avoid catastrophic failures. The motor wires are really short. I have to cut a hole to be able to access them later. There is no mention of the glue to use. The photos show them using Silicone RTV. The wings are not removeable unless you make modifications. The manual is for the RTF. I removed the washers and glue in the nose. The decals will come off eventually, they are not sticking well.
Very easy assembly. Great instructions. Bought for my 6 and 8 year old to learn on. We'll see how they do. I have flown it through one 1500mAh pack and it flies great. Loops really nicely. GREAT PACKAGING!
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Overall Rating
Thomas
5 likes
Value
Quality
Like it?
Received my Bixler RTF yesterday and spent the evening gluing the tail feathers on and adding a few rare-earth magnets in strategic areas to help attach the wings and canopy. Aileron horn broke off before the servos ever moved. A beautiful plane nevertheless and almost identical to my Easy Star. If the truth be told, the Bixler is finished off nicer than theMultiplex equivelent (Easy Star). The wing decals however were almost falling off while still it their shipping plastic bags. Why not leave the decals off and allow the owner to install them? Worst part After completing construction and binding, I had a plane without a functioning motor! Everything else did work however, although the servo's are all a bit noisy will probably swap-out for something better soon. All in all, a nice plane. I just wished the motor worked!
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