arcticflyer

jaifranco07- Oh yeah, have you weighed the plane yet...RTF. The reason I asked was it looks like it is going to be quite a bit heavier than a stocker. Weight translates directly to increased forces on the control surfaces. I found this out with my first HEAVY Stryker. I would hate to see you loose a neat idea like that in the first turn after launch because your hinges let go[X(] and trust me, with the weight I think you have there, it will happen sooner or later. Also with the increased weight I would think about replacing the stock servos and for sure the stock control rods. What motors, esc(s), and battery(s) are you going to run I can't tell from the pics. Don't take offense I just hate to see anyone crash because of equipment failure[]

jaifranco07

dont worry i appreciate your feedback... i have two himax-3000kv two eflite 40A esc's and two rhino 2350mah 20c. oh and props are 5.5x4.5 apc. so u recommend to use the TE for the elevons.. [] its going to be hell to take them apart with out messing the foam up... lol but if it is to make it safe i am going to do it... oh and the servos are not stock.. they are hi-tech82 metal gear... and full range spektrum receiver ar6200.... what do you think... will i be ok with just adding the TE's and changing the rods or what else do you think i should change?

arcticflyer

jaifranco07- Brother, I am so glad you didn't take it wrong Just from what you described to me that plane is going to go (weight) way over 50oz which is what mine weighs. Trust me when I say this....I think those elevons will peel off of that plane the second you hammer that throttle[X(] and I am sure some of the other guys on this thread will back up my observations....please feel free to chime in (Mopar and Gryphon)

I know it is a pain in the neck and I had to do the same thing, (after encouragement from the guys on this thread). It isn't worth losing a neat plane. If you go back to the begining of this thread (Mopar) builds a re-enforced Stryker that will handle some serious weight and speed. He shows with pics how to install balsa elevons with a "Basswood" trailing edge. I did this to mine and what a difference it makes and my Stryker at 50oz is going about 120 with no airframe failures. Don't be afraid to cut the foam back some from the trailing edge nice and square, for a nice surface to epoxy the basswood to. I put a pic below that I hope shows it.

Oh Yeah, have you put any carbon rods in to re-enforce the airframe?

jaifranco07

(articflyer) thank you for your help... i really like your balsa elevons... how do you get them looking like that? and yes i already started working on those trailing edges

arcticflyer

I feel better already I'll save you some searching....if you go back to page 2,3,and 4 of this thread you will see great pics of Mopar putting carbon rod re-enforcement and basswood trailing edges on a Stryker I got my ideas from those posts. I did however cut my elevons back a little further than Mopar did, removing all of the stock hinge indentations. Little less wing area but still flys great!!! My elevons have (4) CA hinges in each and are also taped

moparmyway

Arcticflyer,
Your pictures show AWSOME work !!!!!!

Those trailing edges look perfectly in line and following the shape of the curve on the wing !!!!

How long did you file them for ?

GREAT LOOKING !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(PS...............if I may ???)
Try going to top hole on elevon horn. It looks like you might be 1 hole down. If you are, please just try the upper most hole, it will give you better "threading the needle" authority when running 150+ !!!!!

arcticflyer

I used a Mouse sander with 220grit...held it on the basswood until it just started touching the foam. Had to take my time and really watch to keep it from sanding the foam.

When I go to 5S with that thing... trust me...the clevis is going in the outer hole. I really like it where it is on 3S but on 4 it starts to get twitchy and I am sure when I finally go to 5 it will have to be moved.[sm=spinnyeyes.gif]

My season ends tomorrow[sm=cry_smile.gif] traveling back to way northern Saskatchewan and it is already snowing there....guess it is build time till I travel back south to visit with the kids in February.

Glacier Girl

My Feedback: (4)

I'll take this one.
Vegatron, the HTX 9G servos are fine for most smaller parkflyers, BUT not a good replacement for the Stryker. Take my advice, go with the Hitec 81/82's for most applications on a Stryker.


moparmyway, nice to see you carrying the torch forward from Gryphon and Chippedprop. Some big shoes to fill, they did a great job and still do.

And before you ask, yep I still have a Stryker in the hanger, so I'll be watching the going ons here. [8D]

hornetnz

oops

moparmyway

Ladies and Gentlemen, may I introduce The Man, The Myth, The Legend......................LORD GLACIER GIRL !!!

Without him and his expertise in the way beginning of the Darkside threads, and continuing throughout each one, NONE of us would be here now, especially myself !!!!!

I am humbled at your involvement in all Stryker aspects and I hope you do more than just watch the going ons around here. We can all learn from one of the best Stryker thread leaders ever !!!!!

Good to have you here Brad !!!!!

Got any pictures of your Stryker we can all look at ???

jaifranco07

hey guys.. my new stryker is finally almost RTF... lol after some good advice i went back to the drawing board and added the TE's (thank you articflyer!!!) changed the control horns and clevises... and painted it!!!! soon i will maiden this baby.... here are some pics of the almost finished stryker.. oh and my beat up nightflier lol

Gryphon

jaifranco07,

Are you going to run counter rotating props?

Luckily for you APC E 5.5X4.5 also comes in EP 5.5X4.5 which means pusher (reverse pitch).
Numbers still face forward but you reverse any (2) of (3) motor leads and that motor will turn the other way.

With both props spinning in different directions their torque will cancel out and you will have a better flying Twin.

Performance of both props are identical....only reverse pitch for running it the other way.....remember numbers for each prop still face forward.


Only other APC prop that is available in Normal and Reverse pitch for our purposes in a Stryker is APC E 6X4, and EP 6X4 (E=electric, P= pusher)

Price of the APC E pusher props may be $1 extra and WELL WORTH IT on a TWIN. (1 of each prop = awesome flight)


Plane looks good, nice job.
Check C.G., range check.

***Any slop in your control rods? Do you have close up picture?
Secure your battery and make sure that it cannot even slide front to rear to shift C.G. by accident or during hard throw. Do a FIRM throw at first till you get hang of the plane and its launch characteristics.


Good luck,


Gryphon

arcticflyer

jaifranco07- LOOKS GOOD....I was hoping you would post again and that Gryphon would get a look at it. I was wondering when you posted awhile back about the whole counter rotating thing and Gryphon chimed in on what I was thinkin....I've never had or flown a twin so I was hesitant to say anything, however, the benefits I know are great from full scale.

Some advice on maiden flight....If that thing weighs more than 50oz and slightly nose heavy (2 batteries) be ready when you first launch for it to head for the ground. Especially on the maiden where you have set in neutral trim and are tenative about hammering it.[X(] Don't be afraid to give it LOTS of up trim for that first flight especially if this is your first HEAVY Stryker. It will not fly like a stocker. I don't know if you throw left handed with your thumb on the stick (that's how I now throw my heavy Strykers) but if you are right handed you will have to get to that stick really fast until you figure out the trims. NOT DUAL RATES...TRIMS one for takeoff and one for flying.

I would have a guy with you to help with the trims just in case it is super twitchy and you can't take your thumb off of the stick I have saved a couple of new planes that way

Looking forward to your maiden hope you can maybe get some VIDEO

5" of snow on the ground....I sure wish I could fly[sm=cry_smile.gif] In the build mode now....building a 30" span 15oz balsa pylon plane Slipso 400. Talk about a scary maiden flight....I ain't lookin forward to it[sm=spinnyeyes.gif]

jaifranco07

I am gonna try to get a video of my maiden........ i still need to get some velcro strap for batteries and the EP props (thank you Gryphon) i really appreciate all of you guys and your inputs.... if it wasnt for you guys i would never build this plane the way i did... THANK YOU!!!!! to all...

chippedprop

So what do you do with a Stryker that has it's nose broken???
You make a Stubby.
A little back ground........

Stubby started out as a Stryker with the motor in the front......which didn't work out.........however at the time I did not know that I had a servo with centering issues which only showed up during flight....HS 82mg. I thought it might be a bad servo. I could not make it show the problem on the ground. So I retired the front drive idea....due to bad thrust angle etc.......It HAS to be me as I have never had a 81-82 go bad out of the box!!!!!!!!

So I repaired the front and switched to the reg. set up. The plane was designed from the start to do both...front or rear mount of the motor.

Ok I have a flyable fuse. Balsa elevons....to long in length....angle cut down. What type of power...I have a scorpion 2215-18 unused ...I'll try that. Prop....hmmm... the APC 8x6 works great on another plane.


So here's what I wound up with .......

Scorpion 2215-18
3 cell 2200 ma lipo
25 amp tower silver ESC

Watt meter reading
15-16 amps

With a master airscrew prop 8x6 only 11 amps much slower but will fly 15 18 minutes

So I have maiden the plane after replacing the servo....I did maiden with the bad servo.....WOW that was thrilling....no rest.
I wound up with a Stryker that weighs 24 oz with battery. Will fly 10-15 minutes easy. Will change direction in a flash. Will glide great. Speed maybe 50-55...havn't run motor calc numbers. Reminds me of the first gen Stryker...brushed motor...no lipos...EXCEPT this one will climb. It does not have unlimited vert. ,but at 70-80 degrees it does...works for me.

So I have a Stryker I can fly in a small space...doesn't go over 60...will climb if I need it to. Will turn so sharp the prop cavitates...if I want it to on high rates. Will fly....... I get tired of looking up length of time. I can land at my feet.

Sorry if I'm going on but this is great. Oh and I mono coated this one. So it will glide for ever if you want too.

VIDEO COMING AFTER THIS WEEKEND
http://www.youtube.com/user/chippedprop49

here's pics. Oh and Mopar stop laughing !!!!!

Gryphon

jaifranco07,

A friend told me that he read a post somewhere.....LOL

Well, the bottom line:

Make the left motor turn clockwise when standing behind plane and looking forward.
Make the right motor turn counter clockwise.

good luck,

50/50 it has to be one way or another, so go with the above for a starting point.

If you want my friend to post where he got his info then send me a PM and I will ask him to post here.


Gryphon

Glacier Girl

My Feedback: (4)

jaifranco07, Something else to think of on launching a twin Stryker. WATCH YOUR HAND ON LAUNCH!!!. If the bird tilts left or right on release there's a real good chance your hand is going to find one of the props. Ask me how I know, 17 stitches later.

As heavy as your bird is, you may want to look at a bungee launch instead of a hand toss. Would let you keep both hands on the tx, and the bungee is pretty much fool proof, for getting a bird airborne.


Moparmyway, Stop you're making me blush. As for my curent Stryker, sorry no Dark Side version, pretty much pure stock configuration, just a little tinkering with the powertrain.

Something I did run into on it that was a new one for me. I initially ran 2" high tail fins on it. A big NO NO for a 90 mph bird. Not enough airflow at low speeds to keep it stable. Was kinda weird, it would weather vane as it flew. Be flying along straight and true and then it would just turn on it's own. Not a banking turn, a flat turn, it would just all of a sudden swing it's nose one direction or another and off it would go. If I wasn't quick on the sticks it would go into a flat spin.

It finally dawned on me that Slayer was like that on launch, it waddled it's tail until it got up to speed then it was just fine. When I got home I removed the short fins and installed a stock set. Problem gone on this one.

Anyhow, newbies, listen up to these guys, Mopar, Grypon, Chipped, and the rest know their stuff. And if you can learn to fly Dark Side on a Stryker, there isn't a plane out there you can't handle. Carry on!!!

moparmyway

LAUGHING ????????????????
Chipped Dude,
I LOVE the colors.............I think I have seen something VERY similar flying around insanely fast near me...................have you been flying FPV near where I fly ?????

Looks great !!!!!!!

Need video !!!!
___________________________________________

GG,
Now its our turn to blush !!!!!
THANKS DUDE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

chippedprop

This is plane reminds me of why I started flying Strykers.

It was a little windy here on Thursday so I decided to test with wind. No problem cut right thru. It was a little twitchy in the wind close to the ground rolling off the trees, but once 100ft up nice and smooth. I had one battery I was able to fly 1/2 to 3/4 throttle for 19 minutes. That's with climbs loops rolls invented passes and anything else I could think up. Still amazed at how smooth it flys. Much smoother then the stock plane I remember well.....course it could be I have more stick time.

I read and article in the lastest AMA mag. about adding small amount of weight in the wing to counter act torque. I'll copy the formula and post here. I'm going to try it on this plane.
It's a very small amount based on ci of the motor. I think Gryphon can tweak it for BL motors based on wattage output. The article basically said with the correct amount of counter balance little or no aileron/elevon is needed. Which means less drag and more speed due to deflection of control surfaces. Better control on launch. Current plane does the Stryker roll/dip on launch.

Still a little scared of that 8 inch prop on launch[X(]

The monocoat job really turned on well. I didn't have to sand a thing. I used ultracoat (hanger 9?) tested temp setting on a crashed fuse until I could get the covering to stick and not swell the foam. No I do not know the actual temp just the dial setting on my iron...and each iron is diff. so it's up to you to check it first.

The covering sticks surprising well. I had to "repair" a little part before the pics. where posted. You may see some pink foam on the nose showing. Nose is covered with Extreme tape as is the landing skid area on the bottom. Extreme tape is the best stuff...you should have it in your flight box at all times.

Weather is to be perfect here this weekend low 70's on Sunday and little to no wind. I'll arrange for a vid. shoot. You guys will want one of these in your fleet.

It's great when a plan come together....by plan or accident.

http://www.youtube.com/user/chippedprop49
Cp

jaifranco07

i haven't been able to get a hold of those pusher props.... i already checked with all major LHS around and nothing.... so i had to order them they will get here sometime next week.... however i couldn't resist myself and i try to fly it today with the standard apc props!!!!! [sm=confused_smile.gif]... lol.. when i threw it in the air the plane started rotating really bad.. luckily i managed to control it and flew it for around one minute then landed it....... i was lucky i didnt mess it up.... when u give it throttle it tends to go crazy to the sides... so now i just have to wait for those pusher props to get here to try again..... gryphon, articflyer, glacier girl THANK YOU!!! for all the hints and comments.... without ur inputs my plane would have been in pieces or maybe i would have never finished the plane. one thing i find a little weird is that when i checked for the CG, the plane was really heavy on the front due to the two batteries... but when i was flying it, the plane didnt try to dive.... i guess its because i have two motors rotating instead of one. So... the CG is more to the front of the plane but still when i turned off the motors to land the plane descended evenly there was never a nose dive.... i hope you guys get wat im trying to say... lol[sm=75_75.gif] by the way sorry i didnt do a video but i dont have a camcoder right now.... going to try to have one for the real maiden.... jeejjeje

Gryphon

jaifranco07,

You said it was really nose heavy. We need to have an idea of how nose heavy.

It would be more descriptive if you check to see where the C.G. is now. Then measure the distance from there to center of the circles in the hand hold cutouts. (Measure only the front to rear portion of the distance)

The airframe is fairly tolerant of good amount of forward C.G.

Measure accurately and report it as 5/8" forward C.G. or 1.2" forward C.G. etc....


For now; don’t sweat it too much.



Gryphon

arcticflyer

WELL DONE!!!!! Living through a maiden flight to fly another day (with the same plane) is aways great!!!! I have been thinking about your plane and I don't think you have a CG problem......the Stryker is a (1) engine plane with (2) fairly large fins for (yaw) control and stabilization in turns. Your Stryker is a (2) engine plane with only (1) fin in the center of the fuz. When you say "rotated" and "crazy to the sides" are you talking about ROLL or YAW. If the problem is YAW I think somehow you need to do some work on the fin(s). Maybe add some wing tip fins like are seen on some of the Delta designs. Just thinkin out loud....I did some experimenting with the fins by cutting them down (shorter) and found that the plane seemed to wallow through the air with the nose wandering right and left at speed. Went back to the higher fins and that went away!

I'm glad you got it down in one piece......I hate to see anyone crash[&:]

chippedprop

here's the new video of STUBBY

http://www.youtube.com/user/chippedprop49

(forgot the link first time Duh)

moparmyway

Chipped,
I have been flying with APC E 8x4 prop and hand launching just fine so far. Please just remember to follow through with the throw and get your hand out of the way !!!!

_________________________________________________

Jaifranco,
IMHO, I wouldnt touch anything untill you have your counter rotating props installed. Having 2 motors rotating in the same direction will cause CRAZY things in flight. The 2 counter rotating props tends to cancel out each others torque effects, leaving you with a very clean flying twin. There are rumors from very reliable Dudes that have seen Strykers fly with 1 vertical fin (when the second one fell off in the air) without seemingly any effect on their flight characteristics. Your 1 fin might be just perfect when the props rotate opposite of each other !!!!!


**edit**

See how your AR6200 is difficult to install ??
Thats why I like the AR7000 instead, it allows you to lay the receiver down and plug in from the bottom...............keeping everything within the Strykers profile for the least chance of adding drag to the aready highly draggy Stryker shape.

moparmyway

The traveling motor program has just been refined:

ONLY 5mm SHAFTS WILL GO OUT FROM NOW ON.

if the motor is NOT 5mm shafted, it is no longer available for the Traveling Motor Program, sorry Dudes.