Projects FPV Stryker....

[Tasajara]

Well I wanted to build a FPV plane that would have a little speed but would slow down when needed.
And the STRYKER fit the bill. Buy a $20 airframe and start cutting and hacking.

First thing to do was cut the excess foam from the middle of the plane giving me more cargo space.



Next I lined the cargo area with balsa and 1/32 ply to ad some strength.


Also added the ply for my motor mount, I was not worried about the weight of the motor mount
because I would need to balance the weight of a camera on the nose.



I will be using a JustGoFly 500T 1950Kv motors with an "L" bracket.



Once I got the base of the plane laid out it was time to cut for the EzUHF RX and my 1.2Ghz VTX.
I had to test for right to left balance before cutting the holes. I tried to get the balance as close as possible
so that the plane may not drift left or right.



I made my own elevons being I don't like the ones that come with a Stryker. Not to fond of the plastic gray look.
I used regular CA hinges cut just below the hing slot so my elevon would fit flush. I also cut epp the fill in the hing slot that are pre-molded in a stryker.

 

[Tasajara]

Now that I have most of it done It was time to add an extra spar across the center.
I used my soldering gun to cut the slot.
Here is a short video I did a while back to give you an Idea how it is done.

Spar slot cutting made easy

This is how the bottom looked after the spars were in .... I used Fast 'N Final Lightweight Spackle on any holes that needed to be filled in.
You can buy a much smaller size at WalMart for less .
Being that I will glass over the sections later.



Now it is time to Glass the plane.
What seems to work best is Silk Span and Minwax Polycrylic Satin Clear
BUT.... being I had ran out of silk span I decided to use tissue. It want be as smooth and is a bit tough to work with.
You get it wet and have to be careful not to pull or press to hard or it will tear. Anyway it will give me the same results when dry.
I was just looking to add little weight but get rid of the flex on my wing. When the water base polycrylic drys it want add much weight at all.
Being water base the water will evaporate making for a light coating.

Ok enough of the chatter... LOL here ate the pic's



The tissue does look more wrinkled than it is in person, I ran over the whole plane with 200 grit before the last coat of poly.

But anyway as you will see in this pic I achieved what I set out to do, was to get rid of wing flex.
I am holding the wing tip with 3 fingers and the plane don't bow or bend.

 

[Karubah]

Nice build Tas. She looks like she is going to be really faaaassssttt and agyle.

 

[Tasajara]

Thanks ... I hope it does have a little speed. Get a good adrenaline rush on low fast passes and loops with inverted flight.

 

[Tony]

Moved to the airplane Projects section per request. If you have another forum in mind, just let me know.

 

[Lee]

Looks awesome mate. Look forward to the Maiden

 

[Derek]

HA HA HA HA!!!! That's awesome!!! Very cool, Tas! I'll be watching for the maiden, for sure! Good luck buddy!!!

 

[Tasajara]

Thanks Guys.... Got a little more done today...

Now it was time to work on the camera mount...
here is what i have so far.... It may change a bit before i complete the mount.
Got a few more ideas running through my head.

Just have to wait on it to dry to shape it up. I used the pink foam to bridge the gap between the mount and the plane.
I may bridge the canopy I make to the camera mount... Just something I am thinking about.

 

[Tasajara]

got the FrankenNose sanded and covered, just letting it dry before the last sanding and a second coat.
At that time I will do a little touch up on the paint. And be ready to start on my canopy build.
The Nose may not be that pretty but should be functional, molding it into the body will help a little on the drag.
But how aerodynamic can you make a square camera on the nose of a plane.. lol

 

[Tasajara]

AirFrame is finished...

Airframe is finished, glassed, painted and clear coat. The weight as you see it is 14oz.



Now on to the canopy...
I have my foam glued together and ready to start shaping it up.
As you can see I have Pink and BluCore foam to make up the width needed to fit the Styrker.

 

[Derek]

That's just awesome! Nice job!

 

[Tasajara]

Thanks Man...
Here are a few pics of what the GoPro looks like in the mount.



I decided to change the motor up a bit to add a little tail weight.
Think I will go with a 550 size over the 500 to help balance the GoPro up front.