I was given a (damaged) flying wing for free. What should I do with it?

[Whiskers]

So my friends family owns a christmas tree farm and I had my Gamma up there flying today. They said that there was some old broken plane that someone had crashed and left it there. (It's been there for quite a while) They asked if I wanted it and I said well sure why not, maybe I can at least get some spare parts off it. It's a foam flying wing. Pretty beat up but I don't know anything about these types of planes. It's a brushless motor set up. The ESC has a separate (what I assume to be) BEC on the bottom of it. (2 small diodes or something or that nature?) Also has an AR6100 DSM2 receiver and 2 micro servos. It had a puffed up 3 cell lipo in it, which I'm surprised didn't burn the shed down.

ANYWAYS, if you're still with me here, what should I do with this thing? Try to repair it? The control rods for the ailerons are all rusted, so I'm assuming this thing sat out and got wet, which makes me think that all the electronics are probably toast, but how can I check?

[earthsciteach]

That's an older looking Stryker. Repair it and fly it. They are a BLAST!

[kenchiroalpha]

Hi
Thats a parkzone stryker and i would definetely repair her
http://www.parkzone.com/Products/Def...ProdID=PKZ4200
Take care
Yours Hank

[Whiskers]

Oh cool! So I guess it's actually not as damaged as I thought. Just needs a nose cone. Well, and probably all new electronics. Guess all I can do is put power to it and see if it works! It's seen better days, but from the videos I just looked at, it's probably going to get crashed again with me flying it haha. Worth a shot though right? That things HAULS though sheesh!

Silly question, but again I have no experience with flying wings. I'm assuming that the elevons, as the name suggests, control both turning/banking, and elevator control. How does that work? Is it just that if I pull the stick right or left, it moves both flaps in opposite directions, and if I pull the stick back or forward, it moves both in the same direction?

[earthsciteach]

What TX do you own? Even the inexpensive RTF TXs can do elevons by setting the switches properly. The servo plugs go into channel 1 and 2 for elevons.

[earthsciteach]

Oh, and yes, you nailed it. The right stick (mode 2) controls both elevator and ailerons.

[Whiskers]

Very cool. I just have the Ares 6HPA that came with my Gamma. It does have a switch for "delta/elevon" so I guess that mixes the 2 channels? Man I'm getting excited now. I'm definitely gonna have to fix this thing up and see what I can do with it.

If the electronics are junked, you think I'd be ok going with a replacement set up from hobby king or something of that nature? Because that would be a lot cheaper than trying to find this exact motor and ESC.

[earthsciteach]

Yes, that should do it. Don't be freaked out by these Strykers. They are sheep in wolf's clothing. Yes, they can go fast, but they also will fly high alpha, and just putt around the sky. A great airframe!

[kenchiroalpha]

Originally Posted by earthsciteach

Yes, that should do it. Don't be freaked out by these Strykers. They are sheep in wolf's clothing. Yes, they can go fast, but they also will fly high alpha, and just putt around the sky. A great airframe!

Hi
That indeed they are my friend

Indoor Flying - RC Stryker Crash

Take care
Yours Hank

[Fishbonez]

Strykers are a blast. Please keep us posted oin the repairs/rebuild. My Stryker C (older version no rudder) is one of my favorite planes.

[JetPlaneFlyer]

Personally I'd toss it in the trash. If the electronics has been wet and left in a damp place for a while then it's either dead or even if it works I'd not trust it. The airframe IMHO is hardly worth the effort, which was what the previous owner obviously concluded.

But each to their own, where some see a heap of junk others see an exciting chellenge

[Bill G]

If a well used foam flying wing actually was a decent flyer, I could consider reworking it into something unusual. Doesn't seem exiting to put time and money into it, just to make it fly again.

http://www.luft46.com/kwart/kw135-1.jpg

[stuart]

i agree the stryker looks to be pretty beat up to spend any money on it,but if you have the esc,motor,servos...ect..ect...sitting in the workshop stock pile then go for it. a little sanding,maybe cut a 1/2inch off the wing tips and a fresh coat of paint.....one crash and it'll look just like it does now.

seems foamy deltas loose some of there nice flight controls after a few repairs. i'v made many repairs on the hobbyking parkjet and the funjet to get them almost looking like i never broke the nose off in 3 pieces...,but there comes a time where you can't make it look right. then its off to buy a new airframe.

i have a hk pkj that has a nose looking like W C Fields's bumpy nose...lol...


yes....a lil nip will do me right...yes. my lil chickadee.

[Crash Test Dummy]

Strykers will take alot of abuse and still fly well. If the electronics R trashed, U can find a pretty cheep set up to fly her. My Stryker is from the 1st Gen of Strykers. It only came with a 480 brushed motor in those days. It has seen its share of crashes and repairs and it still fly great! Build it! If it dont fly well a new Fuse is only $18.99

CTD

[JetPlaneFlyer]

Originally Posted by Crash Test Dummy

a new Fuse is only $18.99

As for as I'm concerned that's conclusive proof that there is no point whatsoever in repairing it.
Think about it.... you spends loads of your precious time patching up a badly damaged chunk of foam that you could buy new for less than $20.. You will probably spend a good proportion of the new price on materials, glue and bits and bobs to botch it up. At the end of all your hard work all you have is an overweight tatty looking airframe that probably wont fly anywhere near as well as a $20 new one.

[Crash Test Dummy]

Good point. However the picture of the Stryker dont really look all that bad. Other than needing a nose it looks pretty good.

CTD

[solentlife]

Dunno the Stryker .... the photos at start look like Parkjet to me ...

Anyway - to OP ..... REPAIR IT !

Most of it looks OK ... so what if rods are rusty ... take them off .. clean up with some emery cloth to see if they are still good under the rust.... check hingelines still OK and not cracked through .... stress the wings a bit to see if joints are OK .....

For the nose ... a block of Pink or Blue closed cell foam carved to shape and epoxied on ... plenty of pictures of Strykers / Parkjets online to look at for ideas ...

Canopy ? Pop bottle can provide that fine...... with a foam outline frame to steady it and fix.

Power set-up ?

First I would confirm exactly what model it is ... Stryker or Parkjet by measuring span and comparing with info online. Then you look at power setups advertised with it ... prop, motor and battery. HK or whatever will have suitable. Use a decent beam mount to fit the motor ...

Put all the electronics in the junk draw we all have ! .... ESC may still be OK ... but I'd put that aside.

To me - so what if I can get a new fuselage for a few $ ... my reward is the satisfaction of getting it to fly again ...

That brings us onto flying it ... I am sorry to say that reading the questions of the OP ... I have grave doubts ready to fly such a model. Yes they are capable of slow flight - but still are straight wing deltas with the bite that catches the unknowing ! Unlike conventional planes - you cannot just push CoG forward on a Delta to tame it down .. etc.

But still REPAIR it !!

Nigel

[kenchiroalpha]

Hi
I simply love foam for its ease of repair, this aircraft has seen many crashes and still lives to fly
Take care
Yours Hank

[Whiskers]

I'm still up in the air what I'm going to do with it. Unfortunately I don't have any spare electronics around, but a set up from HK isn't too bad. I'm gonna hang on to it for the time being until I decide and have some spare cash. Thanks for all the replies guys.

[solentlife]

Originally Posted by Whiskers

I'm still up in the air what I'm going to do with it. Unfortunately I don't have any spare electronics around, but a set up from HK isn't too bad. I'm gonna hang on to it for the time being until I decide and have some spare cash. Thanks for all the replies guys.

You might like to wander over tio my thread about scratchbuild the QB10H ... http://www.wattflyer.com/forums/show...ewpost&t=68968 ... there you will see how scraps and foam can produce a model. It may help you to decide what to do with the freebie.

Nigel

[cuda-daddy]

i would get that bird in the air again.

[mclarkson]

I'm 99.2% sure that's a Stryker.

If you have to trash the electronics, consider building it as a lightweight bird, using a 0.9oz blue wonder motor, 10A ESC and 450-850mAh Lipos. It's cheap and tons o' fun. My light Stryker is probably my favorite plane ever.

Lightweight Stryker Thread.

YouTube Video

[xuzme720]

There's no sense in not trying. besides, with a "less than pristine" bird, it might decrease the pucker factor for trying new stuff! I say go for it! My foamie delta is actually more relaxing to fly than my .40 size trainer because if I do try to dig a hole, it's not really a big deal. If I do it with the trainer, I've just got some new toothpicks in a handy monokote bag!

[Murman]

Well, I'm 100% sure it's a Stryker and let me show you what I did with a similar one someone gave to me.

I cut the fuselage off completely, cut 2" from each wingtip, and joined the wings back together. I flew it like this for a while and it was great, but I wanted more speed.


So....I glassed it, covered it, and added a hot motor and ended up with my "Outlaw Stryker". I've been flying it like this for over 2 years now.

[mclarkson]

Noice. I did something similar with a crashed Stryker, though I cut it a little more drastically: