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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.
Tim you could think of using a higher mah battery, instead of using a 2200mah get a 3000mah, this will give you a longer run time, also depends on how you fly, flying at half throttle climbing altitude then gliding will give you more flight time, if you go bigger battery dont forget to keep a check on your COG, always fly with the bixler slightly nose heavy balancing on your fingertips at the carbon rod wing strengthener
Thank you Paul, I'm only running a 1300mah and I get 8-10 min but like all good things I won't more.
If I increase the mah that won't burn out the motor like increase the voltage will, will it ?
I have only flown nitro so electric is new to me and what you get now has come a long way in the last ten years.
I love my bixler and fligh it as much as I can, witch has been every day since I got it two weeks ago.
ok Tim welcome to electric flight, yes you can get longer flight times, dont get confused with buying bigger mah and the voltage, always get 3 cell 11.1v, but higher mah like 2200 instead of your 1300, higher voltage will burn out the motor and esc. i dont no why but when the bixler was first produced it was built and flown with using a 1300 battery and it came with metal washers in the nose to give you a slightly nose heavy using that particular battery, but most ppl started using the 2200 which weighed more than a 1300, and removed the washers, So hobbyking after listening to their customers and releasing that ppl like you want more , now don't include the metal washers cause we all put larger batteries in.
8 to 10 mins on your 1300 is good, maybe more stick to the 8 mins mark, what you dont want to do with these new Li pO batteries is discharge them to much, a good tool to grab from hobbyking is a cell checker , can pick them up real cheap , you connect your battery via the balance lead and gives you total voltage and individual cell count, the aim is to not discharge the battery that any one particular cell drops bellow 3.8. That way you get good battery life. And don't use or charge any battery that puffs up, this usually occurs when i mentioned over discharged. If you grab a 2200 you should be looking at flight times of 15 mins with half to 3/4 throttle flying. Happy flying, another great plane to grab is the AXN Clouds fly, flys just as good but is a bit more zippy and slightly faster.
Thank you Paul that was a grate help , I just wish I could give you a 1000 points for the help you have given me, I very sorry I can't or don't now how. Thanks a million, wish every one was like you. You make the hobby more fun just for the help. Thank you
No worries Tim Glad i can be of help to a fellow model hobby flyer.
Dont worry about the points thing i don't, i don't go on here for that , just like chatting and helping, and sharing my experience.
After this glider has been assembled, is it possible to remove the wing? (i.e. is it just held in by bolts, or is it glued in)?
I have a small car, and 1.4m wingspan won't fit in it without the wing being removed from the fuselage
Thanks
Mine came last week so I haven't put it together yet, but the wings are held in by two long bolts that screw in through the top. It'd be tricky to take the wings off enough to clear the carbon rod and without disconnecting servo leads. I'm fairly sure it'd work though. Just difficult. I'll face the same problem when mine's ready.
Hi Tim just put mine together yesterday, i have owned a previous bixler before they modified it with the wing bolts, they come apart quite easy, when you remove the bolts, dont use any glue, the only tricky part is taking the wings on and off is just feeding the aileron cables back through to connect to receiver, but what i do is take say like a long shoe string and tie it on the aileron cables so when you pull the wings out, it drags the shoe string through the canopy and out where the wings join, when you go to put your wings back on just tie to the string to the aileron cables and pull on the end coming out the canopy and connect back into your receiver, dost take much, once you done it a few times i can have my bixler out the car and ready to fly in minutes.
Thanks aussiepaul, appreciate the in-depth response - i might have to devise some 'quick release' type clips for the aileron wiring - one more question though... for the battery, does this come with any connectors standard, or is it "BYO connectors" for the ESC and battery? If they are supplied, do you know what they are?
Cheers
Hi Azzurra no problem quite happy to help, to answer your question of esc and battery connector, a good combination is most turnigy and flightmax batteries that are 3cell 2200 comes with what we call a xt60 plug, yellow colour, for ease of use and no soldering required (as im hopeless at soldering) i purchase a esc H-King 35amp Fixed wing Brushless Speed Controller PRODUCT ID HkESC35A, This esc comes with pre wired a xt60 connector for battery and 3.5mm bullet connectors that will connect direct to the brushless motor supplied with bixler. i have used these esc for quite some time and are good quality and very easy to connect. Never had one fail on me yet and i have 3 bixlers, the old original one, this new v1.1 and the bixler 2, if you purchase the bixler 2, i use the 55amp esc, as motor is more kv, combined with a orange 6ch receiver and you have a good reasonable setup for park flying. And of course all this order on HK Website online.
If you are the sort of person that is ok with soldering i would consider buying the Turnigy Plush series esc's, 30A, for bixler, these are good quality and reliable, these come with just bare wires and you will need to solder on a female xt60 connector for battery, as batteries supplied usually have a male, and then you will have to solder some 3.5mm bullet connectors on the 3 motor wires to connect to motor. Some pple even remove the bullet connectors and join the motors wires direct with solder, less connections and less losing ohms ,, not that you lose a great deal , good luck with your build, and happy flying, if this is your first plane you will certainly enjoy it, the bixlers are a great plane to fly, i love them, even thou i have more advanced planes to fly i love chucking the bixler in and having a lazy sunday fly
Battery: A 3S 2200 mah is pretty standard, over 10 minutes of flight easily.
Charger: One capable of charging 3S batteries. Search "TGY-3".
Radio: Up to you, I use OrangeRx. Don't forget you need the transmitter and receiver. (4 channel is fine for a Bixler 1.1)
ESC: This is the speed controller for the motor. You need to plug your battery into one to power the plane. Turnigy Plush is a good ESC. Maybe go 25A or 30A though so you don't risk it overheating.
Hope that helps you.
oh and tim if you just use velcro tape to affix your receiver you can remove it from where you have it mounted to easily plug your aileron servo leads back in , then put receiver back in place
Hi guys just putting my bixler together and relised I am missing 8 of the screws that affix the control horns to the ailerons, anyone no what size and shape these are for me to purchase.
Hi Paul,
Mine came with some of the screws though not all.
The screws are 2mm x 10mm Phillips head.
I bought mine from Ebay,HK will probably have something that will do the job.
Mine was also missing the rudder and elevator rod clamps.
I only put two in each and so far 10plus flights they haven't come off.
Tho I did put packing tape on the top and bottom surfaces first,
Then put the control horns on
Hi Tim yes of course that makes sense if i shorten them up to 2 screws, might even add a touch of glue for security, as ive owned previous bixlers and never had one brake.
They're quite similar, the main difference's are that the 1.1 has a smaller wingspan, a quicker motor (Although not pushing power i.e heavy loads the Bixler 2 wins), the 1.1 does not have flaps either. However both are great to learn on, and if youre looking for a plane to FPV on then go the bixler 2 but if you just are starting out and want a plane thats a little quicker (yet still easy to fly) get the 1.1. If this was helpful please give best answer credit award :)
Hi guys just got my new bixler vers 1.1, love it, as usual from aussie warehouse had ordered on Friday in my hands Monday Morning, just waiting on a receiver ect to arrive from international ware house as wasnt in stock in aussie ware house, cant wait to get this in the air,
It's so much fun! And great for a beginner. If this is your first plane just make sure you maiden in a wide open space and as little wind as possible (If you can wait for a day like that) :)
HI Aaron yer i agree they are alot of fun, this is not my first bixler, bought my first one 12 months ago, its still going strong, no crashes, and i agree best plane to learn on, just couldn't resist the urge to grab another one.
Hi a 30 amp is perfect with these planes that have the stock motor, and I definitely agree with philg, grab a Turnigy Plush, I have been using these for ages in all my planes, cant fault them, very reliable and good value, never had one fail and if you get the programmable card,, easy to configure. Happy flying
Hi mate some modelling skills is required to complete this, even thou it is arf, it still needs putting together, if you notice on the pics one shows the body in halfs, it comes like this, and for a reason, is much easier to install all your electronics then glue the body together.
The best way to learn and build thes and what I did with my first bixler is to search on youtube and you will find tons of how to build videos,giving you step by step, the instructions manual that comes with it even thou is colour,is brief and can be daunting for a first timer.
Aaron the 2 props that come with the bixler are the smaller one is a 5.5x3 and the larger one is a 6x4, obviously can tell difference by size, for standard flying around use the smaller prop, but if you load the bixler up with fpv, (cameras) ect. then use the larger prop, it wont give you as much speed but gives better thrust.
well , i got the bixler together not much problem realy, i had to replace a servo , but that was my fault , stuffing around with it and stripped one of the gears . lucky i bought
some spares.put it together with some glue from bunnings,it`s called sikabond multipurpose polyurethane glue. every thing else works fine. flys like a dream,next, i am fitting a hobbiking wing cam , have to go get vid card and see what happens, thanks for all the help guys let you know what happens.
hi dwane just wondering how you went with the glue you got from bunnings, the sikabond, did it foam up a lot when curing, and ooze out, I tried a similar glue once gorilla glue, does the same thing while curing it expands 3 times it size, just wondering if the sikabond does the same thing.
Just a note that my Bixler 1.1 from the AUS warehouse did not have the motor already mounted.
Thats not what I expect from an ARF package.
The manual reads as if the motor was already mounted so there are no instructions on how to mount it!
HobbyKing support pointed me to a helpful Youtube video to resolve the issue which was appreciated.
Still for a beginner Aircraft and a beginner like me it was a bit of a dissapointment.
thanks for the tip on glue,another couple of questions,
where would be best place to put the receiver,and do you stick
esc & battery to the floor , or just let them float around.
and gluing the servo`s in is a bit of a pain if you need to change one after it`s all glued together. maybe some one has better idea.
The ESC and receiver's position isn't so crucial, but the battery is very important for CG and HAS to be static in the plane because if it moves during flight it will change the flight characteristics and you WILL go down :)
dwane, if your bixler has metal washers in nose remove them before you do anything, you didnt say which vers you bought, i think the vers 1 still has these in, use a small amount of boiling water to melt the hot glue and they will just come out, the best battery to use is a 2200mah, moved right to the front, if you remove the washers, if not use a 1300mah, in general gives you good COG, best to just use some velcro for the receiver and esc, to stick on sides, that way you can move them if have to later, same again for your servo's, if you buy ones like the hxt900 that are a tight fit, you can use double sided tape to hold them in the place, then put some extreme packing tape over them to hold them in place, again that way they are easy to remove, or just a very small dab of hot glue, dont go excessive, it dosnt need much to hold them in place, hope you read some of these answers before you begin your build, google up on answers youll find lots of help with youtube videos and tips on the builds and mods.
just got my bixler today from the aust warehouse ,now i need some glue. there seems to be a lot difference opinions to what type, so i`am looking for some good aussie tips, can any one help.can`t wait to get this plane in the air.
I wouldnt be to sure about zedooo answerS, to simple for me, here is some of my answers from a aussie flyer to experience of owning quite alot of HK PLANES, Dont use the gorrila glue, when curing it tendS to foam up, if you put to much on it ozzes out, forces halfs apart and looks a mess. dont use hotglue, is good at first to glue but once dry is very fragile and breaks easy on a light crash, be careful what CA GLUE you use, i have come across some brands that will melt the epo of the bixlers, my best and safe answer is epoxy, 5 minute epoxy is ok if experienced at putting the body together, but if its your first one grab some 30min, gives you more time to align up. Grab one of those epoxy that are self mixing, has like a spiral tube you put on and comes out pre mixed, no fuss. Honestly i have used 5 min epoxy on all my bixlers and i own 4 of them from vers 1 to 2, and never had a problem using epoxy, but as always if in doubt do a test on some where small.on the inside, happy flying and i hope this gets you in the air soon dwane.
Zedooo is correct, Ca (super glue) is best of all, don't use foam safe it's not as good on EPO foam, normal super glue does not effect EPO at all, it has a longer drying time with epo that's all, I've used hotmelt glue to repair my crashed epo planes and it sticks like **** to a blanket, it is NEVER fragile it is perfect for filling gaps on broken foam planes, My teksumo was broken into 4 pieces, 6 sticks of hot glue and 10 small tubes of super glue put it back and you can barely see the joints, both are the best for EPO, epoxy works too but is messy and time consuming, If you look in the file area of the teksumo international ware house you will see my teksumo with the battery lengthways on CG machine and foam filled in where the battery was.... With a hotmelt glue gun EPO planes like Bixlers, teksumo's, bonsai e.t.c are indestructible!
I forgot to mention I have 2 bixlers one of which had a nasty accident where the battery came through the nose and snapped the nose off, if you look in the file area you will see the resurrected bixler with a small camera in the nose and a 3600mah battery, a hotmelt glue gun is the most important tool you will ever have as a newbie, just make sure you pick "All" the piece's up after an incident, and after awhile you will find you no longer need the glue gun, then you know you can fly!
Aussiepaul you have a problem with me?
I'm giving the correct answers, so please, stop trying to be extra smart....it's not all about the money man, chill.
Epoxy is heavy, it's not for big gaps and it's a LOT harder than hot glue (which you said it was hard for some reason)...
Hi mate no problem not trying to be smart, just trying to give a fellow flyer some advice, everyone has their own ideas on what to use or build, my way of thinking as long as it works for you and your happy, chill out man.
Does anyone know the dimensions of the motor mount hole? I want to use the 'Small Parts cnc v1 Bixler motor mount' which has Dimensions: I.D. = 1.01" / O.D. = 1.11" / Length: 1.375"? Will it fit? Or has the motor hole size changed form the Bixler 1 to the v1.1?
me and this b**-=y internet is driving me mad, this the third time trying to answer to your reply.have ordered two models,one for spare,connectors out of stock hope I can get some in perth next week. just to make sure, are the bullet connectors female both sides so the motor plugs one side and esc the other the xt60 solders to the esc to connect to battery, I`m not really dumb just making sure as i`m new to this game.once again thanks. this reply may come up a couple times.
Bullet connectors on my Bixler 1 were male on the aircraft/motor side. I soldered female ones onto my ESC. My dad who has been modelling for years solders the ESC to the motor wires and puts heat shrink over them. The other Male XT60 solders onto the supply of the ESC. I ended up going to a local store here in Brisbane to get mine, you can also get them on ebay. Just ordered a Bixler 1.1 myself to replace my Bixler which got trashed. My advice would be to order some packs of connectors from HK in Hong Kong, they are very cheap and will come in handy for any future models you get.
HI I am going to buy a bixler 1-1 ART Model,I know I need a battery and esc,but not sure what ones match up ok ,that is connections, or do I have to buy connectors. if so does any
one know what they are.
You will need a soldering iron and you will have to get male XT60 connectors to connect the battery to your ESC and female 3.5 mm bullet connectors to connect the 3 motor wires to the ESC, you could solder or crimp the motor wires to the ESC doing away with the connectors. A word of warning on the motor wires though, if you plan to solder them to the ESC it can be very difficult for solder to take to these wires. You will need a soldering iron for the XT60 and bullet connectors. You could use any type of battery connectors you wish but hobbyking batteries come with the XT60s and so I have standardised my kit on those.
The ZIPPY Flightmax 1300mAh 3S1P 15-25C is the recomended battery. The old Bixler had ballast in the nose which could be removed, and the bigger Turnigy 2200mAh 3S 30C Lipo Pack could be used. I used the 2200 mAh pack in mine. A 30A speed controller should be OK I used the Hobby King 40A ESC 4A UBEC in mine.
UHU Por is best if you can get it. 5 min epoxy will work OK but is not as flexible. Gorilla glue is good and flexible but it can be messy as it oozes out when it is drying and tends to push the joint apart.
Hi all, I am new to aero models but no stranger to aircraft.
Assembled my Bixler, All good but Rudder and elevator are reversed (aileron and prop direction are ok)I have an entry level Lanyu TX.
Any thoughts?
Swap the wires from your ruder and elevator in the receiver. If they are now working on the right channel I.E. (rudder=rudder and elevator=elevator) you are good to go. If they are working in the opposite directions flip the connector in the receiver to "reverse them". This is by far the most simple approach.
The guys in the video suggest applying heavy duty tape to the underside of the fuse (protection when landing). I've used LeakSeal Flexible Rubber Coating sprayed on the area suggested.
Looks great, wont need replacing as opposed to tape that will look awful after a few landings.
Finally got the bixler had been waiting like everyone else put it together ,bind the receiver to the transmitter and you wouldn't guess, the rudder and elevator servos don't work. Haven't flown it yet I'm wondering if the allerons are going to do the same in flight has anyone else had the same problem
Yes, I have. I am on my second Bixler and one of the ailerons in my first Bixler did not work. In my second Bixler I pulled out all the stock servos and replaced with the HXT900's. I generally replace all the stock servos in cheap airframes if I have them on hand.
I am interested in a some of the parts that would be a good entry level set up for this model.
I was thinking of buying the smaller completed unit however there seems to be a few issues with parts not working properly.
I just want a nice reliable plane that i can learn to fly with before stepping up to a much larger jet.
I am not sure of what parts will work with others, and if they are all interchangeable.
Thanks for any assistance in this..
Hi Adam, If you are concerned for matching parts up maybe you should consider the Ready To Fly version of this, It's about $100 at the international warehouse Plus postage,PRODUCT ID: HK-SS-RTFM2, it is a perfect trainer, it comes with a basic transmitter as well, if you buy the parts separate they will cost more, if you havn't flown before I highly recommend this plane, you are a long way off flying a "Much Larger Jet" but the bixlers are a good place to start!
1 Ral ^ I would be working my way through a few planes and getting some experience up before hitting up a jet, otherwise there will be a lot of ground time/repairing/wallet chewing going on :) Good luck with it, happy flying :0
Customer Reviews
Overall Rating
R/CNewbie
3804 likes
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2 thumbs up!
Just got my Bixler ARF kit from the US warehouse. Arrived well packed, retail box was slightly damaged, but luckily, no damage to the actual plane... So I opened it up straight away and it was exactly what I hoped it would be, a Sky Surfer Version 1. Super strong EPO foam is very resistant to crashes (which are about every 2 minutes with me flying lol). Stock servos are not bad, would recommend getting some HXT900s or other cheap 9g servos as spares, just in case... Stock motor is good as well, plenty of power on a 2200mAh battery. Overall I'm very pleased with this plane, and at just $57 plus a little S & H it's a steal, all you need to be ready to fly is a 4ch Tx/Rx system, a battery of your choice (1300mAh-2200mAh 3 cell), a minimum 20A ESC (I used a HK 30A - just in case), and some 3.5mm bullet connectors (plus a deans or XT60 connector for the ESC - or whatever you want to use...) And that's it! Very easy to assemble, haven't had any problems with the decals as others have had (but then again it's only 1 day old...). Will try to get some flying vids up soon!
Happy flying,
Al :D
P.S Servo horn/clevises are a bit flimsy, recommend upgrading to these: HK ID: 07-00502x10 only about $1 so not a bad investment to prevent the stock horns snapping mid-flight resulting in a spectacular crash landing due to lack of control lol :D
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Overall Rating
SigiK
194 likes
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Like it?
Very happy with this glider. The rudder & elevator control horns needed reeinforcing or changing. One of them came off too, pays to screw them on. Programmed the ailerons to work as flaps, but thats not doing much. Installed some hooks on the wings so the wings can be held in the fuse with rubber bands. I get over 40 min. of flying/gliding time with a 2200mAh battery. That battery also balances the plane without the washers in the nose. My motor mount was glued in crooked, needed re-gluing.
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smacka
17 likes
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40 flights and still going strong.Everything standard from factory.I installed a Plush 40 amp speedy and that's it.... Takes off from the ground and is faster than a durafly P-51 ?? The investment Buy 2....
My second Bixler in 10 months, can't get better value than this. Easy to fly, durable and top quality finish. Great as a trainer plane, or to thrash around the park with friends
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Razzerback
15 likes
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mine came with fuze still split in two witch was lucky as how ever inserted the motor glued it in out of aline with it pointing about 10 degrees to the left and that much glue it blocked any chance of air cooling the motor
also mine will not lift off from the ground needs hand launching i am going to try a 6x4 prop and see if that helps
but apart from that i love flying it
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