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JPower Sky Surfer ARF Review

JPower, manufacturer of many popular EDFs, takes a stab at a foam airplane designed

primarily for beginners.

By Jon R. Barnes | Apr 14, 2010, 09:51 AM

Introduction

Wingspan: 54"

Weight: 22 oz.

Length: 36"

Servos: 4 JPower JE0203 9 gram servos

Transmitter: JR X9503

Receiver: Spektrum AR6110

Battery: Thunder Power Pro Power 45C 3S 1750mAh

ESC: JPower 20 amp speed controller

Manufacturer: JPower

Available From: Banana Hobby

Price: $99.90 RTF, $44.90 Airframe only

Flight Duration: 10-20+ minutes

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Everybody has to start somewhere! Each and every person in this great hobby probably started out

with a plane described as a beginner airframe. The first plane I successfully flew for more than one

flight before reducing it back to kit form was a Sig Colt. I eventually logged hundreds of flights on

that little Colt and it became the plane that I will credit with helping me finally earn my RC wings.

JPower, noted designer and manufacturer of many popular 64mm electric ducted fan airframes, has

come up with a beginner plane to help folks teach their thumbs the skills required to fly the much

faster and very popular EDFs. The JPower Sky Surfer has a lot going for it as a beginner airplane. My

expectations were definitely exceeded by this snappy looking little foamy airplane! Please read on to

see why.

Kit Contents

The Sky Surfer comes packed safely in a box that contains an inner foam block into which all of the

components nestle. The Sky Surfer is made of EPP foam. The decals come pre-applied. All servos are

pre-installed.

In The Box

EPP foam fuselage, with elevator and rudder servos, push rods and brushless motor pre-

installed

EPP wing halves, with aileron servos pre-installed

EPP vertical and horizontal stabilizers, with pre-hinged elevator and rudder

Carbon wing joiner rod

Two control horns, one propeller, one servo Y-cable, one piece of adhesive backed hook and

loop fastener

Four page photo-illustrated color assembly manual

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Required for Completion

The RTF version of the Sky Surfer comes with everything you will need to get the plane up in the air,

including a basic lipoly charger. The Airframe only version includes a a motor but will require the

following to finish it:

Four channel radio system

Four 9 gram class sub micro servos

Speed controller rated for 3S and at least 20 amperes

1300-1800mAh 3S lipoly battery

Provided for Review

Thunder Power ProPower 45C 3S 1750mAh lipoly battery

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Assembly

The small parts count in the Sky Surfer box hints at how quickly the plane can be ready for flight.

JPower includes a small, short color photo-illustrated assembly manual but in all honesty, the Sky

Surfer can be easily assembled without it.

Wing

I will say up front that the wing of the Sky Surfer is very reminiscent of my Park Zone Radian's wing.

The overall profile and up swept wing tips are almost identical, though the overall span of the Sky

Surfers wing is definitely less than the Radian wing. The two wing halves come with JPower 9 gram

servos pre-installed and connected to the ailerons. No secondary clevis retention devices are included.

I like to use a small piece of heat shrink or fuel tubing to insure the clevises do not snap open in

flight. The servo leads are already routed to the wing roots. All that is required to assemble the wing

is to insert the carbon wing spar into the two halves as they are inserted into the wing slot in the

fuselage.

Though the instructions recommend gluing the two halves together, I refrained from doing so for

several reasons. One is that it is much easier to transport a plane if it breaks down into smaller pieces.

The 55" wingspan of the Sky Surfer is certainly not crazy big but it is just large enough that it will not

easily fit into my secondary field vehicle, an old 3 series BMW. With the wing removed, it will easily

fit into either the back seat or the trunk. The second reason I refrained from gluing the wing is that I

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really did not expect it to be necessary, given the Sky Surfers intended design as a beginners airplane.

Most beginners airplanes have a relatively mild flight envelope, which does not usually create

excessive loads on the airframe. I thus installed the wings and initially anchored them in place with

four pieces of Blenderm tape. This makes for easy wing removal and for easy transporting of the

plane to and from the field. I flew the Sky Surfer a few times with this method of wing retention. I

then decided to use some strong rare earth magnets epoxied into the wing roots as a better, stronger

means of connecting the wings together.

Magnetic wing retention modification

The kit includes a short servo Y cable to connect the two aileron servos together. The aileron servo

leads are long enough to reach the receiver without it however. I prefer to connect each aileron to its

own channel when possible, as it makes for easier radio configuration, individual end point tuning

and sub trim adjustments.

Fuselage

The Sky Surfer fuselage comes out of the box with absolutely nothing required to ready it for flight.

The motor is pre-installed, as are the speed controller and the rudder and elevator servos. I could find

no specifications for the motor and so I cannot report on its Kv or other pertinent information. The

rudder and elevator servos are mounted very near the center of gravity of the plane. The clear push

rod sleeves that connect the two servos to the tail surface control surfaces are factory installed into

grooves that run from just below the wing saddle to the rear of the plane.

Access to the battery/radio compartment is via a large hatch located on the upper front of the

fuselage. The hatch fits snugly and is retained via a tongue in the front and a pair of magnets in the

rear. The hatch is painted black to mimic the wind screen and cockpit of the airplane. The 20 amp

JPower speed controller is mounted to one side of the battery compartment via a piece of hook and

loop material. Another piece of hook material for mounting the receiver is put in place by the factory

on the other side of the battery compartment. The battery compartment is quite roomy and will

accommodate batteries much larger than the 1300mAh 3S pack for which it is intended to be flown

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on. The kit includes a large piece of hook and loop that can be used to mount the battery to the floor

of the battery compartment.

Tail

The major part of assembling the Sky Surfer involves attaching the tail surfaces to the rear of the

fuselage. Though the aileron control horns are installed at the factory, the rudder and elevator control

horns must be installed by the builder. I installed mine before I mounted the tail surfaces. I used five

minute epoxy and mixed up enough so that I could not only apply it to the bottom of the horns but

also lap some up and over the top side of them. Though most control horns come with a back plate

that gets mounted on the other side of the control surface, the control horns included in the Sky Surfer

kit are a one piece design. I personally prefer the two piece variety but was not overly concerned

about the lack of the second piece on the Sky Surfers control horns, again convincing myself that

most beginner planes have very mild flight envelopes. Quick link style connectors are already affixed

to these two control horns. I applied a small dab of thread locking compound to secure the nuts

holding the quick links on the horns.

The Sky Surfer tail surfaces are designed in such a way that perfect alignment during assembly is all

but guaranteed. There is a very small amount of play in the tail pieces as they mount to the rear of the

fuselage but I was comfortable using my calibrated eye to ensure that they were positioned squarely

and symmetrically before the five minute epoxy cured. The horizontal stabilizer fits into a groove in

the rear of the fuselage, with the vertical then slipping into a groove that is formed into the top of the

elevator and fuselage.

Radio Installation

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A four channel receiver is all that is required to satisfy the needs of the Sky Surfer. I used a Spektrum

AR6110 six channel receiver. I mounted it on the interior wall inside the battery compartment,

opposite the speed controller. JPower numbers the servo leads to aid in determining which servo lead

belongs to each control surface and also which one is attached to the ESC (1=ailerons, 2=elevator,

3=throttle, 4=rudder).

Completion

The factory manual DOES provide recommended control throws but does NOT provide any

information on the location of the proper center of gravity. I went with the recommended throws and

mounted the battery so that the Sky Surfer balanced on the wing spar. Running the Sky Surfer across

my hangar scales saw it weigh in at 22 ounces using the recommended JPower 1300mAh 3S battery,

which is exactly what the advertised specifications list as an AUW. Using the slightly larger Thunder

Power Pro Power 45C 1750mAh 3S lipo saw that weight increment by exactly one ounce, to 23

ounces. Word in the RCGroups threads on this plane is that there is a series of metal washers

embedded in the nose to get the CG right when using the smallish 1300mAh JPower lipo. Though

some may wish to dig them out and just fly on a larger, heavier lipo, I decided to leave mine in so that

I could fly on any of several size batteries. For windier days, I like to fly on larger batteries. The

increased ballast seems to make the Sky Surfer penetrate better.

It has been awhile since I have flown a pusher prop equipped airplane. I will confess that when it

came time to mount the little prop to the rear of the Sky Surfer, I was left scratching my head trying

to figure out which way it went? I took my best guess, powered the plane up and ran the throttle up to

see if the air was blasting in the right direction. Everything seemed correct so it was off to the field to

fly it. However, I was seriously under impressed with the performance of the Sky Surfer on the first

flight or two. When an observant bystander suggested I turn the prop around, I was thrilled to see the

Sky Surfer come roaring to life!

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Correct way to mount the little prop

Flying

Taking Off and Landing

The Sky Surfer power system has enough power that takeoffs are easy. Go to 3/4 power and give the

Sky Surfer a firm push straight forward and you are off to the races. With a strong battery, such as the

Thunder Power 45C Pro Power series lipos that I prefer to use, the Sky Surfer will climb vertically,

although not in an unlimited fashion.

Landing is equally easy. Point the Sky Surfer into the wind, pull the throttle back to a click or two

above full off and let her coast on in. The wide bottom surface of the fuselage will let the Sky Surfer

slide across the grass nicely until it coasts to a stop. I applied some clear 3 mil adhesive backed vinyl

protective film to the belly of mine to help prevent any damage from ground debris while sliding out.

I was surprised to twice find that the elevator control horn had broken after sliding in on a landing. In

both instances, the quick link broke free of the hole into which it was mounted, fracturing the plastic

around it. Fortunately, while pre-flighting the Sky Surfer for my next launch, I noticed the elevator

not responding to my control inputs. It pays to always check the basics before each flight! As an

alternative to landing it on its belly, and for a little challenge, you can catch the Sky Surfer when it is

time to land. The prop is safely tucked out of the way behind the cockpit and thus, there are no

worries at all when attempting to pluck it out of the air at the end of a flight. And it looks pretty cool

when you manage to pull it off too!

Aerobatics/Special Flight Performance

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Beginner airplanes typically possess a very mild flight performance envelope (AKA as boring, to

some intermediate or advanced pilots!) Well, this could not be farther from the truth when it comes to

the Sky Surfer! It has ample power and the ability to do many aerobatics. Because it is a four channel

ship, there is almost nothing that you cannot attempt with the Sky Surfer! Well, we will cross 3D

maneuvers off of the list, as it just does not have the power required to hover.

But the sky is the limit when it comes to aerobatic maneuvers. Rolls are not necessarily blindingly

fast, due to the conservative throw rates recommended. But setting it up with the recommended rates

helps keep a beginner from over controlling it as he/she learns to fly. I have looped, rolled and

tumbled my Sky Surfer all over the sky! And I really like flying it around inverted.

The marketing for this little foamy says you can fly it for upwards of 20 minutes at a time. Is that true

or is it just hype? Please take a peek at the following Eagle Tree data logger screen capture. On this

flight, I flew the Sky Surfer with a ten minute countdown timer set. The flying was a mixed

assortment of some WOT passes, some climb outs with a little power off soaring and some low

throttle putting around. Using my FMA charger, I put a whopping 425 mAh back into the JPower

1300mAh lipo after this flight. Could I have stayed up another ten minutes?! I would have to say

YES!

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In Flight data courtesy of Eagle Tree

Is This For a Beginner?

Assuredly yes. However, a little caution could be in order. The Sky Surfer does not have a wing with

a notable amount of dihedral, as most beginner airplanes normally do. Without dihedral, the airframe

is more prone to stay in whatever orientation the pilot places it into. Though the up swept wing tips

will have the same self-righting effect as dihedral does, it occurs at a much slower rate. But the up

swept wingtips also benefit the Sky Surfer in that they act to soften the stall characteristics of the

airplane. A rank beginner would be best to seek out a little assistance on the first few flights. But then

that is true with ANY airplane in my opinion, even those clearly intended for beginners. A little help

will prevent the damage that always goes along with learning how to fly. Should the Sky Surfer suffer

any damage due to botched flights, the durability of the foam should help insure that only the worst of

crashes require ordering spare parts. If you insist on learning without the benefit of a seasoned pilot,

the Sky Surfer just may be the plane to help you earn your wings.

Flight Video/Photo Gallery

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Downloads

The JPower SkySurfer, in HD! 41.00 MB

Conclusion

Labeled as a beginner aircraft, the Sky Surfer should indeed serve as a capable platform to introduce a

new pilot to the world of electric radio controlled airplanes. Its flight envelope is impressively broad.

It will putt putt putt around the sky at a very low throttle setting but throw the throttle stick forward

and it will accelerate to a satisfyingly racy speed too! It is also possible use the Sky Surfer as a glider,

climbing it up to a speck in the sky and then powering the motor down as one hunts for thermals. I

was not able to find any lift strong enough to take it higher with the motor powered off. The AUW

weight of the airplane and its wing loading may make thermalling with it a somewhat tough

proposition, though I do believe it could be done given the right conditions. Exceptionally long flight

times are possible when one shuts the motor off and does a little soaring, or should I say surfing, with

the Sky Surfer.

The composition of the foam is very, very nice and the decals are expertly applied to make the end

color scheme very pleasing. The pusher prop configuration keeps the prop out of the way of ones

fingers during hand launches and also protects it from damage on landing. The ample size of the

battery compartment makes it possible to use the wide variety of different batteries in the 1300-

2100mAh size range that most modelers are sure to already have lying around. I do think it would be

a nice touch for JPower to include a spare prop or two in the box. Should you some how break the

sole prop that is included, a GWS prop of similar dimension should serve as a suitable replacement.

But one should of course verify that any prop chosen does not create a load that exceeds the 20 amp

rating of the JPower speed controller.

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The Sky Surfer is in a word, FUN! Even though I am well past the "need" for a beginner airplane, I

have a ton of fun racing around the sky with it. I honestly enjoy flying it with complete reckless

abandon! It is challenging but entirely possible to catch it instead of letting it slide across the ground

when landing it. Wide open throttle will make the Sky Surfer jet across the sky at an impressive clip,

yet it can be slowed down to almost a crawl too.

Pluses

Inexpensive beginner plane with a broad (and fun!) flight envelope

Fit and finish of foam is first rate

Can be built in a few hours or less

Notably long flight times possible with a little restraint on the throttle

Large battery compartment permits the use of a wide variety of different batteries

Minuses

Control horns made of brittle plastic that breaks easily

It would be nice if the box included a spare prop or two

Last edited by Angela H; Apr 14, 2010 at 09:51 AM..