2020 has been a big year for the 48-60" class planes, which saw a steady stream of new Extreme Flight airframes. The Gamebird alone was enough to make for a banner year, but that was quickly followed by the highly anticipated 48" Extra V2 and then the 60" fabulous Edge V2 models. That was a big enough year, but now to close things out we're getting the new 64" MXS EXP V2. As a big fan of the original MXS, I'm delighted to see this plane updated to V2 specification. The MXS has been a favorite of mine since the 48" MXS debuted, and later with the spectacular 64.
The 64" was so good I was not convinced we even needed a V2, that is, until I got my hands on one. These planes are always much different in person because pictures never seem to capture how nicely they are turned out.
Click To Enlarge On All Pictures
Extreme Flight has taken this most excellent plane to a new level by applying the V2 upgrade, featuring extensive use of mixed composite materials. The newest construction techniques and materials opened a lot of room for improvement and Extreme Flight seized on this to bring us a better airplane. New construction techniques and materials now give us a stronger, lighter, stiffer airframe that stays tighter, last longer, and flies better.
V2 features include carbon rods running the length of the fuselage, with G10/wood V2 composite material through the entire motorbox, battery tray and formers all the way to the tail. This is a durable plane that will take a lot of rough treatment in stride, and fly better too. We've see V2 applied to a few of our favorites before with spectacular flying results, so we can expect the same thing with this plane.
How this plays out in the air is the stiffer airframe will respond to commands better instead of flexing, which makes it livelier. A stiff airplane also stays better aligned under high stress, which is kind of what we do with these planes. You might not think precision maneuvers are high stress, but remember it's usually high speed with a ton of air flowing over the plane. Keeping everything in alignment under this stress also gives you a more precise plane.
The motorbox top, sides and bottom are composite reinforced, as are all the formers all the way to the tail. Carbon rods run the length of the fuselage, and the landing gear mounting area is heavily reinforced with carbon
KIT
Wings And Retention System
New this year as seen on the 60" Gamebird and Edge V2 is the brilliant new wing retention system. You simply slide the wing on and flip a lever. It's locked and secure, but when you flip the lever the other way, the wing releases and you merely slide it off. This makes the plane more practical for those who have a small car and have to transport the plane unassembled. Sure beats 10 minutes of bolt twisting. Those with arthritis will especially appreciate this feature.
When you slide the wing on, the bolt passes through a hole in the fuse and into the mechanism, From there the latch captures the head of the bolt and won't let go. You may have to tinker with the bolt in the wing to get the wing attached tightly without being so tight it either fouls the latch or make working the lever too hard to operate, but it's really pretty quick and easy.
More composite reinforcement around all the servo mounts.
Self Aligning Stabilizer
I can't say this feature is new any more because we've had this for about three years. However, don't take this for granted because it's a critical breakthrough that makes the plane go together straighter and fly better.
The face of the stabilizer is notched and with a flat face. All you do is slide it all the way forward until the flat face seats against the alignment formers in the front of the stabilizer saddle, measure to be sure, and glue. All of mine have come out perfect, but I still measure them just to be sure and satisfy my OCD.
Below you can see the alignment pieces at the front of the stabilizer saddle.
Once the stabilizer is glued in and the elevator is hinged, slide the filler piece in and secure with thin CA. Do this after the elevator is hinged. I took the picture before the stab was in so it would show a better view of how the piece fits.
This is probably the most critical part of the build because if you get it wrong you won't have a straight flying plane. By making the alignment as simple as possible, this just gives you one less thing to get wrong on the one part of the build you don't dare get wrong. This is ease of assembly is especially important for newer builder, but even after hundreds of builds, I appreciate how much stress this takes off of me. I used to torture myself measuring, adjusting, measuring, adjusting, until I made myself crazy. Now I jam the stab all the way forward, measure a couple of times, glue it and forget it.
Misc Cool Stuff
As seen on the original MXS, the kit comes with beautiful built up and sheeted racing-style wing tips. First, they look deadly cool. In the air the tips mute some of the plane's violence in snaps and tumbles, but you can get a lot of that back by working on the timing of the maneuver. Where the tips really come into play is the plane becomes a bit more stabile and harriers better. This does not quite turn the plane into a 3D trainer, but it makes the MXS so stable that new guys won't have much trouble.
These either bolt on to the end of the wing, or if you want to run SFGs, they bolt on the outside of those. I'de say try the plane both ways and make up your own mind which one you like better.
Fuselage
As you can see, there's lots and lots of mixed composite material here. Carbon stiffening rods run from the first former all the way to the tail, and the entire motorbox and battery is made from wood/composite laminate. All the formers from the firewall to the last former in the battery compartment are the same material. There's carbon reinforcement in critical high stress areas around the wing tube mount and anti rotation pin holes. If all the composite in this plane was pure carbon, none of us could afford this plane, but Extreme Flight uses G10 composite where carbon isn't strictly necessary to save weight and add strength.
As seen on the Gamebird, the MXS features a composite ESC mounting tray.
Wing anti rotation pin mounts front and rear are also composite reinforced.
Hardware
There's not going to be a lot of glamor in this section because hardware ain't pretty, but it is crucial to use good stuff. The hardware package is virtually the same thing we have been using for over a decade on 60" EXP. It does it's job exceptionally well with reliability and durability that reduces maintenance to just inspecting and maybe a little tightening once in awhile.
The ball links and pushrod are unchanged from the stuff we have been using with so much success that it makes sense to carry over into this plane. The tailwheel assembly is also unchanged bar moving to a one piece machined aluminum tiller arm. That was the only area the unit could have been improved, and now it is.
Mostly just install it and forget about it. It's not thrilling and it's not glamorous, with it does it's job and that's all you want from it anyway. It's just one more thing to put out of your mind when you are paying attention to you flying. Forget it and fly...it's not going to let you down.
Build
I heartily recommend Ben Fisher's excellent new build video for the 60" EXP series. I've probably built over 100 EXPs, and I still learned a few valuable tricks watching this. The video makes everything crystal clear and easy to understand.
Extreme Flight 6S 60" Class Airframe Build Video - YouTube
Here we are going to deviate from our usual format and delay the flying section of this report. It will only be a couple of days, but I'm getting old and can't do it in a single day any more. Patience, Grasshopper. We'll get it done.
As of this writing, I only have a systems check of the plane in pretty windy conditions. So there's nothing etched in stone just yet other than the plane is exceptionally solid. Seems a little better in precision too, though we'll know more as soon as we start pushing the plane a little more. It's also very very clearly visible and easy to maintain orientation on. It also looks extremely bad ass in the air, so it's hard to get off to much better of as start than that.
There's probably a lot more potential to unlock with subtle adjustments and certainly more as I learn the plane's limits. So far it's not too much different from the V1, though I don't remember that harrier manners being this good.
Hard to say too much based off of one flight, but I do have extensive experience with the V1. I can tell you what to expect based off of experience with previous V2 reboots. The external aerodynamics remain unchanged because it was exactly what Extreme Flight wanted it to be already. The improvement is going to come from the lighter, stiffer construction. Like I have said, it's going to be livelier, smoother and more precise. We know that going in.
The MXS is the shortest coupled (the distance from the wing to the stab) of all the 60" class EXPs, As such, it has much improved pitch authority, and therefore will be more agile in general, and in particular will snap and tumble better. This short coupling will give you super hard rotations in moves like parachutes and walls, as well as more pitch control at slower speeds. The MXS was always a terrific snap and tumbler, and I expect this will only be improved due to the V2's increased rigidity. The moment is still long enough to induce stability, so nothing is given up in performance here.
New this year as seen on the 60" Gamebird and Edge V2 is the brilliant new wing retention system. You simply slide the wing on and flip a lever. It's locked and secure, but when you flip the lever the other way, the wing releases and you merely slide it off. This makes the plane more practical for those who have a small car and have to transport the plane unassembled. Sure beats 10 minutes of bolt twisting. Those with arthritis will especially appreciate this feature.
When you slide the wing on, the bolt passes through a hole in the fuse and into the mechanism, From there the latch captures the head of the bolt and won't let go. You may have to tinker with the bolt in the wing to get the wing attached tightly without being so tight it either fouls the latch or make working the lever too hard to operate, but it's really pretty quick and easy.
More composite reinforcement around all the servo mounts.
Self Aligning Stabilizer
I can't say this feature is new any more because we've had this for about three years. However, don't take this for granted because it's a critical breakthrough that makes the plane go together straighter and fly better.
The face of the stabilizer is notched and with a flat face. All you do is slide it all the way forward until the flat face seats against the alignment formers in the front of the stabilizer saddle, measure to be sure, and glue. All of mine have come out perfect, but I still measure them just to be sure and satisfy my OCD.
Below you can see the alignment pieces at the front of the stabilizer saddle.
Once the stabilizer is glued in and the elevator is hinged, slide the filler piece in and secure with thin CA. Do this after the elevator is hinged. I took the picture before the stab was in so it would show a better view of how the piece fits.
This is probably the most critical part of the build because if you get it wrong you won't have a straight flying plane. By making the alignment as simple as possible, this just gives you one less thing to get wrong on the one part of the build you don't dare get wrong. This is ease of assembly is especially important for newer builder, but even after hundreds of builds, I appreciate how much stress this takes off of me. I used to torture myself measuring, adjusting, measuring, adjusting, until I made myself crazy. Now I jam the stab all the way forward, measure a couple of times, glue it and forget it.
Misc Cool Stuff
As seen on the original MXS, the kit comes with beautiful built up and sheeted racing-style wing tips. First, they look deadly cool. In the air the tips mute some of the plane's violence in snaps and tumbles, but you can get a lot of that back by working on the timing of the maneuver. Where the tips really come into play is the plane becomes a bit more stabile and harriers better. This does not quite turn the plane into a 3D trainer, but it makes the MXS so stable that new guys won't have much trouble.
These either bolt on to the end of the wing, or if you want to run SFGs, they bolt on the outside of those. I'de say try the plane both ways and make up your own mind which one you like better.
Fuselage
As you can see, there's lots and lots of mixed composite material here. Carbon stiffening rods run from the first former all the way to the tail, and the entire motorbox and battery is made from wood/composite laminate. All the formers from the firewall to the last former in the battery compartment are the same material. There's carbon reinforcement in critical high stress areas around the wing tube mount and anti rotation pin holes. If all the composite in this plane was pure carbon, none of us could afford this plane, but Extreme Flight uses G10 composite where carbon isn't strictly necessary to save weight and add strength.
As seen on the Gamebird, the MXS features a composite ESC mounting tray.
Wing anti rotation pin mounts front and rear are also composite reinforced.
Hardware
There's not going to be a lot of glamor in this section because hardware ain't pretty, but it is crucial to use good stuff. The hardware package is virtually the same thing we have been using for over a decade on 60" EXP. It does it's job exceptionally well with reliability and durability that reduces maintenance to just inspecting and maybe a little tightening once in awhile.
The ball links and pushrod are unchanged from the stuff we have been using with so much success that it makes sense to carry over into this plane. The tailwheel assembly is also unchanged bar moving to a one piece machined aluminum tiller arm. That was the only area the unit could have been improved, and now it is.
Mostly just install it and forget about it. It's not thrilling and it's not glamorous, with it does it's job and that's all you want from it anyway. It's just one more thing to put out of your mind when you are paying attention to you flying. Forget it and fly...it's not going to let you down.
Build
I heartily recommend Ben Fisher's excellent new build video for the 60" EXP series. I've probably built over 100 EXPs, and I still learned a few valuable tricks watching this. The video makes everything crystal clear and easy to understand.
Extreme Flight 6S 60" Class Airframe Build Video - YouTube
FLYING
Here we are going to deviate from our usual format and delay the flying section of this report. It will only be a couple of days, but I'm getting old and can't do it in a single day any more. Patience, Grasshopper. We'll get it done.
As of this writing, I only have a systems check of the plane in pretty windy conditions. So there's nothing etched in stone just yet other than the plane is exceptionally solid. Seems a little better in precision too, though we'll know more as soon as we start pushing the plane a little more. It's also very very clearly visible and easy to maintain orientation on. It also looks extremely bad ass in the air, so it's hard to get off to much better of as start than that.
There's probably a lot more potential to unlock with subtle adjustments and certainly more as I learn the plane's limits. So far it's not too much different from the V1, though I don't remember that harrier manners being this good.
Hard to say too much based off of one flight, but I do have extensive experience with the V1. I can tell you what to expect based off of experience with previous V2 reboots. The external aerodynamics remain unchanged because it was exactly what Extreme Flight wanted it to be already. The improvement is going to come from the lighter, stiffer construction. Like I have said, it's going to be livelier, smoother and more precise. We know that going in.
The MXS is the shortest coupled (the distance from the wing to the stab) of all the 60" class EXPs, As such, it has much improved pitch authority, and therefore will be more agile in general, and in particular will snap and tumble better. This short coupling will give you super hard rotations in moves like parachutes and walls, as well as more pitch control at slower speeds. The MXS was always a terrific snap and tumbler, and I expect this will only be improved due to the V2's increased rigidity. The moment is still long enough to induce stability, so nothing is given up in performance here.
We did manage to get a short video of the installation flight and systems check. It's a little sloppy because the conditions were bad and I had a severe case of new plane paranoia, but it will give you an idea of how well the plane flies. If you compare to my other MXS V1 videos you can see harrier performance is definitely improved, partially from the weight reduction and partially because the plane is so stiff.
MXS V2__First Day Out from Doc Austin on Vimeo.
While the MXS is not as graceful as the Extra (along with every other plane), it's not going to give much up in precision and big sky maneuvers. While biased a little more toward violent flying, the MXS will still do point and slow rolls as precisely as anything else, and only lags behind the Extra in how graceful it does everything. Then again, that's where the Extra stands alone. Most people are going to prefer the MXS' more aggressive nature for sport 3DXA, and precision pilots at going to like the Extra.
Good news for newer and sport pilots is the included beautifully built up wing tips take a little of the violence away, in addition to looking deadly cool. These slow the roll rate a little and mute tumbling a bit, but the trade off is you get a smoother flying, more gentle style of plane. The tips smooth out the turbulence coming off the SFGs and aid in better harrier, so if you want a more gentle and easy to fly plane this is a good option. Fly the plane both ways and make up your own minds.
Is this the plane for everyone? Uhhhh, sort of, but I think newer pilots would be better off if they had something like an Edge under their belts first. The plane is easy to fly, but even with the tips it's still a really agile plane. You could probably learn how to 3D on this plane, but the easier path would be the Edge.
We will have more on how the V2 in particular flies, so keep your eyes open over the next day or two.
POWER SYSYEM
So far my experience with the new Xpwr22 in my Edge has been all good. Power seems to be about the same, but I do get cooler temps and my batteries come down with about 0.5 more voltage. This is a good thing because these are expensive packs and leaving more margin will help them live and perform better.
I'm looking forward to flying the Xpwr22 and having some new observations, but so far the motor has done it''s job so well I kind of forgot about it. It's smooth, powerful and reliable, so there wasn't much of anything different to say other than it sure is pretty.
For now I will simply copy/paste the info from the last report and maybe talk about the motor more in the flight report. I just don't have enough time with the motor to know it's finer nuisances, but it's not a bad sign that the motor leaves me alone to think about the plane, and does it's job smoothly.
Motor
There's a little bit of change here from what we've done in the past. Extreme Flight is upgrading their entire product lineup, so why not include the power systems? Extreme Flight's Xpwr division has recently released it's new Xpwr 22 out runner motor. Having flown on in the Edge, I'm really pleased with it and expect the same sort of satisfaction when flown in the MXS.
The numbers look promising and excellent experience with Xpwr's 3910 leaves no room for anything but confidence. The Xpwr22 uses the same propeller selection and pulls roughly the same maximum amperage as the time proven 4016. So far it's been smoother, and runs cooler and quieter like the 3910 does. I don't think we really necessarily need any more power because the 4016 has more than enough, but the latest in design philosophy and advanced construction techniques is always a welcome plus.
That, and it's a really nice looking motor.....
Specifications
Weight: 334 grams (including radial mount and prop adapter)
Length: 65mm (from rear of radial mount to front face of prop adapter)
Diameter: 49mm
KV: 500
Max Current: 80 Amp
Prop Shaft: 6mm
Pole Count: 14
Recommended Props: 16x7, 16x8, 17x6 wood or lightweight carbon electric props. We highly recommend the Xoar PJN series. Please avoid the heavier APC props in this size.
Speed Controller
No need to change anything here. The Airboss 80 has served us so well for over a decade that I count on it's simplicity and reliability. It comes pre-wired with a deans plug (which is what I use) and preprogrammed, so all you do is plug it in and go. One of the things I do as a preventative measure is to program every new Airboss to default. This almost always solves any rare problem you could have with an Airboss, so I just do it right out of the gate.
The big plus of the Airboss is it's smooth, linear throttle response. It gives you exactly what you ask from it, and this makes throttle control much easier, and also easier to balance the plane in a maneuver with the power. Like the 3910 and 4016, the X22 is designed to work with the Airboss, so that's one less thing to worry about.
Unchanged here is Airboss reliability. It's almost like hardware in that once you bolt the cowling on that's the last time you think about it. It does it's job with so little fuss you forget about it.
SET UP
If it ain't broke, don't fix it. All the hardware is the same, so the set up is going to look the same. This is a righteous thing because it's been used so many times before we already know it's going to work.
As always, use the set up from the manual, especially the low rate, at least as a place to start. I only use two rates, the low and 3D rate from the manual. Unless you want to tumble the thing into in blur, more than that rate isn't necessary. I do run a little more elevator than that 3D rate, and a little slower aileron low rate, but the manual is always the best starting point. I use this formula on every plane I own.
Ailerons
Here I use the 7/8th ProModeler PDRS101 25 tooth arm. This gives me about 31-33 degrees of aileron travel which suits my flying well without being too touchy. I use Dubro 2 X 12mm allen bolts with a lock and jam nut on both the servo arm and the control arm. There's enough thread left so you can put a dab of medium CA on there to lock it all together. I think it would take a nuclear holocausts to make it come apart, but you can easily spin the jam nut off and shatter the glue if you want to make a change.
Rudder
Also, the PDRS101 arm. Using most of my available end point adjustment I got exactly the throw I am after.
Elevator
I love the Xessories 1.25" arm for this. In addition to the bolt that secures the arm, There is a cinch bolt that clamps the spline tight against the output shaft. This not only eliminates any potential slop, by it really locks the arm down and minimized the possibility it could fall off if you lose (or forget) the retaining bolt.
Here I use the 7/8th ProModeler PDRS101 25 tooth arm. This gives me about 31-33 degrees of aileron travel which suits my flying well without being too touchy. I use Dubro 2 X 12mm allen bolts with a lock and jam nut on both the servo arm and the control arm. There's enough thread left so you can put a dab of medium CA on there to lock it all together. I think it would take a nuclear holocausts to make it come apart, but you can easily spin the jam nut off and shatter the glue if you want to make a change.
Rudder
Also, the PDRS101 arm. Using most of my available end point adjustment I got exactly the throw I am after.
Elevator
I love the Xessories 1.25" arm for this. In addition to the bolt that secures the arm, There is a cinch bolt that clamps the spline tight against the output shaft. This not only eliminates any potential slop, by it really locks the arm down and minimized the possibility it could fall off if you lose (or forget) the retaining bolt.
