Uploaded December 2014 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
A quick overview of my Bix 3 removable tail mod, and the maiden flight putting the mod to the test. Unfortunately my phone with all the step-by-step photos died on me and I lost just about everything. Read on for instructions.
Supplies:
imgur.com/QQOeIjX,BaYSdx2#0
imgur.com/QQOeIjX,BaYSdx2#1
Instructions:
1.) Assemble the tail system and hold everything in place while you drill through all three components (fuselage, horizontal stabilizer, vertical stabilizer). Try to avoid the rear wheel mechanism.
2.) Pre-glue a coupling nut to the end of a piece of plastic tubing (choose the appropriate length of tubing for your bolt). To ensure that both components were well-aligned I glued them together while on the bolt. Use some glue to plug the top end of the coupling nut so that when you glue it into the tail (step 3) excess glue will not flow in.
3.) Scuff up the nut/tubing assembly to give the glue something to hold onto. Inject some hot glue into the vertical stabilizer drill hole and slide the nut/tubing assembly into place (with the coupling nut side going in first). Let dry.
4.) Align the vertical and horizontal stabilizers and glue in a piece of plastic tubing into the horizontal stabilizer drill hole. Slide the bolt through both the horizontal stabilizer and vertical stabilizer so that the plastic tubing is perfectly aligned as the glue dries.
5.) Do the same with the fuselage.
6.) Reinforce the front of the vertical stabilizer with a piece of wooden skewer.
Notes: I found that my initial alignment of the nut/tubing assembly into the vertical stabilizer was not quite perfect, which meant I had to widen the holes in the horizontal stabilizer and fuselage to compensate. I filled in the gaps with hot glue once the tubing was placed into the holes.
A quick overview of my Bix 3 removable tail mod, and the maiden flight putting the mod to the test. Unfortunately my phone with all the step-by-step photos died on me and I lost just about everything. Read on for instructions.
Supplies:
imgur.com/QQOeIjX,BaYSdx2#0
imgur.com/QQOeIjX,BaYSdx2#1
Instructions:
1.) Assemble the tail system and hold everything in place while you drill through all three components (fuselage, horizontal stabilizer, vertical stabilizer). Try to avoid the rear wheel mechanism.
2.) Pre-glue a coupling nut to the end of a piece of plastic tubing (choose the appropriate length of tubing for your bolt). To ensure that both components were well-aligned I glued them together while on the bolt. Use some glue to plug the top end of the coupling nut so that when you glue it into the tail (step 3) excess glue will not flow in.
3.) Scuff up the nut/tubing assembly to give the glue something to hold onto. Inject some hot glue into the vertical stabilizer drill hole and slide the nut/tubing assembly into place (with the coupling nut side going in first). Let dry.
4.) Align the vertical and horizontal stabilizers and glue in a piece of plastic tubing into the horizontal stabilizer drill hole. Slide the bolt through both the horizontal stabilizer and vertical stabilizer so that the plastic tubing is perfectly aligned as the glue dries.
5.) Do the same with the fuselage.
6.) Reinforce the front of the vertical stabilizer with a piece of wooden skewer.
Notes: I found that my initial alignment of the nut/tubing assembly into the vertical stabilizer was not quite perfect, which meant I had to widen the holes in the horizontal stabilizer and fuselage to compensate. I filled in the gaps with hot glue once the tubing was placed into the holes.
