Extreme Flight MXS-EXP User manual

MXS-EXP
Electric ARF Assembly Manual
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Tips for Success:
1. Before starting assembly, take a few minutes to read the entire instruction
manual to familiarize yourself with the assembly process.
2. Please take a few minutes and go over all the seams on the aircraft with a
covering iron on a medium heat setting. Avoid using a heat gun on seams.
3. Use a fresh bottle of thin CA with a fine glue tip when attaching the CA
hinges. This will ensure that the proper amount of CA wicks into the hinge
and surrounding balsa wood and creates a proper bond between the wood and
hinges. We are big fans of the Mercury line of adhesives as well as the glue
tips provided by them.
4. Apply a couple drops of CA to high stress areas such as anti-rotation pins,
landing gear mounts, servo trays and motor box joints and carbon support
mounts.
5. All of the G10 control horns are the same with the exception of the elevator
horn. Its base has been shortened to fit the depth of the elevator.
6. When applying decals, first clean the area where the decal will be applied
with alcohol. Mist the area lightly with Windex before applying the decal
which will allow you to properly position it, then use a rubber squeegee to
push all of the liquid from under the decal. This will result in very few air
pockets trapped under the decal.
7. Take the time to properly balance and trim your aircraft and set up rates
and exponential values. Your flying experience will be greatly enhanced by
doing this.
Please note: The assembly process for the MXS is pretty much identical
to that of the Extra and Edge EXP. Many of the photos in this manual will
show the Extra airframe. Only those assembly steps which differ will show
the MXS (mainly the installation of the dual ball link pushrod assemblies and
the installation of the elevator and horizontal stabilizer).

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Items needed for completion
-masking tape
-Thin and medium CA. We highly recommend Mercury M5T thin and M100XF medium
formulas as well as the Mercury glue tips.
-30 minute epoxy. The new Mercury adhesives Epoxies have worked very well for us.
-Blue Loctite.
-Silicon based glue (Zap-A-Dap-A-Goo, etc.)
-Electric drill with an assortment of small drill bits.
-Small flat head and Phillips head screw drivers.
-Standard and needle nose pliers.
-Metric balldriver or allen key set.
-3 sub micro metal geared servos and 1 micro metal geared servo. All flight testing was
performed with Hitec HS-65MG and HS-5065MG digital servos on the ailerons and rudder
and a single Hitec HS-85MG on the elevator. We strongly recommend the use of these high
quality servos.
-Torque 2814T/820 Brushless Outrunner motor. This is the motor that this aircraft was
designed around and will deliver the best performance for the MXS.
-Airboss Elite 45 Amp ESC.
-4S 2350-3000 mah LiPo battery. We've had great success with the Thunder Power line of
batteries as well as the Zippy Rhino and Flightmax bargain LiPos available from
www.hobbycity.com in both 2350 mah and 2650 mah sizes.
-APC 12x6 E prop (NOT the slow fly version!).
-52mm Extreme Flight spinner.
-2 18"-24" extensions for the 2 rear servos and 2 6"-8" extensions to go between the
receiver and the aileron servo leads. We recommend the 28 or 32 AWG extensions to save
weight.
-Adhesive backed Velcro and Velcro strap for battery retention.

Let's begin!
1. Locate the 2 wing panels with ailerons as well as the 2 G10 aileron control
horns. Remove the ailerons from the wing and remove the covering over the
slot for the aileron horn on the bottom of the aileron with a sharp hobby
blade. Make sure you are doing this on the bottom of the aileron!
2. Scuff the portion of the control horn that will be glued into the aileron with
sandpaper.
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3. Use a glue tip on your bottle of medium CA and apply glue to the slot as
well as to both sides of the control horn. Insert the control horn into the slot
and make sure it seats properly against the surface of the aileron.
4. Remove the covering from the aileron servo location and make sure the
hinges are centered in their slots.
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5. Slide the aileron into position on the hinges and secure with several drops
of fresh thin CA. This process is much easier and more effective if a fine glue
tip is used. Make sure to deflect the surface as pictured while applying the
CA.
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6. Use the screws provided by the servo manufacturer to secure the aileron
servo in the designated location. 1 screw installed in the center hole at each
end of the servo is adequate to secure the servo. Make sure the output shaft is
positioned toward the trailing edge of the wing.
7. Locate the 2 threaded pushrods that are the same length and 4 micro ball
links along with 4 2mm screws, nuts and washers. Thread the ball links onto
each end of the pushrods and secure to the servo arm and control horn with
the 2 mm hardware as shown in the picture. Use the longest arm provided
with your servo.
Repeat this process for the other wing half.
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8. Locate the fuselage, one piece carbon fiber landing gear (the gear pictured
in the photo is the curved Extra landing gear. The gear legs on the MXS are
straight), 2 silver 3mm machine screws and 2 washers. Secure the landing
gear to the fuselage by inserting a 3mm screw into a washer, through the
carbon fiber gear and into the pre-installed blind nut in the fuselage. Make
sure to use a drop of blue Loctite on each screw to prevent them from backing
out.
9. Locate the 2 axles, 2 locking nuts, 2 wheels, 2 wheel collars and 2 wheel
pants from the hardware package. Place the wheel onto the axle and secure
with a wheel collar. Place the threaded portion of the axle through the hole in
the carbon gear and screw the lock nut onto the axle, but do not tighten
completely. There is a slot pre-cut in the wheel pant to allow it to fit over the
axle. Before installing the wheel pant place a drop of silicon based glue onto
the wheel pant just above the pre-cut slot. This will prevent the wheel pant
from rotating, but allow it to move in the case of a mishap which may help to
prevent damage. Slide the wheel pant into position over the axle and tighten
the nut on the axle, taking care to make sure the wheel pant is positioned
properly. Repeat this process for the remaining wheel pant. Again this is
probably better explained in the following series of pictures.
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10. Locate the horizontal stabilizer/elevator assembly and slide the elevator
off of the hinges. Please pay careful attention here!!! You must insert the one
piece elevator into the fuselage before installing the horizontal stabilizer! The
elevator must be inserted into the fuselage upside down with the counter
balances facing the rear of the aircraft as shown in the following photo. Once
inserted into the fuselage the elevator can be rotated 180 degrees and placed
in the proper location.
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11. Insert the stabilizer into its slot and the carbon fiber wing tube into the
fiberglass sleeve. Use a ruler to insure that the stabilizer is centered in its slot
and compare the stabilizer to the wing tube to make sure it is properly
aligned. Sand or shim the slot if necessary to ensure proper alignment.
Secure the stabilizer with CA.
11. Remove the covering over the right slot on the bottom of the elevator
where the elevator control horn will be installed. The elevator horn is the one
with the shortest shank that is glued into the surface. Scuff the portion of the
control horn that will insert into the elevator with sandpaper. Secure the
control horn with medium CA.
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12. Slide the elevator onto the hinges in the stabilizer and secure with thin
CA. Again a fresh bottle of CA and a fine glue tip work best here.
13. Remove the covering over the slot in the lower right side of the rudder
where the rudder control horn will be installed. Scuff the portion of the
control horn that will glue into the surface and secure the rudder control horn
with medium CA just as you did with the elevator control horn.
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14. Using the same process as with the ailerons and elevator, slide the rudder
onto the hinges and secure to the vertical stabilizer with thin CA.
15. Locate the carbon fiber tailwheel assembly in the hardware package.
Secure the tailwheel bracket to the bottom rear of the fuselage with the
provided wood screws. Make sure the pivot point of the assembly is over the
hinge line of the rudder for best results.
16. Secure the tiller using the provided screw, but do not over tighten as the
tiller should be able to move on the screw as the rudder is deflected.
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17. Place the tailwheel wire in the proper position, aligned with the rudder
and lock into place with the 2 set screws.
18. Before installing the elevator and rudder servos soak the plywood servo
mounting plates with thin CA. Use the hardware provided with the servos to
install the rudder and elevator servos in their respective location in the rear of
the aircraft. From the pilot's perspective the rudder servo mounts on the
right side of the fuselage and the elevator servo mounts on the left side. The
elevator servo should have the output shaft toward the front of the aircraft
while the rudder servo output shaft should be toward the rear of the aircraft.
We highly recommend the use of the Hitec HS-85MG for the elevator of the
MXS. The HS-65MG wroks great for the ailerons and rudder.
19. The rudder and elevator servo linkage assembles and is installed just like
the aileron linkage. For maximum travel we have included a G10 control
horn which is bolted to the stock control horn provided with the servo. We
have found it easiest to tack glue the G10 arm to the nylon arm and then using
the holes in the nylon arm as a guide, drill through the composite arm. Secure
the arm with the provided screws and bolts. The remaining portion of the
linkage installation is the same as the other control surfaces.
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20. Mount the motor using the supplied 3mm black socket head cap bolts
which are threaded into the blind nuts which are pre-installed in the motor
mount plate. Be sure to put a drop of blue Loctite onto each bolt to prevent
them from backing out. Be sure to add some CA to all motor box joints as
well as to the attachment points of the carbon fiber motor box supports.
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21. Also notice the laser cut balsa baffles. A set of these is included which can
be attached to the motor box to improve cooling by directing air over the
motor. You may find it necessary to lightly sand the top front of edge of the
baffle to allow for proper cowl installation.
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22. For quick, easy and accurate mounting of the cowl we recommend the
following method. Tear 4 short pieces of masking tape from a roll. Place each
piece of tape on the side of the fuselage so that each piece corresponds with
one of the 4 cowl mounting tabs. Use a fine tipped marker to mark the
location of the center of each mounting tab. Roll the tape back and slide the
cowl into position. Install an Extreme Flight 52mm spinner onto the motor
shaft for reference and once satisfied with the cowl position roll the tape back
into place and secure the cowl. Use a 1/16" drill bit to drill a hole at the
location of the dot on each piece of tape. Remove the tape and secure the cowl
with 4 of the included small wood screws that have large heads. Very simple!
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23. There is a laser cut opening in the bottom of the fuselage under the rear of
the canopy. Use a sharp hobby knife to remove the covering from this
location to allow cooling air to exit the fuselage.
24. Use nylon cable ties or Velcro to secure the ESC to the bottom of the
motor box. There is an opening in the cowl just in front of this location to
allow cooling air to enter and be directed over the ESC. Use a piece of open
cell foam to cushion the ESC.
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25. Place a strip of Velcro onto the battery tray and onto your battery and use
a Velcro strap around the battery and tray to prevent the battery from being
ejected during high G maneuvers. Mount your receiver on the portion of the
battery tray that extends behind the wing tube with Velcro.
26. If using the included Side Force Generators or fiberglass racing wing tips
now is the time to mount them. Each SFG or fiberglass tip mounts using 2
Wood screws just as you used to mount the cowl. Locate the SFG in the
proper position on the wing tip. Mark the location of the screw holes. We
then drill a small pilot hole in these locations, and then carefully screw in the
wood screw. Then remove the wood screw, and put a drop of thin CA in the
hole created. This will harden the threads. Once the CA has dried, then
install the wing tip of your choice.
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