The Sky Surfer X8
Figure 1: Sky Surfer X8 ready for take off
I got into RC aviation in my mid‑20s. It was a lot of fun — but also filled with frustration and countless hours spent repairing airplanes I had crashed somewhere. About 30 years later, I decided to pick up the hobby again.
This time I started with FPV drones. I bought a PNP version of a 3-inch drone (DarwinFPV Baby Ape II 4S). After some learning time, I decided to build my next drone from scratch, carefully selecting the parts and assembling everything myself (iFlight AOS 3v5).
After joining a local RC model club here in Germany — where most members fly planes — I became interested in fixed-wing aircraft again. I came across a very good offer for a Sky Surfer X8, and that’s how this new chapter began.
The Sky Surfer X8 doesn’t particularly excel at anything, but it’s great fun and offers fantastic value for the money. It may be a clone, and some parts might not be perfectly designed, but I truly enjoy flying it. Even more, I enjoy spending time out in the field, watching it in the air, improving my skills, learning again from scratch — and simply having a great time.
This blog post marks the beginning of a series about the small and big modifications I’ve made to the Sky Surfer X8. It’s about taking something out of the box, getting it into the air as quickly as possible with minimal effort, and then gradually improving it. I’ll share what worked for me, what didn’t, and what I’ve learned along the way.
You might benefit from this series if you own a 3D printer. It’s also a way for me to document my changes over time — some will be minor, others more significant. Who knows, maybe this will eventually turn into a Frankenstein Sky Surfer.
Enjoy the flight!
