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VSKYLABS RC SLX-351

6 x EDF - 1:12.4 SCALE - FASCINATING DESIGN DEMONSTRATOR
SCALE FLIGHT - STABLE - RESPONSIVE - MISSION ORIENTED

Model data:

Type: Scale RC Model based on the Scaled Composites Model-351 Strato Launcher.
Scale: 1:12.4
Length: 5.22 m (17.13 ft)
Wingspan: 8.43 m (27.66 ft)
Weight: 121 lb (54.9 kg) - No Payload Weight.
Engine: 6 × 140 mm EDF / 12-blade fan / ~12.7 hp (9.47 kW) per engine
Electrical System (Suggested): 44.4V nominal high-capacity LiPo system. Six 140mm 12-blade EDF units operating at approximately 213A per unit, ~1,280A total system draw, ~57 kW combined maximum output. Battery capacity approximately 5,700 Wh. Full-power endurance: approximately 6 minutes. Real-world endurance will vary with throttle management and flight profile.
Performance/Limitations: Maximum speed: 120 knots / 138 mph / 222 km/h (sea level, full power, straight and level). Estimated Vne: ~130 knots / 150 mph / 241 km/h.

Channels:

  1. Throttle
  2. Rudder
  3. Elevator
  4. Ailerons
  5. Control modes (Full, Dual-Rates/Expo) - Required for high-speed sustained flight.
  6. Gears
  7. Gear Brakes
  8. Flaps

Pilot Notes:

General: The SLX-351 is a docile yet responsive aircraft. In its default configuration, without an RC payload, it generates considerable excess lift and has a strong tendency to climb. The six EDF units are mounted well outboard on the wings, giving the aircraft a noticeably sluggish roll response with substantial rotational inertia.

Despite its large dimensions, the aircraft has a relatively small visual cross-section, especially when viewed head-on or tail-on. This can make orientation and distance judgment surprisingly challenging during distant passes or long final approaches. Unpowered glide performance is degraded by the drag generated by the six stationary EDF units, and energy bleeds off rapidly with the power removed.

Controls: Dual rates are recommended for scale flying, especially during high-speed passes. Roll inputs should be anticipated due to the aircraft's large span and roll inertia. Take off and landings should be carried with full control authority.

Power/Energy Management: The SLX-351 readily converts its substantial power and wing area into climb performance and can reach high altitude surprisingly quickly. Reducing power significantly, or shutting the EDF units down completely provides an effective way to increase the descent rate. Flap use is not mandatory for normal approaches, although deploying the flaps allows steeper and more controlled descent profiles.

The stall is generally non-aggressive. Rather than producing a violent departure, the aircraft will usually lose control authority and begin descending while the nose progressively drops. At low altitude, however, there may be insufficient height available for recovery.

High-speed passes are impressive and remain predictable when flown smoothly, although the SLX-351 was not designed as an aerobatic aircraft. Avoid abrupt high-G maneuvering and aggressive pull-ups, particularly at elevated speeds.

Physics-Based Wing Flex: The SLX-351 features physics-based wing-flex simulation. Wing cross-section deflection responds dynamically to aerodynamic loading and plays an active role in the way the aircraft behaves during high-lift and high-load conditions. It is not merely a visual animation.

Real world reference video (full scale Stratolauncher aircraft):
*The following video shows a real-world reference for the model. It is provided for informational purposes only. It is not produced by or affiliated with VSKYLABS. All credits belong to the original content creators. Various design features and other characteristics may vary, when compared to the VSKYLABS model in X-Plane. 


VSKYLABS RC Elements Vol. 2 screenshots - X-Plane 12:

The VSKYLABS RC SLX-351 is a giant-scale experimental RC aircraft inspired by one of the most extraordinary aircraft configurations ever flown.

Its real-world inspiration is the Scaled Composites Model 351, better known as the Stratolaunch carrier aircraft. Designed as an airborne launch platform, the full-scale aircraft features a remarkable twin-fuselage configuration, six turbofan engines and a 385-foot (117-meter) wingspan, making it the world's largest fixed-wing aircraft by wingspan. The aircraft first flew from Mojave in April 2019 and was designed around the ability to carry extremely large payloads beneath its center wing.

The RC SLX-351 itself is a genuine VSKYLABS RC aircraft design rather than a simulation of an existing RC model. The concept takes the extraordinary proportions and configuration of the full-scale aircraft and explores what such a machine could become as a practical giant-scale, six-EDF radio-controlled aircraft.

With an 8.43-meter (27.66-foot) wingspan, six 140mm EDF units and a flying weight of approximately 121 lb (54.9 kg), the RC SLX-351 became an unusual engineering exercise even within RC-Elements. Its enormous span, widely distributed propulsion, twin fuselages, large flexible wing and relatively low aircraft mass create a combination of aerodynamic and inertial characteristics rarely encountered in conventional RC aircraft.

Developing the RC SLX-351 also stretched X-Plane 12's native flight-physics environment into an unusual corner of its operating envelope, pushing 6x14mm EDF units at approximately 27,000 RPM, which are being simulated in real-time. The aircraft makes extensive use of X-Plane's aerodynamic features across its multi-wing and body planform.

The result is a unique RC-Elements test aircraft: enormous yet surprisingly docile, powerful yet highly dependent on energy management, and designed to explore what happens when giant-scale RC engineering is pushed far beyond conventional proportions.