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Review: XHOVER Skyeliner by Drib

by Martin Novak
January 18, 2019
in Reviews

Before we dive into Le Drib’s new XHOVER Skyeliner frame, I want to talk about what I look for in a frame. I only fly freestyle so it’s going to have to be a top mount battery design. It needs to have quality carbon, the stiffer the better. It has to be durable, and lastly it needs to be balanced. Center of gravity, prop-line, standoff height, and FC/gyro placement are all things that factor into how it will fly.

OVERVIEW

The XHOVER Skyeliner has a 222mm footprint, a top-mount battery, compressed X frame layout, and 20mm standoffs. It’s a great frame design and similar to my usual frame of choice, the CraftQuads Loflo. I’m sold on the design because it drops the center of gravity closer to the prop-line. On the XHOVER Skyeliner the FC gyro is right on the prop line. I think this is often overlooked in frame designs, but the closer the gyro is to the prop-line, the easier it will be to tune the quad.

The FPV camera sits low in the front camera pod and allows adjustment from ~10-45 degrees. The FPV camera lens sits at a height right in line with the props as well. This means when you’re making movements on the roll axis, your visual perspective is coming from the center of the rotation. This just gives the pilot a much more natural feel.

The rigidity of the frame and quality of carbon is great! It’s very stiff and all the pieces fit snugly together. This is a must for me and leads to less noise in the gyro, more durability, easier tuning and most importantly, better footage.

Daniel Sandoval at XHOVER is known for the quality of his frames, and the Skyeliner is a perfect example. I also want to mention that the packaging was some of the best I’ve seen in the FPV industry. Each part of the frame was sealed into its own pouch, proper.

BUILD LIST

  • Frame: XHOVER Skyeliner by Drib
  • Motors: Lumenier Skitzo RB2206 – 2650kv
  • Props: HQ 5x4x3 (The OG ones)
  • Flight Controller: FlightOne RevoltOSD
  • ESC: FlightOne Bolt32 30amp
  • VTX: TBS Unify HV
  • FPV Cam: Runcam Swift 2 w/1.8 lens
  • RX: TBS Crossfire
  • Battery: ThunderPower Adrenaline 1300mah 4S
  • Antenna: TBS Triumph
  • HD Camera: GoPro Hero7

All up weight: 659g

This is my usual setup for a 5″ build except for the motor/prop combo. The 2206 2650KV felt awesome with the older HQ 5x4x3 props. I intentionally used this setup for its inherent smoothness and throttle resolution, which allowed me to focus on the flight characteristics of the frame.

THE FLIGHT

Right out the gate, the XHOVER Skyeliner feels very snappy and precise. Since it’s a compressed X style frame with the majority of its mass on the pitch axis, the roll axis has a lot of authority and stability. I didn’t have any real tuning issues with the frame, besides underestimating how much authority it has on the roll axis. Otherwise, I had no tuning nightmares and didn’t spend the day chasing phantom vibrations. The HD footage from my GoPro Hero7 proved this. The footage looks crisp and jello-free. This is a huge selling point for me. Everyone has their own reasons for flying FPV, but one of my biggest is the footage I capture. I’ve tried a lot of frames over the past few years and have noticed that many require much more effort in tuning/piloting to get crisp footage. The XHOVER Skyeliner is not one of them.

Take a run with me flying the Skyeliner and giving my first impressions.

THOUGHTS

I really only have positive things to say about the XHOVER Skyeliner by Drib. It flies great, the design makes sense, and it’s a very high quality product. There are a couple things I’d tweak a bit. I think it would benefit from having the option to “toilet tank”, or laterally place, the battery. This would take some weight off the pitch axis and move it to the roll axis, making it feel similar on both.

I think the back of the GoPro mount could be more robust since it’s only secured on the backside with one screw through the TPU and Frame. This is due to there only being one front screw on the top-plate, so I understand the challenge there.

My final thought is purely based on my own preference, but I prefer a symmetrical X design for freestyle. I think quads that respond and feel similar on all axis are the most predictable, but again that’s just my opinion. If I had to put my money on it, I’d bet that Le Drib tried a prototype with a symmetrical X and had reasons for going with the compressed X. I spent a day trying to find twitches and wobbles to tune out, and I could’t find much. Great job, Le Drib and XHOVER!

I’m genuinely really impressed with the Skyeliner. I’ve been flying the same frame for 2 years, hoping to find a challenger to my CraftQuads Loflo. I’m very picky, but I make an effort to try a lot of new frames that enter the market. It’s been a very long time since a frame stood out to me on all levels of my criteria. It checks all the design boxes for me, the quality is top notch, and there are no details that have been forgotten or overlooked. Sure, I might want to tweak a few things, but they’re insignificant when compared to the overall flight experience and quality of the product.

You can find the XHOVER Skyeliner at xhover.com

The Review

XHOVER Skyeliner by Drib Frame

95% Score

The Skyeliner by Drib is a really nice design with high quality carbon, and it's backed by an awesome brand. The frame flies very well with minimal tuning. Give it a try!

PROS

  • Well thought out freestyle design
  • High quality carbon and accessories
  • Great value

Review Breakdown

  • 95% 0%

XHOVER Skyeliner by Drib Frame DEALS

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Best Price

$99
  • XHOVER
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