MikeEast

My Feedback: (3)

Man, I tell you what I am mentally exhausted. I am having absolute FITS hovering, heck even flying this 30% Lanier Edge. It takes so much right rudder to hold it up in a hover that if you punch the throttle to hold it up it wants snap out. It is driving me CRAZY!! I could hover/torque roll my U CAN DO and my foamy and really almost any mid size 3D plane I get my hands on all day long but this thing is SO much different. I thought scale aerobatic planes were easier than their smaller counterparts to do 3D with. This one is NOT. Im sure its just me but I am really frustrated and honestly intimidated. Try to do an elevator and it tip stalls as soon as I let out of the elevator and throttle up, it wing rocks uncontrollably. Try to hover and it fights me all the way.

I ended up cutting back on my high rate elevator to 45 degrees after I nearly crashed trying to roll out and recover from a blender. Once I slow it down to 3D speed and touch the elevator on high rates it drops a wing. I came within 10' of crashing once after a blender that I finished 100' high. I added some reflex to stop the wing rock and the stall problems got even worse. I am so confused, frustrated and discouraged. I thought a big plane was going to make everything I was already good at even better, so far I was wrong....


However on low rates it will fly IMAC sequences really well and it lands like a trainer, I just cant figure out why its so dang hard to 3D for me... UGH![8D][]


Mike

3D ONdaEDGE

Unfortuately for you this is not a dedicated 3-D plane. You have been used to flying 3-D planes that you dont know what a real plane is supposed to fly. Larger scale planes require you to fly them all the time. On your funfly where you put the sticks in the correct positions and it does the manuver, you have to continuously fly a scale plane. My 30% lanier edge and my H9 Sukhoi both hover great and the Edge is quite a bit nose heavy. It does take more work to find that sweet spot but once you find it it is pretty much locked in. I would nt. say that yours has a snapping problem either. coming out of a very flat flatspin may take more than 30 or so feet to get up enough airspeed to start flying again. That is what sounds to me like your problem is, you are not building up enough speed before you try to pull up. Also this plane does rock the wings in a harrier. Also you need to throttle up and gradually release elevator. If you jsut release it all together and try to power out it will tipstall just like any plane this size. Nothing is wrong with your plane you just need to learn how to fly it. Practice.

kennyandannie

My Feedback: (2)

Hi Ned,

If you are having to add that much right rudder in your hover attempts, maybe you need a little more right thrust in your motor.

Just a thought.

540's do wing rock in a harrier, so maybe they have that same problem in an elevator, it should be controllable, though.

Ken

MikeEast

My Feedback: (3)

3DOnAnEdge,
Thanks for the words of wisdom, they are actually pretty encouraging to me.
I figured it more than likely was me and not the plane, its just SO different than what I was used to. Ive seen the plane fly before I got it and I knew it would do all the 3D maneuvers. I was just taken aback at how much more difficult it was. Everyone said "Oh its going to be SO MUCH EASIER with a big plane". Well its really not, at least not initially. When things do go right it is a lot more impressive however[8D]. Well regardless I am going to learn how to fly it well or die trying. I think the real problem for me here is that everyone told me it was going to be easier than it is with a smaller 3D plane right off the bat and it wasnt. If I would not have had such high expectations I probably wouldnt be so freaked out.

Im pretty tenacious, I WILL get it eventually..[>:]

You said you have one of these planes. How much Up elevator do you have on high rate? I have had as much as 60 degrees and as little as 40 degrees trying to find a sweet pot. Seems like less is more. The stalling got much worse at 60 degrees and the elevators didnt really get any better. Also does any amount of spoileron or flaperon help with the wingrocking?


K&D,
I have been thinking about the right thrust issue. Thing is, it passes all of the vertical trimtests that would tell you if it needed right thrust. It tracks perfectly vertically so Im going to play with it a little longer and see if I am the problem before I take the cowling off.[8D]

kennyandannie

My Feedback: (2)

Actually Ned, its K&A, but I can see the possibility for the mistake.lol

Burn fuel and keep us informed. I was looking at one of those for IMAC until I ran into a good deal on a 38% Laser 200.

See ya,

Ken

MikeEast

My Feedback: (3)

OOOPS,
Well unless your girl is named dannie! Im sorry K&A, it was an accident. Thanks again!

kennyandannie

My Feedback: (2)

No problem,

See ya,

Ken

Airbike

My Feedback: (6)

Hi BigNed,
My Lanier 30% Edge was powered with a ZDZ80 w/26x10 prop, 22 lbs empty.
I pretty much had all the flight qualities you described.
The plane did some things really well and some things were aweful.
Tracks great for IMAC type stuff, hard to do a good spin entry.
Awesome blenders and inverted flat spins that were just soooo pretty!

But from straight and level, pull into a wall and the plane would snap 180 degrees around. I kinda got used to it and just got ready to start a hover or TR from belly side.
Parachutes would snap it into a spin also. Wing rocks in a harrier until you find the very small sweet spot. Spoilerons didn't really help much.

I think the plane's wing loading is just a bit too much for good 3D, although the ZDZ 80 made it fun to play with.
My solution (sorry, you may not like this) : I sold it and bought a Wildhare 28% Extra 300/DA50.
Almost the wing area of the Lanier 30% Edge but 5 (FIVE) pounds lighter!!!

Flying is supposed to be fun, and I like to fly and 3D low. It was only a matter of time before the Edge would bite me, so I sold it before I did something stupid with it.
I originally bought it because, like you, everyone told me 3D was much easier with a larger plane, and the Lanier 30% Edge was at a price point that seemed to be a good value and didn't need a 100cc twin. But I think the design is a little outdated for good 3D.

Anyways, have fun with the plane and show off its good stuff when you fly. Continue to try the other stuff until you've had enough. All planes fly a little different, some seem to take more work than others.

MikeEast

My Feedback: (3)

ahh,,, so Im not crazy, lol. Im not sure how long I will end up keeping it. It is a virtually perfect condition so it may not be too hard to get my money back out of should I decide to sell it.

I absolutely hate that every time I take this thing off I have a bad feeling it may be the last. It is almost impossible for me to resist trying low and slow 3D maneuvers. I know I can do them, I do them every day with my other planes so I just cant accept that Im unable to do things I know I can do, out of fear of an unjustified, unexpected loss of lift and resulting crash.

Bottom line, I will fly it a while longer and I will just have to make a decision if it doesnt get any better. Its either forget 3D and do IMAC with this plane or sell it and buy a plane that will do what I am wanting to do.

I hate flying 100' high, I hate flying 100' high, I hate flying 100' high, I hate flying 100' high, I hate flying 100' high, I hate flying 100' high, I hate flying 100' high, [8D]

Airbike

My Feedback: (6)

Now now , Ned, go fly your foamies at 10 inches for a while and it'll all average out

MikeEast

My Feedback: (3)

I wonder if there is a plane that would be a great 3D plane that would fit my 3W75..

3DMike

composite arf 2.3m extra would be perfect