JoeAirPort

My Feedback: (41)

You must have old Graphtech gear because the ones I bought from them are extremely strong. No way they will break, the fuse will...that's the only bad part of really strong CF gear. Aluminum that bend just before the fuse breaks are always better IMO.

wollins

Guys, pardon me if this was mentioned in this HUMONGOUS thread () but is this the Edge II or the Edge III that's described as "new" on their site? Also, if the ones you guys are discussing on this thread is the version II, could anyone point me to a thread on the version III? I just want to know what the difference is between the II and the III!

Thanks!

Ken-h

My Feedback: (3)

Hi wollins,

This thread basically covers both version II and version III. Both planes are pretty much identical except the Edge III has a canister tunnel. The Edge III also has wing, stab, fuse bags, fuel tank, and most hardware to complete.

Hope this helps,
Ken

Kwesdog

Going to bring up this ancient thread from the depths.

I bought this plane about 3 years ago when I was over in the desert fighting the good fight and I am just now settling down to build it. (Edge 2 before they added the hardware package)

All was going well until I started to mount the cowl. I was going for the 1/8 gap from the spinner but I cannot achieve an even gap and have the cowl line up with the spinner backplate.

It will be 1/8 inch at the bottom of the spinner and 1/4 inch or better at the top if I line it up. To get the gap even the cowl has to be moved so far down that it will not line up and is roughly 1/2 inch too low.

The engine was mounted per the instructions and the firewall is straight as an arrow with the engine box other than the side thrust built into it. There is no up or down angle. This leads me to believe I either I am missing something (IE the firewall really doesnt line up but only appears too) or the cowl or engine box is incorrect in some way or another.

If anyone has any ideas as to what it could be please let me know because at this point I am stuck.

Harry

Flyfalcons

Harry, is your engine mounted directly to the firewall or are you running standoffs? It sounds like your engine ended up with some down-thrust; have you put a spinner on it to visually check the thrust angle against the rest of the fuse (no cowl in place)? If your standoffs are the same length then you may have possibly mounted the engine too high or glued in the firewall at a slight down angle. Do you have a pic of the install?

Kwesdog

I am using the 3 in stand offs on the DA-50. I lined the firewall up with a square after I made the bolt holes using the measurements supplied and the template. I am going out of town on a business trip and will be back tommorow. I will post pics ASAP.

Thanks


Harry

JohnVH

My Feedback: (38)

Hmm, without seeing it, it sounds like the engine is mounted too high vertically on the firewall? Can you get some pics of it perhaps?

JoeAirPort

My Feedback: (41)

The cowling's not always perfect...mine's the same way. Just line it up the best you can and fly it.

Yes John I already know that yours doesn't have this problem.

why_fly_high

My Feedback: (19)

I should have an engine Monday for mine. My goal is for next weekend. We will have to see. The quality of the work is really good. It has been to long since I had a throw around 50cc 3d plane.

Dan

Toolman-RCU

My Feedback: (10)

Anybody notice PAU has the older version Edge I on sale for $399? I have had a couple of the ARC versions of the Edge II, anyone know the difference?

JoeAirPort

My Feedback: (41)

From my memory the Edge I is a little heavier. The covering is not as cool as the red white and blue IMO (I tore off the rainbows and put blue there). It has no CF for tubes. It's a good flier from what I have read. Well worth $400. This is arguably the best 30% Edge out there. I'm on year 3 of my Edge II. It's a winner.

Edge II has CF and new covering.

Edge III has CF, new covering, wing bags, and alum control horns.

JohnVH

My Feedback: (38)

Time for a new pic, this past weekend at Zillah Big Bird fly in.. Ryan rocked this thing!

Flyfalcons

Nice pic John! This Edge is a real blast to throw around the sky.

jharkin

My Feedback: (2)

Has anybody replaced their main gear with an aluminum set? If so, what thickness and where did you get it?

My FG gear delaminated last season, and this weekend the replacement carbon set I had bit it on a hard landing in gusty winds. I'm done with composite gear, time to go back to good 'ol reliable aluminum.

I shot off an email to the folks at TNT with the dimensions, just not sure what thickness to order. Will 3/16" be enough or should I ask for a heaver 1/4" set? (I believe TNT uses all 6061 al)

~Jeremy

JoeAirPort

My Feedback: (41)

I think they use 1/4 on the stuff they make for 30% planes but you can custome order whatever you want. I'm with you on the alum. In my case I bought some Graphtech CF gear that was made for the BME Edge V1 and it's a little too heavy duty (got it on clearance in Toledo for $25). I had the plane drop a bit in a gusty landing and it didn't break the gear, it broke a vertical piece of ply in the fuse over the gear plate. So I have to be really careful landing to not break the fuse innerds. You are correct going with alum. the 3/16 will be a little flimsy but will likely provide the most protection from hard landings. Ask TNT and they will be able to tell you. These ARF's come in around 17 to 17.5 pounds so that's good for them to know.

jharkin

My Feedback: (2)

Hi Joe-

I spoke to the TNT folks. They suggested 3/16 will be enough for me, as mine is about 16.5 dry ( Its the ARC and I did a lot of work to lighten it up). I've got a set on the way and will report on how well it holds up.

I hear you on the gusts. Our field is in a little bowl between some hills that tends to get really turbulent. Its not at all uncommon to have a nice steady 5-10 knot headwind that turns around to a tailwind without warning. Usually I can catch it and power on for a go around but every once in a while you get the bad luck to have it happen just before touchdown and it slams your plane down hard. The carbon gear doesn't like that


-Jeremy

jharkin

My Feedback: (2)

My 3/16 gear from TNT arrived. Comparative weights:

Stock fibergalss: 8.9oz
Graphtech: 9.6oz
TNT 3/16 Al: 11.5oz

Gear seems pretty strong - flight report next week.

JoeAirPort

My Feedback: (41)

Cool. I have the Graphtech and like them. They are not as tall as the stock though. That was the only thing I didn't like. At least the weight is similar.

MaxxGS

My Feedback: (3)

Wow I just finished reading all 40 pages over the last 2 days and I'm thinking about purchasing this plane. I have a DA-50 with a J&A Pitts muffler and 3" stand offs looking for a plane.

If I understand this correctly if I purchase the Edge III it will come with the hardware, fuel tank and those shiny wing bags I have been seeing in the pics? What about the fuse blanket and stab bags does it come with those also?

If I do purchase this plane the rainbow is gone. I like the blue that has been used and the silver looks good also.

JohnVH

My Feedback: (38)

Been flying mine a bit more lately, and after having it for quite a while now, I can say I still LOVE this plane! So stable and predictable, yet does everything with ease!

Old vid
http://media.putfile.com/BME-Edge-540-II

JoeAirPort

My Feedback: (41)

Gotta love the BME/PAU Edge. Into season III and ready for action. I did a re-engine on mine and changed graphics. The ZDZ runs awesome.

Kwesdog

Well my edge II story ends before it even started. Also considering this story to say I am a bit upset would be an understatement.

This story begins roughly 3 years ago when I was considering buying one of these BME edges. I bit the bullet in December of 2005 and bought it all while I was over in Iraq because the summer before I fell in love with giant scale planes when I got my first taste of 27% and up size gas airframes. I bought everything for it in anticipation for my return home so that I would not have to wait on any of the items when I started to work on it. Now there I sit very patiently for another year.

In that time my wife gets pregnant and I have a kid which put the airplane on the back burner until 2008. I started work on the plane little by little in about March 2008 and had the plane finished in May. I had it all set up on my old 72 Mhz system which I had already had the stuff for when the wife surprised me with a fancy 12FG 2.4 Ghz radio. After using this radio on some of my large and mid sized electrics I thought this thing would be far superior to my 9C so I switched out to a 607 receiver and away I went. I set the radio up with all the base functions I needed (rates, expo, ect...). Ground checked it so many times at my home with and without the engine running and I has zero problems. This was early June.

Mid June I made the switch to A123 cells which I have been reading so much about people doing with great results. No regulators was the thing that sold me so I had one less point of failure.

All the packs were fully charged up and ready to roll yesterday night.

Weather looked good today so I took off just a tad bit early from work to load up and take it to the field for the maiden flight.

Batteries: check
Fuel: check
xmitter: check
All bolts hardware/linkages checked and rechecked: check
Range check on lower power in several orientations: check (range check exceeded 90 yards on low power)
C.G. : check

All this which I would normally check is done. Now for the engine start up and lets go fly it.

I primed it up and the DA-50 was running well. I passed off my remove before flight items to a buddy watching me then proceeded to do a couple of engine and control checks which went perfect.

Move the plane out onto the taxiway and called "COMING OUT!!" and heard the other guy flying at the time call clear. I then taxied out to the main runway excited to get this done after the long wait. I taxied around for a bit checking the rudder and the ground handling which was spot on. I then ever so slowly pushed the throttle up and watched as she tracked just about perfect down the center of the runway.

Tail is up now. Slight back pressure and off she goes. I notice the plane doing an ever so slight left roll which was no biggie on a first flight. she was climbing out just perfect. I didnt rocket it up or anything just a very scale take off that I would have been proud of had I been in a competition. This silly thing is still slightly rolling left and not stopping and still slightly climbing. I now have full right ailerons in place and the plane is still rolling left. I try the rudder and nothing!! This is getting dire now because the left roll is causing the plane to go behind the pits and turn back towards us. It was at this point I realized that I did not have control of my airplane and it was coming right back at us behind the pits right towards the cars packed there. I yelled "LOOK OUT EVERYONE!" which they were already aware something was wrong and moved. The left roll kept on and was now to the point where there was not enough lift to keep it level so it began the slow dive of death.

I watched in horror and did everything I could to keep from cursing and losing control as this plane was going into the dirt. By this time I had pulled the throttle all the way back and nothing happened. It almost appeared to me that it was in failsafe because the throttle went down to a blip above idle.

To the best of my knowledge I did not regain any control of the airplane until it was about 5-6 feet off the ground and the only reason I knew this is because I was able to hear it go to idle and try and cut right before it hit the ground at about a 45 degree nose down and left wing down angle.

I now have a $600 pile of toothpicks because there is no recovery for this airframe. I also now run the possibility of a shot DA-50.

The only thing between the receiver and me was covering. No wood, metal or carbon spar was in the way the whole time considering the orientation of the plane during the whole process. The airplane still had power going to the receiver and this was evident right before it hit. This whole process of crashing likely took about 15-20 seconds and in that time I did everything I could to re-establish a connection with the airplane. I held the xmitter up and changed orientation several times while the airplane was still in a saveable condition to no avail.

The airplane hit so hard that the safety straps for the batteries and connectors tore off or broke. The velcro on the straps did not fail if that gives you an indication of the way it hit. (I had one strap and zip ties on each battery plus zip ties or safety connectors on the electrical connections.)

Upon picking up the $1200 trash pile I now had sitting in front of me I gave what was left of the airplane a test and everything still worked when I plugged the batteries back in (Since they had been ripped out on impact).

Its so hard to know exactly what caused the crash but in my little bit of investigation I think I either had signal issues or some type of receiver failure once it got off the ground. This is the only 607 receiver I have so I cannot compare it but I have had zero issues with my 617s. I have had planes with giant battery packs and more covering in the way by far and still had total control of my plane even when its been specced out and this plane was 50 feet away when I lost control with an antenna orientated right at me.

I dont know what I did wrong but I am very, very upset by this now and am ready to throw the 2.4 Ghz in the trash. Even though the cause may have been something totally unknown to me I still think there might be an issue with the 607 I had and I am fully under the impression that had I had a 617 in there this would not have happened.

Enough of my long venting to you but I am really angry about this because I dont think there was anything I could have done better. Had I been doing rolling harriers 2 feet off the runway and crashed it I would have been fine with this crash and not mad at all because its totally my fault but I dont believe this was my fault.

Long time in waiting for nothing,

Harry

JoeAirPort

My Feedback: (41)

Ahh bummer Harry. I'm so sorry to hear about that. I know how much work this ARF took to get it flying so I feel your pain. Do a load check on the batt's to make sure they are holding voltage under load....like 0.5 to 1 amp load. Did the range check produce any funny behavior? I trashed a nice Extreme Flight Yak 87" last winter but it was a double water fall too low, my fault. It sucks to lose one of these size planes. Mine was a total loss.

This Edge has had some close calls due to my DA 50 flaming out at idle while inverted. I got rid of it before I crashed it though. Others have crashed theirs for the very same reason.

Hope you sort it out. The 2.4G stuff is getting blamed for a lot of lost planes. I still use PCM since I just got my 9C and wasn't ready to trade it in yet. I'm in no hurry to go Fasst.

why_fly_high

My Feedback: (19)

Kwesdog,

I am so sorry to hear that. It hurts even more when you have waited so long.

I flew my new PAU VIII Edge this past week for the first time. Power is awesome with the new BME 58. I was very impressed how well behaved the plane is. I have been flying only 40% planes for the last 3 years and was a little worried that going back to a smaller plane would feel twitchy or squirrely. Doing Harriers around the field on the first flight proved that to not be the case. I really enjoyed it.

I have some fine tuning to do and hope to get some more flying time on it soon. I hope to get some video next week.

Dan

Toolman-RCU

My Feedback: (10)

Kwesdog, I know what you mean when you say you can accept the pilot error but the unknown crashes are the worst. I am on my third Edge III. The first crash was my fault, flying inverted a little too low when the dumbthumb syndrom kicked in. The second one had about 15 great flights. I was coming around the pattern for a low pass, when the plane just got a mind of its own and went into a nosedive and buried itself in the burm at the end of the runway. Both were total losses, but it is the unknown failure that hurts. I can only assume I got hit. I sold all my 72mhz equipment and bought a DX7 and yet another Edge. These are great planes, please don't give up!