qwerty3
Posts: 50
Joined: 10/14/2005
From: Grand Rapids,
MI, USA
Status: offline
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My 2 cents on this plane -
I've had my PAM Edge 540T 40 size for about 9 months. I've got about 20 flights on it, or so. Mine is powered modestly, with an Enya 40SS, 10 X 6 Master Airscrew prop, and a Bisson muffler. I had to plug one of the pipes to get the Enya to run properly - otherwise not enough back pressure, etc. Would like to try some other prop combinations, or a 4-stroke.
Pluses: Finish on the ARF was very good - better than my own covering job. The pieces all fit together well. The wing tube fit is very snug, but a little sanding, and some wax solved that. The plane flies well for me (just a sport flier - don't know how to do that "3D" stuff). It'll do almost anything I ask it. Construction is light - it'll fly slowly, and lands quite slowly. Color scheme is very good for orientation at a distance. Appearance is great - I get compliments at the field. Assembly time was pretty short. Very tame in a stall (with recommended CG) - have to work to get it to snap. Wheel pants are pretty, and easy to mount (although I changed to a machine screw & blind nut). Lots of room for the radio gear. The cable arrangement for the rudder works OK - first time I've tried this. I did add a small plywood piece to keep the cables separated. Had a couple of questions about things - Jim at PAM responded quickly via e-mail, and was pretty helpful. Have not had any flutter, even with the large control surfaces. The included tank holds lots of fuel - with my 40 I could probably fly for 20 minutes on one tank (longer than I usually like to fly at a time). Recommended control throws are a good place to start - no surprises there, but you may want to 'crank things up' after getting used to the plane.
Minuses: Could not taxi the plane on grass, even with 3" wheels. Had problems with the landing gear block coming loose. Reglued gear plate, was OK then . . . . . , until I stalled it on a deadstick landing @ about 5 feet. (The ailerons are so effective, it'll fool you that you're still flying - when you're stalled!) After breaking the structure after the aforementioned stall, I revised the structure to move the gear ahead about 1", and added a much larger piece of 1/4" ply to mount the gear on. This replacement larger piece was tied into the light-ply structure under the fuel tank, along with the original formers. Now, it'll taxi reasonably, but not great, on grass. The wheel pants don't seem to make much difference on the ground handling. Had vibration problems - screws would vibrate loose every flight. Discarded reinforced nylon mount, substituted a metal mount, with ply shims to reposition. Added silicone rubber washers under cowl & canopy screws. Have had radio glitching problems (Futaba FM); added a ferrite block to the elevator leads, and rerouted antenna out side of fuse, instead of built-in tube. Have twisted the elevator servo(s) extension leads together, and zip-tied them up in the fuselage above the rudder cables / away from the built-in antenna tube. Still get some glitches  , but not too bad. If I do it over, someday, I'll move the elevator servo into the tray, and forget the rear-mount servos! Maybe a cable arrangement for the elevator? The covering supplied to seal the control gaps was minimal - could have used a bit more. The 3-line tank works, but it is difficult to get ALL the fuel out. After draining it whilst standing it on it's nose, I can still run the engine at idle for 10 minutes on what's left.
Summary:
Yeah, there's a few weak points (mainly the landing gear), but it's a great plane to fly. I'm looking forward to getting more time on it - get well enough acquainted to really 'wring it out'. It is enjoyable to fly, and handles wind very well. Would I buy another one? If I had the funds, yes. I'd love to try this plane with a .80 four-stroke.
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RE: Pacific Aeromodels Edge 540T 40/70 - 
