150flyer

I just received my new Edge 540 ARF. It has carbon fiber control horns that would seem to install by gluing them into a notch of some type on the control surfaces. There are no notches I can find. There is no mention of installation on the DVD / CD instruction disc and the plane used in the manual have conventional control horns. Has anyone installed these carbon fiber horns? If so, could you give me some installation details.

Thanks

Kenny

I am confused about those C/F control horns also[>:]. I was thinking of replacing them for the traditional style.

150flyer

I went ahead and used regular control horns. The plane has been very easy to build except for getting the tail servo wires through the fuse. There was gorilla glue that expanded in the servo wire channel. I thought I was going to snap the string while pulling them through. Had to splice extra servo wire since the channel was to small to get a connector through. The plane seems pretty nice but there are several sloppy details like no instructions on the supplied control horns, servo wire channel issues and tons of wrinkles in the covering to iron out.

ryanofoz

Anyone figure this out? I am in the same position. It does not look right?!?!

I guess I am going ot buy new ones but mabe somoene needs to let them know?

Also, there are some random parts that were missing from my hardware. Seems poorly put together.

buildflycrash

I just helped build one of these.
use sharp knife, cut small slots
gule'em in. they work well
I would use them on everything EXCEPT elevator.
That most vital surface I'd want somthing that screwed thru the surface.

ryanofoz

Why would they send that for a control horn though? It makes no sense. All their pictures show normal ones...

Kenny

Another gripe I have is the carbon fiber rods that go through the left wing are not long enough to make it through the hole. Only the beveled tip makes it in half way, so I had to epoxy some popsicle stix to the rib to make the hole deeper. I'm starting to wonder about this ARF.[:@]

150flyer

I think I'm just going to epoxy my wings into place and gorilla glue the carbon fiber rods at the rib. I can't see the need to ever remove the wings for transport since it would be necessary to remove the hatch, receiver and battery to get to the wing bolt. The wing seems to flex at the fuse even with the wing bolt tight. I believe gluing everything together would really stiffen things up.

Kenny

I agree about the flexing. That's too bad because I wanted this plane for the removable wings so it would fit easier in my honda civic. I will just have to glue them solid and deal with it.

150flyer

I made the first flight on the Edge 540 today. I quess you can say it was worth all the build trouble because the plane flew great. I am using an OS .55 AX with an APC 13 x 4W prop. It hovers at half throttle with tons of pull out power. This was by far the easiest plane I have ever hovered. I set the CG at 5 inches which is recommended as the aft most position. It worked out well with inverted flight requiring no down elevator and landing was still normal.

AFSalmon

My Feedback: (3)

Guys, this plane has been well proven through very hard testing and a long history. First off the CF horns are a late addition and we'll make additions to the manual to address. The CF horns are really simple to install, even a caveman could do it. Geez, all you have to do is cut a small slot at the proper location and install with CA. I like to roughen up the cf mounting area with a little sandpaper first to help the glue hold. Don't use kicker as this makes the CA brittle.

The servo wire tunnel is plenty big enough for servo connectors and extensions. Ok, some of the ARFs might have glue that is blocking the tunnel but this is a profile guys. You have two choices, either run the wires inside the fuse or run the wires outside the fuse. Given a fuse that is 3/8" thick inside the sheeting, believe it or not........there is a chance during assembly that glue will get into the channel. I've been able to clean out obstructions by pulling a flexible nyrod through the tunnel with a screw in the end of the nyrod. Put a washer under a 2-56 screw and screw into the end of the nyrod and pull through. Another common mistake people make is not taping the servo connectors to prevent the sharp plastic corners from snagging the inside walls.

As far as covering these ARFs are covered in geniune Ultracoat and you complain about a few wrinkles? Geez, take one of your planes, tranport it across the world, expose it to a wide variety of temperature changes and tell me if you don't have any wrinkles. With any ARF, does not matter who produces, you MUST go over the covering with an iron to assure no edges are loose and all wrinkles are eliminated. That's the first thing Aeroworks tells it's customers to do on their giant scale planes and I gladly did this on my 35% Yak without question. This is simply the nature of the process guys.

There is NO issue with the wings flexing a little with the fuse. Trust me we have flown this plane hard including full speed blenders (officially not recommended) and there is no issue. Assemble as instructed and you won't have any issues. Of course with this model, you have the added option to permanently glue the wings on but that is your choice. Personally I never take mine apart either but I like the option to remove the wings for repairs. Makes it much easier.

150flyer

Let me say I've put about about 10 total flights on the plane so far and I really enjoy the flight characteristics. My complaint was that there were no instructions on installing the new horns. I have built dozens of planes to date including a few OMP Profiles and this was the first time I have seen this type of control horn. A small update sheet would have been nice but it was easy enough to install a more conventional horn.

The extra glue in the servo channel was another story. For the price of this model, the wires should just slide through. The sloppy glue job added considerable time to what should have been a fairly quick build. I know a "caveman" could have done it faster.

AFSalmon

My Feedback: (3)

Honestly Russ we are all very spoiled with the price of these ARFs. If you think they are cheap to produce I'd challenge you to duplicate. Trust me I've been producing kits here in the US for a long time and ARFS overseas almost as long. You paid probably $150 for this ARF and by any domestic calculations that is a steal. It costs about $60 to produce the kit in the US, probably cost you 40-60 hours to build and cover (how much is that worth), 10 bucks worth of glue, 20 bucks worth of hardware, and probably 30 bucks worth of covering. You do the math. I don't think there is any sloppy work in these ARFS and we get comments and emails constantly on how great this plane is compared to other profile ARFs out there. Yeah I know I'm biased but I just speak my mind.

150flyer

OK Mike, I'll let it go.

Kenny

what about the fiberglass rods not being long enough to go through the left wing rib hole? can a Caveman fix that too? Kind of important that the wing stays on right? I know you don't have control over the building of these ARF's, but you see, sometimes mistakes are made in the production process and the customers are going to say something about it. That's just what happens when you run a business. Fortunately for you, you have a lot of customers (myself included) just fixing the problems themselves instead of returning the ARF for a refund. End of rant. Now... on with the building.

AFSalmon

My Feedback: (3)

No, but maybe a cavewoman could help.

Seriously, this would be the first case of the fiberglass rods not going through the R2 ribs in the left wing. And yes, as in all production environments mistakes do happen occasionally. I don't think anyone who has business experience would dispute this.

3DHUSKER

My Feedback: (6)

This IS one of the best produced ARF out now and can't wait for the YAK............Keep up the good work Mike.....I used all the supplied hardware and cf horns and have not had any problems. I wish all had this cf horn, I like the clean look and they are super strong if installed correctly.

1THEPALMER

My Feedback: (1)

Hi Guys: I have tested one past the limits and it has withstood everything including meeting the ground @ approx 20 deg from horiz @ 3/4 throttle! (unsecured battery plug came out of switch harness) Wings tail and fuse intact, bent gear legs(twisted like spaggetti) and pulled the upper motor mount rail out. Fixed in about 25 min.
Sure the carbon rods are not over long but once they engage the holes extra length is just waste. And yes I have some flex based on the marks developing in the fuse but no more than the marks on my full fuse plane from another supplier and the single carbon tube on that plane was so tight I had to resort to wet sanding it before the wings could be mounted.
I now take the servo extension plugs off and tape the pins together then pull the wires through (managed to get things so stuck on my kit built Fusion that I had to cut into the channel)
For the money it's a great ARF.
I love to build but could not finish one from a kit at the selling price.
Slap on the wings crank down the wing nut and go fly!!!!!!!!!

Cobra1

My Feedback: (42)

I did the same on the servo wires - I took the plug off, pulled both servo wires through the wire tunnel and then put the plugs back on. This turned out to be extreemly easy after I found my reading glasses.[8D]

As far as the carbon horns, I sanded the glueing surfaces, cut a small groove in the surface for the horn, put a drop of SUMO glue in the slot and pressed the horn in. The glue foams a little and the deed is done. Easy and strong.

My setup and first flight report: Ordered my Edge on Friday, it arrived Tuesday and I flew it Saturday. An easy ARF indeed!. My Edge V3 came out to 4 lbs and 12oz. I have a 1650ma 6v battery and 4 s-9202 servos for flying surfaces and a hs-81 on the throttle. I also installed a tail wheel so ground handling would be easier. Power is from a OS .46 FX fitted with a Macs muffler (the black one) spinning a 12.75x3.75 APC. Max RPM was 13,000 and just a bit rich.

This is my first profile and the first flight was a joy. Balance seemed perfect at 5" back, plenty of power for out of site verticle, very little knife edge coupling, waterfalls were easy, hovered rather easy even though I am not very good at it yet and lands so easy, a "caveman can do it!"

Everyone at the field commented that the color scheme was very easy to see in the air and since this is my smallest plane (as I get older, my planes seem to get bigger) that is a big plus. This is the first profile at our field but I think it will have company soon as several people asked me where I got it.

What I like is that not only does it fly great, but I can fly for 10 to 12 minutes on a tank of fuel - that is a lot of fun per gallon. If you get this plane you will not be dissapointed.

I can't wait until Saturday to burn some more fuel!

AFSalmon

My Feedback: (3)

Great reports guys and I'm glad this plane iss working out for everyone with minimal troubles. I dorked mine this weekend getting stupid down low. Cartwheeled the sucker but only broke a wing tip. No damage anywhere else. I should have taken the time to retune the engine! Last time I flew it it was 90 degrees but we had a cold front come through OH and it was 50 degrees when I fired it back up. Obviously the motor didn't run as expected........

UltimateFlyer120

My Feedback: (5)

I was having lots of fun flying my OMP Edge 540 V3 ARF and somehow [sm=spinnyeyes.gif]cartwheeled into the ground. I broke the elevator half away from the hardwood joiner. When I pealed back the covering to dribble the glue into the crack I could see the carbon fiber control horn next to the damage. I pulled on the horn and held the plane by the horn with the elevator half still broken. I could see balsa all around the horn. The horn was not coming out unless I pulled the whole elevator half off! It was a simple fix. I just put a little CA into the crack in the elevator half. I would like to see these carbon fiber horns being sold somewhere. You cut the covering to install instead of poking a hole with a screwdriver into the covering screwing on the other type of horn.

AFSalmon

My Feedback: (3)

Thanks Victor for that report. I did the same thing on my 65" Yak using the control horn. Took a hard dork banging the rudder on the ground and broke the cf control horn out. But it took about a square inch of wood with it. Matter of fact the wood broke loose from the leading edge stock of the rudder and the control horn stayed well intact with the wood. Some CA quickly had it all back together.

3DHUSKER

My Feedback: (6)

Mike

Do the Yaks come with CF control horns?

AFSalmon

My Feedback: (3)

You mean the new 65" Yaks? Honestly I'm not 100% sure and I'll have to check once we get them. My sample ARF did have them included and I used them with no issues.

150flyer

Edge Photo