Dave Patrick Edge 540T Arrived TODAY!!!
Well, my Edge had its first flight today and it was pretty hairy. I balanced mine at the location recommended by Dave Patrick and had to move two of my batteries way back in the tail and add just a bit of weight in the tail to balance out the Brison 2.4 and all of its gear in the front. After I took off, it became immediately apparent that the plane was very TAIL heavy. Go figure. Needless to say, I'm going to be removing my tail weight and possibly shifting my batteries a bit farther forward to move the CG a bit. The plane had PLENTY of power with the Brison 2.4 and required no aileron trim, a couple of clicks of rudder and just a bit of elevator which I will cancel out with the adjustable stabs. One thing of note is the VERY powerful elevators. I have my throws set at about 20% of max for my first flights which just about equates to Dave's recommendations, and it is VERY touchy even with quite a bit of expo dialed in. The rudder and ailerons were great, but the off-trim horizontal stab coupled with the tail heaviness made for some crazy approaches. The plane absolutely floats at an honest to god walking pace, but the plane either wanted to pitch straight down, or straight up. The elevators were VERY sensitive to being off center at low speed. Luckily, after a few approaches, the plane landed just fine, but I am definitely going to make some adjustments and try again tomorrow. The single servo per aileron and single pull-pull elevator servos worked GREAT and I'm glad I went with that setup and I think the Brison 2.4 is a GREAT choice for the airframe. A 3.2 is just not necessary due to the weight which on mine is just a shade over 14.5 lbs. Hopefully I'll have more success to report after making my changes. I'm also curious to hear any others who have had first flight experiences, so keep the posts coming!