that is a very good idea. When i was building the plane i was contlplating using robart hinges but, I thought it would be very hard lining them up at the angle required. Bad enough slotting the CA hinges was a task...

thanks fer the tips gys ,,by the way ,puttin a ys f- 91 ac in err,,should be plenty of power

2 more Edge maidens yesterday. I'll let Manny post about his.

My former instructor flew mine - had a few mistakes during assembly (rudder/vertical stab slightly off) and one elevator halve was hinged slightly off - not on the centerline of the horizontal stab so there was a slight twist in it. So, I was really worried if I'd be able to trim this plane out - my assumption was that it would need a lot. ALSO, you guys have seen my CG posts. I finally got it balanced at 3 14/16 or somewhere around there (going by memory) but still wasn't sure as it seemed to always be tail heavy and nose heavy at the same time. What freaked me out was that it balanced at this point with ZERO additional weight any where.

Any way, the plane took off great - he did a roll on the climb out and flew it around for a bit. I have an Evolution 1.00 NX on the Edge and he and I have been curious how it would fly it for months now - well, we found out! He pulled into a vertical at half throttle - it climbed then he went to full and the thing just accelerated straight up like a rocket with no sign of stopping. All I heard from him as it shot up was "Hell yea!" . Not bad for an engine that took less than 2 minutes to set up. This was all with a 14x6 prop - thinking of switching to a 15x4 to slow it down (it's fast). CG was pretty much dead on and after the flight I asked him how much trim it needed. 2 clicks of elevator and 1 click of aileron. I guess I worked myself up for nothing . He flew with the ailerons and elevator on high rates (1/2" on elevator throws, by the book on ailerons), didn't seem "snappy" at all.

Knife edges seemed to be very straight and it held altitude fine however it needs more throw to climb in knife edge. Rolls were very axial with minimal adverse yaw (if there was any, you couldn't tell it). Inverted flight - breath on down and you're there - hardly drops any altitude without any input.

Landing - pretty hot - not extremely but you do need to carry some speed. However, no bounce - once it touched down it was down. I'm really hoping Friday's weather is nice here!!!

That is a very fine flight report. Sounds like you would enjoy the plane forever. Yeah i take it the CG worked out for you. I dont know how people can fly it at 4" it is just way squirly.
I heard some mixed stories about the evolution motor, so it worked out for you? And it does seem like the power is there! Well i look forward to hear some more flight reports from the new guys that bought the plane.

Great sitrep on your Edge maiden !!!! Man,, that motor sounds like a real winner on the VF 540.

I CG at 4" even and adjust my rates and expo accordingly. Get the CG too far forward and it's like landing a jet. Or just wait till you have a deadstick. It's like the Energizer bunny. "It just keeps going and going~~~~~." LOL

alright, everyone seem to be getting it right my build is coming right along.
the only mod so far is i used a spare tank out of an old ucd 60 and fabed it in and it actually went in nice other than that its pretty much by the book(well by the sheets of paper)
overall i think this is a really good deal and seams like a great plane[sm=thumbup.gif]

here are some pics!

Looking good Gary !!!!! I like those red stripes on the wing bottoms.

I see you save your Folgers coffee containers too. They make a great solvent vat for parts and you can also spray your fuel safe paint into them for brushed touch ups.

thanks Kurt, i use the coffee cans for all my extra parts and goodies!!
i just used ultra coat strips and a low med setting on my iron and i thin i might be able to see it now with these old eyes
should be ready to maiden in a couple of weeks, cant wait!!

I was just wondering ,,,?,,,, What all would be nessasary to convert the Edge into more of a racing plane than a acrobatic ?
First thing would be to seal the gaps on all the control surfaces which I've already done anyway. High torque servos with 6volt battery would be a good idea. And I've already done that too. The question I have is do you think the control surfaces are too big even with flying wires, tri-stock ,extremely low throws and rates ? FYI =The Edge540 was and still is a racing plane . Later designs offered larger control surfaces , etc, etc and became the well known acrobatic plane we all know of today. But after doing my homework on the Edge I discovered it's "Sport Class" Reno Air Racing career and history. The Zivko plant is located here in Oklahoma in the city of Guthrie. I plan to go up there this winter and visit it. I'll take my camera of course.
As many of you know that have had the VF Edge model for awhile. It's not really much of a 3/D type plane. It does all the IMAC and basic acro moves nicely. But I am not anywhere good enough to 3/D with this plane. I still like it just the same.
But would it not be great to prop, pipe and dial it in for some pylon racing between stunt flying ?

[link=http://www.airrace.org/classSport.php]Sport Class Reno AirRacing[/link]

thats kinda what i wanted when i picked this plane out Kurt, was something fast, ive never had a fast plane but after i maiden on a 15x5 prop and get comfortable im going to a 14x8 and then maybe a 14x10 to see what itll do.
i think it may just be a bit fun

The wing could easily handle the speed. I would say the surfaces are a tad too big as it could cause more drag. I cant get this plane to slow down on my final at my field because the oriation. Forced to land with the wind. Not a good combo with aerobatic planes. With a 14 x10 prop that will be impossible to slow this thing down. Well for me that is. All my flying is now pretty much over, just modifying and building for the winter. Spring of next year is when the new field will be up and ready. Ive been already been invited to demo a flight.

Kurt: I'm very well aware about the edge was a sport racer. I would do anything to go visit them. Zivco has defiantly done their homework. If you can get a chance to come down i would LOVE to see some pictures. Id have them sign my plane. Did you get a chance to see this years Redbull air-race? I taped it on my TIVO so i can watch it again and again. Last year i did get a chance to see it in person and Id tell you it was a sight to see!!!!

thanks RC, if i do use the x10 and dont like it and it scares me ill take it off but i do have a fullsize runway to try it on so speed shouldnt be too big a prob, the runway is half mile by about 100 yards wide[X(] so i have the perfect place for a speed plane, ill let you guys know how it goes but i have to fly it first then i will start expiermenting

Well, my Edge got 3 more flights on it today. All I have to say about this airplane is WOOOOOOOOOW. I really cannot describe how much I love this plane. I know some people have had some problems with Evo engines but good lord does that engine power this plane. Every single time I pulled into a vertical climb and it kept accelerating up I almost forgot to fly it and just wanted to watch. It certainly does everything exactly how you tell it to do it but is really the most stable model I've flown so far. We had some pretty good wind today when I first got to the field and when I took the Edge up, the wind was hardly noticeable.

It doesn't land bad at all to me and so far the stock gear/wheels are just fine. I kept waiting to find a bad habit of some sort but so far, I haven't yet. It is pitch sensitive but expo and a being really gentle with elevator inputs things are great.

If I had finished this one earlier and flown it, I'd have another one on order right now as a backup - hope VF comes back!

well im getting close to finishing and am waiting on the missing pushrods to get here from tower and then maiden this bird cant wait because this was a really great build and i feel great about this plane, was harder than any plane ive built so far( remember ive only been at this 2 years and am self taught) but everything i feel is done right(i hope)
here are some final pics[8D]
that tailwire is not as crooked as it lookssorry for the bad quality pics[:@]

Looks great! I hope you're as impressed with yours as I was with mine.

ROCKIN GARY !! Looks great. Looking forward to your maiden report.

"On a sad note,,, my (Just In Case) replacement parts cowling ,vinyl, decals, etc came in today. John threw in some extra hinges and tail gears for good measure. Gonna miss those guys."

Final word from Vectorflight.

I got my parts order today....a wingset (Factory Slotted at N/C I might add.. )

I got the correct engine mount to replace the smaller one sent accidently with my bird.
And a "Old Style" curved alum gear strut...just to play around with.

I was wondering where the reaminder of my parts were.
I had ordered 2 cowlings and 2 belly pans at the same time, but they weren't in the box.

I sent off a quick e-mail to John at VF to see if they were sending them seperately, and to see if I could add a vynil set for any future repairs...and this is the reply I got this evening:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi Larry:

I am sorry we did not charge or send the cowlings or belly pans. Must have missed out on that order, I apologize. We are closing today and all operations have been shut down. If you ever have any problem with these parts, you should be able to repair using fiberglass cloth inside. Hopefully we will be back soon enough and will be able to ship out parts again.

The wing slots were made free of charge. We made a mistake not slotting the first wing so this work was complimentary! Hope you enjoy your airplane for a very long time.

Any covering, heat shrink or otherwise, which matches the color will work well for any patchwork or trim. Advisable to use as low a temp as possible.

Best regards,

John
VF
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------


I guess that's it.... not much more to add to that!

But I will say...they were Upstanding...right to the very end!

I never met any of those people...why do I feel a "Loss" with them now "Gone"???

Oh well.....

I haven't even started my plane......and now I'm thinking ..Maybe I Won't....

I know..I''ve already gotten a lot of $$ sunk into her with the spare parts I was able to get...but this issue of no spares in the future has me completely turned off!
Other than Unbox the parts..the entire plane is still sitting on my work table!

I "Know" I'm going to tear her up...and knowing that I can't fix her properly is going to weigh on me.

I'm seriously thinking of selling her...Kit And Kaboodle...including all the parts from tower I ordered before I even got her...nylon gear..Wheels...ect..ect..

I even got 2 SETS of Nylon Klett tail wheels, and a Pitts canister Muffler for a YS91/110.

Pondering a package deal type sell off!

Larry

i cant wait to fly mine, and ill fly her till she wont fly no more, somehow i think thats how it would want to go[8D]
then, when its all over-------- ill build something else, maybeeee a--------well well see

This was my first aerobatic plane. I completely fell in love with the way it flies and decided I'm buying a giant scale aerobat. I can't decide though Wild Hare Edge/Extra or the Model Aviation 87" Yak

I just got bit by a bug, HARD and this plane is going to be the plane I fly the most until, like you said Gjeffers, it won't fly any more.

Larry: Yeah i was also kinda late on the ball, As i wanted to get some covering so when i go ahead and hack up my plane, i have something to patch it up with. Go ahead and start that bird up and get it in the air. Yeah i hear you about the "just in case" but the VF birds fly so good, you have to dumb thumb it, in order to destroy it. Ive done some pretty violent full throttle blenders and KE spins and its still in one piece.

Gjeffers: I really like your fuel tank install. Do you care and share some word on how its contructed? Since i went to the inverterd route my tank had to be really low and i had to do some major hacking. So i just got foam stuck up in there.

Well I havn't flown in almost 3 weeks and im really starting to feel it. I dont know if I could hold out for the rest of the winter. It sucks not having a field to fly at. But i do konw that it may be worth it when the new field is constructed. At the present time i bought me a H9 edge 1.20 edge and the showtime 4d to keep me busy. The H9 edge i just might just sell..

My VF Edge 540 is no longer for sale - it's mine, all mine!

I was going through the box last night and it is WAY too nice to sell I just finished an almost 1/4 scale "ARF" Sukhoi (cheaper brand that I won't name.) It all worked out but we're talking like 80 hrs of build and mod for that one... the VF is going to be much, much quicker. Quality is awesome. Not to mention a lot easier to haul around for every day use In tribute to the VF guys I'll just fly it and fly it until it's no longer. VF - double your prices and make some 1/4 scale stuff and I'll be back for sure!!! Also - how about making kits? The build on this one is awesome but you could have sold a KIT for the price of the ARF and it would still be a good deal!

I also crashed my every day flyer (new Tx battery that I should have cycled a few times... when the alarm went off I had about 60 seconds to get it down... I *almost* made it... oh well the plane owed me nothing.) So the Edge 540 will now be my workhorse

I plan to build as lite as possible - use smaller MG hi-torque Hitec HS5225 digitals on 6.0v, Saito 100 w/Slimline muffler, CF control rods... hopefully I can get it built around 8lbs. I plan to use Robart point hinges... I'll build some kind of jig to align them.

So far everything is going together GREAT. In 1 hr I got the wing joiner built, tail feathers mounted and re-enforced and the motor mounted! Everything fit PERFECT. My plane is the newest version which came with the covering removed in the areas you need to re-enforce on the tail surfaces. Control hardware is really nice too.

Questions:
What kind of covering is on the fuse or is it vinyl too? Looks like vinyl ... very thick. The reason I ask is I am thinking of building a balsa deck for the tail feathers area... the plastic one is okay but if you build one up you can re-enforce that area even more and maybe eliminate the need for flying wires.

If you use a low heat can you iron on over the covering - or is it best to get some vinyl cut?

Is there a covering or does anyone know exactly which color of Red vinyl matches?

Hey,,, that's always a good reminder for everyone to cycle their batteries when new or after a long period of non-usage.

Yup,,, it's all vinyl. Use VERY low heat to recover or patch. Also I use a plastic/vinyl tape for many repairs that works great. 3M makes it I think. The deep red matches perfectly.

RC, i used a 14oz spare tank out of my ucd60 and i enserted the tank in aginst the firewall right up aginst the support beam that runs across the inside of the firewall and then marked the tank on the inside (also put red lipstick on the hole and cut it out) then i build a support for the bottom of the tanki and then i built a support for the rear of the tank(what you see in the picture below, is real stable and pretty easy to build and support.

Fly the damn plane.

LOOK AT THE RADAR!!!!