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SEnd me your email address and I'll send you the belly pan mod with pictures. It's a word file.

Hey Chuck: You out there? Its OSHKOSH time & I'm thinkin of you. PM me if you can

bob branch

Whoa this thread just woke up from the dead. So how is everyone doing with their Edge 540? Im still flying mine, and still loving it greatly. Of course with a grain of salt becasue there is no replacement for this fantasic machine.
Reciently i discovered that this saito 100 had some limitations when it came to this bird. As it flew just great eariler I bet the motor could fly it even better if the plane could loose that spare tire around the midsection. So out came the drill, dremel, and some sandpaper to put this VF machine on a weight loss program. I delaminated the sheeting on the bottom half and placed some balsa sticks to help reinforce the missing structure, also created some light weight servo tray to house my throttle servo and receiver. Up front just aft of the firewall, I used a hole saw and drilled a 2" diameter hole to lighten up the heavy ply they used. Then recovered the missing covering that i cut away with true red ultracote, which i might add is the best matching material to VF's orginal. You cant even find where the origanal covering started where the new ended. Perfect. When i can find some more time i may just rip all the covering off further loose a little more extra weight. For now its pretty much completed. My 8lb heavy weight now weighs a little more than 7.3 lbs.
Yeah doing all these unconfirmed mods kinda contradicts what i orginally stated eariler but, im sure it will do allright. Now to fire up the trusty saito and remaiden the bird. Sure after putting the edge on a diet will show what a real plane can do...

I have put mine on an excercise program as well but went in the other direction. I pulled the Magnum .91 4 stroke and replaced it with a Super Tiger .90. Much superior performance. Its not even close. Verticle is forever and lots more authority. May just be me, but I prefer the way a 2 stroke performs on planes that are ment to fly at higher velocities like the VF's. I have one of the small VF Extra's still in its box. It is a real delight with a ST .90 but I will not build it till my Edge gets retired.

Building a belly pan replacement is not all that difficult. You can frame it up with framing along the sides set in the groove where the plastic one sits and have front and rear bulkheads that rest on the those same rails. At the front you can put the bulkhead either in front of or behind the bulkead that the plastic one secures to. You can just monocoat it open bay or sheet it and cover it. Its easier on the 58 inch Extra because you can attach it directly to the wing. But its not difficult on the Edge if you just think it thru. I have had 2 of the small extras (HiTec transmitter failures) and just made balsa and monocoat ones up rather than the plastic after the first time I killed the plastic belly pan. Another option is just make a mold in foam and lay one up in glass.

On another project, I am having to make a new cowling for the Edge for the ST unless someone has an extra they would like to sell. Mine got cracked in a landing accident and isn't worth trying to fix esthetically. I'll use light fiberglass CA'd to the cowl outise to get it all alighned and together. Then I'll tape the openings and fill up the inside with plaster. After it sets I'll have a mold for a new fiberglass cowl and just lay it up.

I do find that I do not fly the planes as aggressively as I used to since they are now collector's items. Nice to see what they are going for NIB. I wish VF had sold them for that kind of money, they might still be around. But they were very concerned about price and apparently saw considerable drop off in sales with just small price breaks. So in the end, we are the poorer for it. We American's need to learn that sometimes its worth paying what something is worth rather than looking for the cheapest deal.

ok, I'm off my soapbox. Sure miss em though.

bob branch

Just got back from Oshkosh and saw that the thread is awake again.
Still flying my reduced fat version with the 91FX and 15x6 APC. Bird sure likes to go fast.

Kurt

Amen to that. I tried proping it once for downspeed and it just wallowed and was not crisp. I saw that plane you had the pic of at Oshkosh last year (my plane was one of the display planes last year). Really a stupid application for a turboprop. Can't imagine how you can do much with such slow power response. But hey, there was a guy with a ramjet under a Sukoi. Takes all kinds to make OSH. Did miss it this year (I sold my plane this spring and will not start an experimental project for another year or 2) but with this weather I did not miss sleeping in the tent next to the plane. Last year the night temps were decently cool at the end of the week. Not so this year it seems.

Speed is life!

bob branch

The Sukhoi with the ramjet was there this year too. The thought of owning and flying a Tprop is too much to handle. I'd love to have a turbine rating but would hate to pay for the plane and ins. I can't believe what they cost,,,, can you ? All planes in general are over priced because of the *%&^%$& dealer insurance. Was looking at a decent Skyhawk with basic NAV recently. $172.000....
Cost to build and a healthy profit for Cessna is around $79.000. The rest is dealer insurance. The quick-to-sue world we live in has ruined the aircraft business for many.

Back to Oshkosh...... Walked in the front gate and bought passes at the EAA Museum and was looking at some new displays when I looked over and saw Dick Rutan talking at the new SpaceShip One display. Had a nice full scale replica of he and Burt's Voyager behind him during the lecture.
Also you missed the two F22 Raptors and the new C17 . Very impressive.

Another pic from Osh.

Kurt

Thanks for the pics. Vintage camping is where I had my restored Ercoupe parked last year. Was really cool to be around stagerwings and spartans with huge $ invested in their restorations and an occaisional person taking a pic. Every moment I was near my plane there were at least 6 people around it. I only got rid of them by going into my tent at night. Mine was fabric covered, painted in Randolph Cadillac red with black trim stripes. Panel was all contemporary thru panel mounted color map gps. A delightful cross country plane. What we lost when we got stuck with pipers and cessnas is a shame. It is so much faster than a 150, outclimbs the heck out of em, and handles turbulance much better (love those full span ailerons). What I will really miss is the landings. Not just greasers... but so many where the only way you know you are down is when you hear the wheels spool up. Only real problem was as my wife complained, how long it takes for a fuel stop. Usuallly at least an hour after you clear the gawkers away. Had a number of times the coporate pilot emptied the jet of the chairman and board of directors to come over for a look. No one ever did that when I owned a Sennaca! Great fun. Nothing like OSH. ... except flying your own plane there to be on display.

bob branch

I'm not sure if this is the right place for this question but, did anyone scoop up replacement parts from VF before they folded? I'm in need a of cowl for the Edge. Stans could make one but they need a good original for making a mold and mine is in pretty bad shape.

Thanks,
Robert

Robert

If you get something going in this direction I would like to get a couple of them too. I plan on flying mine for a good number of years and have used several motors on mine. I want to change back to a previous motor (Super Tigre .90) from the .91 fs and need a new cowl for that version. I'd definately pop for a couple if they come available.

bob

Anyone looking for a VF Edge 540 RTF?

I have one I am selling with a OS .91 in it. I will be putting on rcgroups and rcuniverse in the next few days. I have broke-in the engine and my instructor maiden it. That is it. It is too advance for me. The plane is in excellent condition. I am moving out of this hobby.

Let me know if anyone is interested in it.

Manny

Wow its been awhile since i seen this thread active. Well guess i had to tell everyone that my edge is no-more. I was forced to retire it the other day. If anyone is interested in parts send me a pm. i got a freshly cut cowl that never flown yet, new landing gear, Wing set which is in excellent shape and a few other odds and ends...

RCFury, why did you have to retire the plane? I might be interested in your wingset and bellypan.

Ed

Hi guys,

Please, can you tell me which one of the following engine is better any why ? I am willing to buy one of those but still don't have any idea. Need your opinion. Thanx.

super tiger G-90 Ringed ( 2 stroke )

OS Engine 91 FX Ringed ( 2 stroke )

Aabish.

Mine started life with a Saito100 and it was ok. Many of us have found after several hours of flying the VF Edge that it loves to go fast. The flight performance got a lot better when I mounted the OS .91FX onto mine. May just be me ,, but most of the time a 4-stroke improves the overall flight and does the best job for me. But this plane was the exception.
Go with the OS.

Hey what's up guys..

It has been quite some time since I last posted here on my thread. Since Katrina devastated my home town of New Orleans, I have gotten completely out of planes. There just isn't enough airspace for us now. It was limited before, but we lost a few of our fields due to FEMA taking them over for staging areas. I have now made the move to RC Helis. They do not require the airspace and they are a lot more fun and challenging to fly.

I am surprised the VF closed it's doors. I guess they weren't making enough profit from their excellant planes. I still have yet to see another company offer a better built ARF for the price that VF offered. Good luck everyone.

I have flown the plane with both a Magnum .91 and a SuperTigre .90. I have flown 4 of the big G case Super Tigres for the last 3 seasons and flown them alot on everything from a 4 star .50 to a big 3D profile. They are great motors. Easy breakin, user friendly, and gobs of torque. I have one on a tuned pipe on a .90 size pattern plane at around 1000 sq inches. It pulls it with aurthority and unlimited verticle. Ditto the VF Edge. Wonderful motor for the plane. The Magnum .91 was ok for sport flying but as has been reported thru this thread and you'll find in all the Vector Flight threads, their planes like to fly fast. When you slow them down you can tell its wrong. Doesn't mean you have to be 100% throttle all the time. They respond properly to power management. But they really like to trot and the rpm's of a 2 stroke are the ticket to getting there.

bob branch

Hey Gary,,, sorry for your loss due to Katrina. I'm just happy to see your ok and I hope the same for your family.
Heli's are cool too. There's room for both in this big world. Cars and boats too I guess.

Many people were always trying to look for bigger and better engines for this bird. But one thing when you go bigger, yeah you get more power, but the wing loading increases and affects its flying. When i first purchased the VF edge i put the Saito 100 on it and I couldn't find a reason not to use it. This plane wasn't designed for hardcore 3d but gosh it could fly in a straight line anywhere. I think personally this plane shines in a IMAC type maneuvers.

Well personally i have personally almost 150-200 flights on this bird and probably another 50 flights from another pilot. And its getting old. Also last year i decided to put this plane on a diet which really woke up the plane however, with all the lightening holes and swiss cheese i turned the fuselage in to didn't last to long. After a dozen of so flights every piece of the sheeting was getting cracked. And personally I didn't feel like fixing it. So thats why ive decided to retire the bird. It sure had a great life. Vectorflight, as it really wasn't well known outside these forums they sure did put out a great product. Im surprised that how awesome this plane was, people still didn't give them a try. Oh well.

Just picked up a new vector flight edge 540 new in the box never opened,guy bought it over 2 yrs ago never got around to even touching it.. So as Im discovering I have just scored an extremely beautiful plane, opening the contents has left me speechless. Though only my 5th arf ive seen many and this truly surpasses most, cant wait to get started on it. This thread may be coming back to life again guys...

Power it for speed, not 3D. Also it does not tolerate a rearward cg into the 3D ranges. I just tried that and had to fetch it from the bushes on takeoff. I started with a Super Tigre .90 in it and switched to a Magnum .91. It flew much better with the 2 stroke. The plane does not like to fly downspeed. It is a very nice precision flier. Oh, if you wound up with a second cowl in your box, let me know. Anyone got one? I'm about to make a mold for a glass one.

Bob Branch

Good luck with the build. I know that you will like her. I started this build thread and I wish that I would have never got rid of my VF Edge 540.

At first I had a Saito 120 in mine. While it had more than enough power, it proved to be too heavy. I later installed an OS 91 and she really liked it. This plane was designed for clean aerobatics and not 3D. As long as you keep that in mind, I think that you will enjoy it immensely.

Another thing to keep in mind is to keep some power on her while landing. She floats nice, but due to the thin wing, needs a bit of speed to prevent stalling the wings.

Have fun and let us know how she flies.

I should also mention that I removed the 4 stroke from mine and returned to Super Tigre .90 power.

Bob Branch