Edge 540 as 2nd full time plane??
 

Hey Guys I haven't flown in 3 years but I spend quite a bit of time on realflight and feel confident with the 540 even on high rates. My fist plane was your basic trainer (superstar 40). I have also flown a easy sport 40 and a Big Stik 60 quite a bit as well (dads planes). I purchased a Great Planes electric 50 inch Edge 540t with some gift cards i got for Christmas, I also purchased all of the associated hardware, I already have a Futaba 6 channel. DO you think I will be in over my head?? I plan on keeping it all on low rates at first and then progressing towards the high rates and eventually start 3d once i get experienced with the plane. Also I have a servo question, Hs-81 or Futaba S3115? I ordered the Hs81's but I can still change the order before it ships.

I was trained by an instructor at my local club as well if that matters.

Thanks for any input,

Zach

RE: Edge 540 as 2nd full time plane??
 

Zach, a typical progression is from a flat bottom wing, to a semi symetrical wing to a symetrical one. The flat bottom will have a lot of dehidreal, the semi will have less and the full symetrical one will have none.

The simulators may give you the basics, but when it comes to your investment in your plane and your ability to control it, an Instructor on a buddy box is a good idea. Scratch that, a great idea.

My son called today and told me the he and my Granddaugter went out to fly a little Neo-Fun that I sent them a couple years back. He had modified it for electric. It ended up "a little tail heafy" A "guy at the field" said it was probably OK. The flight lasted less than four seconds. Probably repairable, but a good checkout by the grumpy old guy at the field and a few minutes on the buddy box would have given them a days flying and a plane to take back tomorrow.

I've found, by personal experience, it is better to ask for help and turn out to be a quick learner, than to let your ego push you into things you can't handle. The fact that you ask if i may be over your head suggest that you have the common sense to wade into tthe water rather than jump in without knowing how deep it is. Play it safe and get your old instructor to take the plane up and trim it out and let you know what he thinks about you being able to fly it now. Then go for a buddy box flight. If that goes well, jump into the water. Most likely, it is going to be a good plane for you to fly. It may take a couple learning experiences for you, but that is the price we pay for enjoying this hobby.

Don
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RE: Edge 540 as 2nd full time plane??
 

my second plane was a escapade which is semi semetrical a bit of a dehedrial it wasnt to bad of a jump from my high wing trainer. just to be sure you might wanna have some one buddy box you the first time. Definatly probably want to have some one maiden it for you and trim it. Unless your comfortable with maidens.

I did maiden my escapade, but that baby flew straight and true outta the box. i think i needed 2 or 3 clicks of trim total.

RE: Edge 540 as 2nd full time plane??
 

Thanks Don.

I am a extremely quick learner, I was off the buddy box after one flight with my trainer. I understand this plane will have none of the "forgiving" characteristics that my trainer and the easy sport had so I will have to be careful. I am going to try to get a experienced guy to help me out but I am no longer part of the club and didn't really plan on joining one, I had planned on flying the Edge at the local schoolyard which is HUGE (much larger than my club's field was). I have about a month to figure it out before the maiden so I will either join a club or find someone that may be able to help. I am confident in my ability to build/set up the plane right, I have a CG machine and all that. My instincts tell me to join a club and buddy box the plane but my 21 year old ego is telling me to go try to hover the thing immediately!

RE: Edge 540 as 2nd full time plane??
 

Zack im a 21 year old Mechanical engineering student at RIT. I loved planes since i could say the word i think. Figured i could have taught myself but im glad i didnt. Like yourself I was off the buddy box real quick (2 days at the field with my instructor, and probably would have been sooner if the first day didnt have such a wicked cross breeze making landing instruction difficult) but i know if i hadnt gotten that little bit of help learning would have been much longer and more expensive. My friend/instructor gave my escapade a look over on the ground but wanted me to maiden it (not that he was uncomfortable, but rather wanted me to do it) and as i said between both of our ground inspections everything was in order, and it only took a few clicks of trim to get that girl perfect. Im sure the 540 is more of a handfull than the escapade, but belive me at WOT and high rates the escapade is a deamon. But I absolutly love it.

If your like me, you should be fine, not that im not a proponent of taking the safest approach. I for one know that im talented but always doubt myself thats why i wouldnt fly it without someone loooking it over. If you can tare up the sky with your trainer (lol i got my alpha 40 doing knife edges and inverted circles and snap rolls) you should be fine with any plane really. Most planes even if they are designed for high performance 3d like the 540 will still fly docile like any sport flyer at low rates and quarter throttle. Just take it slow and at your own pace. You'll know when your ready.

I was scared crapless on that escapde maiden but after two laps i couldnt resist crankin it up and now i cant seem to find a position on the throttle other than WOT with that thing lol. I love puttering down the run way 20 ft off the ground slamming full throttle pulling straight up and rocketing to 400-500 ft then dropping it into a flat spin, and i started that on my second flight with the thing. You should probably have a good feel for your abilites. dont let ego eclipse what you know your ablities to be. If your at all worried like i said have some one buddy box you the first flight. No same in that. If you get it up and realize you have no problem flying it great, but if you do have problems and your on the buddy box chances of damaging the plane are considerably less.

Really its up to you and i wish ya the best of luck. I just got into the hobby last summer after wanting to my whole life. Now I cant wait to graduate so i can have a better job than the campus cafeteria to pay for the hobby lol:D

Dylan

RE: Edge 540 as 2nd full time plane??
 

I know nothing about the electric powered Edge so I realy can't say anything about the plane at all. My second plane was an Up-Roar, I went from a the Sr. Telemaster to the Up-Roars without any trouble but I did have my instructor take it up and get it into trim for me and he was by my side for the first few flights. It's not the best of ideas or choice for a second plane but some people can get away with it. Keep in mind, the second plane is the one that really takes a beating.

RE: Edge 540 as 2nd full time plane??
 

i would get your instructer to check the plane and maiden it for you. also get him to stand with you for the first few flights till you get a customed to the planes handeling. they fly nice but not so nice on landing. i found that out with a sukhoi, most of this breed of plane and the edge and so on come in fast on landing and if slowed down allot can infact drop a wing. i learned the hard way. i returned to flying some years ago and i flew the su31 with no problems at all. including vertical take offs however i did not anticipate the landing being so tricky. you have to sort of fetcht hem in fast and flair the landing at the very last minute. good luck and happy flying

RE: Edge 540 as 2nd full time plane??
 

Thanks for the opinions guys. I think i am going to join a club I found a few miles away from me and have a guy there maiden it for me. I also just purchased Realflight G5 which has my exact Great Planes 540t in it, should help me get the feel of how the plane flies and the power etc. I do know what you mean about having to land it with speed, on the sim I have to really bring it in hot or it likes to stall out.

RE: Edge 540 as 2nd full time plane??
 

Just a word of advice dont trust the sim for landing. Flying is a good simulation but landing still not truly realistic.... well i dont know about real flight 5 but i have 4.5 and landing isnt completly like real life.

RE: Edge 540 as 2nd full time plane??
 

Yea I understand the sim won't be quite like the actual thing but it will give me a good idea. I think I should be alright

RE: Edge 540 as 2nd full time plane??
 

dont get me wrong the sim is a great tool. But like i said landing is the only place where it differs greatly from real life. I can land my alpha and escapade no problem, but struggle on the sim some times. It just doesnt feel the same setting the plane up for a landing then touching, often times on the sim it bounces off the ground really easily. But flying the sim is a great tool. Great to help you learn maneuvers and also to help you keep orientation.

RE: Edge 540 as 2nd full time plane??
 

I will mostly be using the sim to practice 3d maneuvers before I try them on the plane. I know I will be able to fly the plane normally, but I need to be able to make sure I can recover from stalls and such