I just completed my Sledge 540 last week from a pre-production kit. It came in just a little over 4.5 lbs. The Saito.72 is new and just getting broken in. The covering is Ultracote pearl yellow, blue, and black n white checker on the bottom. The lettering is hand cut Ultracote. It flies great very little trimming needed. It is very similar to the Top Cap, and Sudokoi. I think this is one sweet airplane. Tom

The bottom side. Tom

Now that is cool. Looks great.

Looks great! I just mite have to get one!

BTW did the wings build flat on the board?

Don

The wings on this build a little different than the Sudo, and TopCap. They do not build flat on the board. I have been told by the designer that the kits will have laser cut ribs with tabs for alignment. The wing has equal taper top and bottom. Tom

Nice plane! My friend almost got one but didn't want to wait so he got the aces1 edge

Neat Plane!!
I want one too!

I have the Top Cap and on my list is the Sledge. If you say it flies like the Top Cap, than it is a must have.

Tom,
It will be great if you could do a detailed flight report after the engine is well broken in..especially the slow characteristics of this plane and ofcourse 3D!
Thanks,
Mayur

As an FYI, I have poosted a couple of movies of Jeff Williams (designer of the Sledge 540) flying his Sledge 540. Jeff and I are friends. I met Jeff a couple of months ago and flew at his club site. HSRCM, Inc. does not offer the Sledge 540, it will only be available through Morris Hobbies. I posted these movies because Jeff is a friend, and I like to support the hobby. You can download these movies at:

Sledge Movies

You will see them listed at the bottom of the page. I have changed the format of these movies since the original posting because some people were having problems with them. Check them out!

Kevin

Kevin, I was at the New Albany fly-in this past Saturday. I let Jeff fly it. He says it is the best flying sledge that he has flown yet. With the new engine he was not doing anything real low. He did do some high Alfa rolls and knife edge. Climbing inverted flat spins, and hovering. He made the airplane look real good, and I have a lot of practicing to do. Tom

I know what you mean. I love to watch Jeff fly. Fortanately for Jeff, he can go out 3 + times a week and fly for hours, and since he has been flying for about 20+ years, he is very well practiced. He is good, I'll give him that!
I guess I spend too much time designing and building proto-types.
I think that there appears to be 'builders' and then there are 'fliers'. If this is true, I guess I'm a 'Builder'. With all the discussions around ARFs in these forums, I believe that the Builders are a slim minority anymore in this hobby.

By the way, I'm sure glad that someone covered their Sledge 540 different from Jeff's. SmallFly's picture at Evansville, (by the way, I was there when the picture was taken) all the planes look almost the same. And don't let SmallFly fool anyone about burring the faces to protect the innocent, its so he doesn't scare anyone out there! (Ha Ha)
Kevin

True enough... being blurry is my best feature
Nice meeting you at new albany 3dreaming.
So you want a detailed flight report huh!!
Well if you want a plane that hovers well inverted flat spins good, torque rolls, high alfa knife edges, waterfall flips and knife edge spins you will like this plane. It will elevator great with a little wind. About the only thing it doesnt do well is a standard flat spin, it does it all right it just isnt as flat as a su do koi. Now that I have some time on it and am getting my hand back it has become a go to plane. Still cant say Im crazy about the looks of a profile, but to just go out and have fun it is a great plane.
Hey Kevin, the wings and ailerons are done on the hard bet mark III

Glad to hear that you got the wings done on the HB MkIII. The fuse goes together even faster. I guess that your original Hard Bet is gone (sold), since you seem to be moving fast on your new kit. I test flew the new Aeron-60 this past weekend, though I am not happy with the wing attachment set-up and the weight. I going back to the drawing board. Several guys at my club claim that my standards are too high, that it is fine, but I'm not willing to sacrafice my standards! I got my Aeron-40 doing a climbing knife edge spin with the fuse horizontal - AWESOME! I just can't doit every time so far (just a 'stick-banger' I guess). Once in a while I can get the Aeron-40 to perform an upright climbing tornado (perfromed out of an upright flat spin), but so far, once again I'm not consistent. I've got the triple tapered wing set for the Aeron-60. I am debating on designing a new fuse for the Aeron-60. You'd like it because it is probably going to be a modified box style fuse. We need to get together again with Jeff.
Kevin

Go with the box fuse!
To me the reason you would build a profile is because a flat fuse is ez'er and simpler to build but it seems that as you get bigger it get more complex to build. I still think a box fuse is the simplest and quickest to build if it is a kit! Profiles were popular kits but they were only just a box of sticks! I think you could design a much better plane like your hard bet if you drop the profile fuse.
just my 2 cents!

Rickc2009

IMO profiles are more time consuming than a Box type of fuse.
All those sticks that make up the frame take time to cut/sand/miter. Not harder. Just more time..

I really dont want to turn this thread into a profile vs box fuse debate but I think the profile is there for a reason, It offers superior side area for knife edge loops,etc and allows for maximum prop blast over control surfaces. personally I think they both build about the same. The profile seems a bit easier to me but only because you dont have to worry about getting the box completely square. Guess that's why you really need one of each

Since I have accidently turned this conversation into a debate between a box vs. a profile fuse design, and Smallfly is right, that this conversation doen't not belong here, I am going to start a new thread.

Wow that was some cool stuff of both your models and of the Sledge. Good to see vendors who are in it for the hobby too.

Thanks - I try to support the hobby. If I was in it for the money I'd be crazy.

Who is the guy catching his Sledge in the movies?
Can I get his e-mail?

I still cant get the movies to work. All I get now is a bunch of kwinky dink things to open up on a page and thats it. Evidently its just not meant for me to see em.............John

I cant see the movies but I'll bet ya its Jeff Williams................John

Got his e-mail?

check your PM's