Aeroworks 29% edge
03-13-2002, 01:52 AM
#1
Aeroworks 29% edge
My last winters project was an Aeroworks 29% Kit. Aeroworks sells this as a builders kit, a prebuilt and a deluxe prebuilt kit. I chose the builders kit due to cost, and after building this kit, I would certainly recommend the builders kit. The kit has a very low parts count and goes together quick and easy. All the balsa included is extremely light contest grade balsa. A hardware package is sold separately, as no hardware is included with the kit.
Through recommendations of other Edge builders I chose to use polyurethane glue for the sheeting. This ended up saving quite a bit of weight over epoxy and offered much better adhesion than contact glue. I also beefed up the landing gear support through recommendations and have not had any problems through the first 25 - 30 flights.
I chose to power mine with a Brison 3.2. There is little question that a 3.2 will give a 14lb airplane unlimited vertical. I elected to modify the wing mounting system. I simply could not stand the idea of 4-40 bolts through the top middle of the wing. I elected to put 1/4 in. nylon thumbscrews into the wing from inside the fuselage. This didn't add any weight and makes it a whole lot easier to setup at the field. Some of the other changes I made included adding the 3-d elevator modification, extending the ailerons 3" closer to the fuselage and adding wingtip counter balances to give it a more scale like appearance.
The only problems I found with the kit included:
1. The rolled plans are poorly printed, stretching and distorting the plans. This is only a problem when building the elevators over the plans. The elevator halves will not be the same, so you should build two right or two left panels to make sure you have matching panels.
2. The measurements for the engine mount are inconsistent with the location shown on the plans. The plans clearly show the engine thrust line on the center of the wing tube. The measurements given in the directions would place the engine thrust line 1/4" above the center of the wing. I elected to place the thrust line on the center of the wing.
This plane was designed to be competitive right up to the advanced levels of IMAC, yet be gentle and easy to fly. I now have about 25-30 flights and can say it has lived up the all the hype.
Through recommendations of other Edge builders I chose to use polyurethane glue for the sheeting. This ended up saving quite a bit of weight over epoxy and offered much better adhesion than contact glue. I also beefed up the landing gear support through recommendations and have not had any problems through the first 25 - 30 flights.
I chose to power mine with a Brison 3.2. There is little question that a 3.2 will give a 14lb airplane unlimited vertical. I elected to modify the wing mounting system. I simply could not stand the idea of 4-40 bolts through the top middle of the wing. I elected to put 1/4 in. nylon thumbscrews into the wing from inside the fuselage. This didn't add any weight and makes it a whole lot easier to setup at the field. Some of the other changes I made included adding the 3-d elevator modification, extending the ailerons 3" closer to the fuselage and adding wingtip counter balances to give it a more scale like appearance.
The only problems I found with the kit included:
1. The rolled plans are poorly printed, stretching and distorting the plans. This is only a problem when building the elevators over the plans. The elevator halves will not be the same, so you should build two right or two left panels to make sure you have matching panels.
2. The measurements for the engine mount are inconsistent with the location shown on the plans. The plans clearly show the engine thrust line on the center of the wing tube. The measurements given in the directions would place the engine thrust line 1/4" above the center of the wing. I elected to place the thrust line on the center of the wing.
This plane was designed to be competitive right up to the advanced levels of IMAC, yet be gentle and easy to fly. I now have about 25-30 flights and can say it has lived up the all the hype.
