Edge 540T (FINISHED)
 

Hi all, I'm making progress putting my 540t together, Check the photos and if you see any thing I shoud change let me know!

RE: Edge 540T
 

some more

RE: Edge 540T
 

Looks good!

Where is your CG with rudder servo installed at that location?

RE: Edge 540T
 

I havent got to that yet. I went with the CF tail wheel assembly and H-stab tube, with the DA on the front. going to mount the H-stabes and linkage now.

RE: Edge 540T
 

Is that the painted gear that WH sells or did you paint the aluminum gear? I'm thinking of getting the painted composite gear but I'm wondering, is the bolt pattern the same? I got my Edge and DA in the mail last week, you are further along than me :). Lookin good!

Thanks,
Alan

RE: Edge 540T
 

Get the painted gear! once you hold it in your hand you will be glad you did!:D

RE: Edge 540T
 

The painted fiberglass gear that Tom sells for his planes have ALL the holes pre-drilled in all the right places. On the 28% planes, the weight difference between C/F gear and Toms' was something like an ounce or less. For the difference in strength, go with Tom's 'glass gear if you want to use gear other than the aluminum gear. Tom's is much better than the c/f, IMO.

RE: Edge 540T
 

I have the aluminum gear on mine and with the DA up front I have 2 1400 nicads over the gear to get it to balance on the aft limit. Your going to need to plan where to put your batteries up front to get yours to balance with the lighter glass gear.

RE: Edge 540T
 

My balance came out at 4.75" with the battery's at the forward edge of the middle tray. I do have the throttle and choke servos in the front. as soon as I can find a 9V battery I will post the weight.

RE: Edge 540T (FINISHED)
 

Hey mstroh3961.. Do you all do your first flights with the cowl off for ease of adjustment/observation? I always do on my big glow planes but with a gasser there seems to be a lot of stuff hangin in the wind... Just curious.. I am awaiting my DA from WH.. Should be any day now :eek: ..

RE: Edge 540T (FINISHED)
 

The stuff hanging out isn't any problem. You should secure all the wires at a mid point or so to keep them from flopping around in the cowl anyway. You also want to limit the amount of flexing that may take place at a connector to prevent the wire ends from pulling out or breaking. Especially at the ignition connections!

Another thought for you guys new to gassers, make certain that the plug wire, even the metal shielded kind, isn't rubbing against the cut enges of a fiberglass cowl. The glass will shred a plug wire in fairly short order.

RE: Edge 540T (FINISHED)
 

Thanx for the tips.. I might as well take the cowl off for the first flights.. I hope she is easy to tune.. I do know to tighten/check the prop nuts often during the first few runs/flights..

RE: Edge 540T (FINISHED)
 

I protetced the plug wire with a rubber grommet. I driled a hole where the plug wire would hang straight down from the side of the engine box, to keep it as far away from the muffler as posible. I used a 3/8 rubber grommet, and split one side so it would fit around the wire. after drilling the hole in the cowl, I made cut from the hole to the edge of the engine cut out for the wire. Use a small piece of light plywood to reinforce where I made the cut.

I used MS paint to modify this cowl picture. the black is the hole and slice, dark blue is the ply reinforcement, and lite blue are the servo screws atatching the wood. sorry for the fuzzy imiage. I ain't minnflyer:D

RE: Edge 540T (FINISHED)
 

THis is a simple and effective way to protect the plug wire from the edge of the cowl rubbing through it due to vibration...

Go to the nearest auto parts store and buy a couple of feet of 1/8" black rubber vacume hose. When you get it home take a razor blade or xacto blade and split one side of it lengthwise from one end to the other. Next take the split tubing and force the split edge over the edge of the hole you want to line, in this case around the cylindar head, push it down all around the hole and cut it off so the ends meet up. To hold it on just apply a bead of thin CA around on the inside of the cowl, gluing the tubing to the inside(not the outside) of the cowl. Think of it as one big custom made rubber grommet.

RE: Edge 540T (FINISHED)
 

You can also go to your local Hardware store and purchase a rubber gromlet of the size required to do the same job for a lot less work. They come in various sizes and do an excellent job.

RE: Edge 540T (FINISHED)
 

Getting there guys.. Got my DA a couple hours ago and got er mounted.. Got to go to OKC tommorow and buy the reciever and ignition batteries and some servo extensions... Then it is just installing the servos which I have already test mounted... all is blue locktited..

RE: Edge 540T (FINISHED)
 

SHE'S DONE!!! I'd like to thank Tom at Wildhare RC, Desert Aircraft, Airtronics, Hitec, and Mike's Hobbies in Oklahoma City.. :D Wait a sec I payed for all this stuff :)

RE: Edge 540T (FINISHED)
 

:Di to would like to thank all the companys who sold me there goods :D

RE: Edge 540T (FINISHED)
 

Just be careful on the first flight. Range check, have someone else look it over, both battery packs charged, hinges are glue to the wood and not to the foam, engine runs reliably, servos are well exercised and not just out of the box, range check again, wheel collars are on tight so wheels won't fall off. Rates not set too high, use low rates. Balance is at 4 1/2" to 5" back of tip. Ailerons are not reversed (you wouldn't believe the number of first flight crashes caused by reversed ailerons).

This is just a few of the reasons why planes get damaged on the first flight. I hear about all the incidents.

Good luck.

TF

RE: Edge 540T (FINISHED)
 

Will do Tom.. CG is about 4 3/4, servo horns are locktited, rates set, hinges are solid, controls are correct.. Will do range checks with engine on and off.. Got some Amsoil from OKC.. I think I will go 80:1 cause Mike McMertry said it is real good oil.. Any prob with that? It isn't petro based but will it be ok?

RE: Edge 540T (FINISHED)
 

Scottfl78, One more thing to add to you list before the first flight and after range checking......MAKE SURE THE PROP BOLTS ARE TIGHT!

I took the spinner off to check and my prop had compressed slightly with around 15 minutes or so run time.

And be prepared to have a grin you cant remove with a belt sander!:D:D

Good luck!

RE: Edge 540T (FINISHED)
 

Oh yeah wieght is 17 lbs 7 oz... Will check the prop bolts after every ground run before I fly it, and after each flight for the first few and periodically after that..

RE: Edge 540T (FINISHED)
 

One other thing I thought of... on landing I was having to hold the nose down when it gets into the ground effect. I just had to leen on the elevator slightly. Is this normal behavior for the large scale areobatic planes?

RE: Edge 540T (FINISHED)
 

As far as oil, look at this document;

http://www.wildharerc.com/Downloads/2strokeoil.pdf

Let me know which oil you choose after reading this.

TF

RE: Edge 540T (FINISHED)
 

I printed that out and read it while waiting for the motor to arrive.. So if I read it right synthetic didn't do very good? Amsoil seems to roll right off most guys toungue when you ask about oil.. Mike McMertry's son is a TOC champion or something, but then again he doesn't pay for his DA's.. Mike said he breaks in 100:1 so he doesn't have to fool much with his needles after break in, he also said that Amsoil was so good that it made the break-in process longer.. Then again he gets the DA's at cost.. Oh who knows... I think I will use Amsoil 80:1 then 100:1.. An older guy I know uses it on an old G-23 he has had for years... I guess we'll see how it goes..