SA Edge 540

[Dave_ORCC]

Bob,

First off, what are you planing on using for covering? I'd highly recommend a lightweight covering material for this plane. Good to keep it light. Although, I do occaisionally fly mine with 2 3S2100's wired in parallel. I find the additional weight good on the days that are a little windier. With the extra weight it tracks a little better.

If you've already covered a plane all one colour then you can do a multiple color scheme. Personally I like to "stitch" covering together to make a multicoloured panel. You'll need a piece of glass larger than the completed panel to work on. Cut your two different colour material in the shapes you need allowing 1/4 inch overlap. Remove the backing and lay the two pieces together witha 1/4 inch overlap then iron them together. Go over it nice and slow with just enough heat to activate the glue but, not shrinking it. Now carfully peel it off the glass. Start by pulling the "bottom" piece up and the "upper" piece should come with it. If not, go over it again with the iron. I've found that the bond sometimes seems weak if you try to pull it up vertically, that is, 90deg to the surface but if you try to pull the pieces apart laterally, they stick really good. Now that you've got the piece off the glass, you can apply it to the plane as one piece and treat it as if it were one piece of covering material. Hope that makes sense. If not, let me know and I'll make a little sample and take pics of what I mean.

I used Krylon for Plasic paint for the cowl. I am sure there are other options just make sure it's safe on plastic otherwise you could end up with a gooey mess of melted plastic. I used Testors plastic glue on my cowl. Again, just be careful not to use to much.

Canopy........... there are a buch of methods here. I lilke to dye my canopies. Get yourself a pack of Rit dye and an old pot big enough for the canopy to be completely submerged in. Bring the water to about 140degrees or so. When you notice some vapour coming off the water, it's hot enough. Take it off the heat, pour in the Rit dye and add an ounce or two of vinegar. The acid in the vinegar reacts with the plastic making it "accept" the dye quicker. By this point the water should be starting to cool a bit and you are ready to dip the canopy in. DON"T put the pot back on the heat or else you might end up distorting it. Check it every couple of minutes by lifting it out of the water with a pair of tongs. Depending on how dark you want it, it shouldn't take too long. If I remember correctly, mine took about 5 minutes in the water and it ended up being hard to see through! I used black dye for mine.

Just curious, have you seen the build thread about this plane on RCGroups? The thread is very long and there is some "extra" info there that might not be relevant but, there is a lot of good info too. I'd have a glance through that thread, if you haven't already. About 80 pages of pre-production stuff, then the builds start about page 80 or so.

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=394700

Hope some of this helps,
Cheers,
Dave

ps: here's a pic of mine, just because Don't mind the skis.......... just because it's winter doesn't mean you can't fly!!

[Bobbydog]

So thats how its done! Thanks Dave, I thought that you guys put one color on the plane then try to match the second layer on top. That would be really tough to keep straight. I'll use your two layer method for the wing for sure. It made total sense so dont worry about some pics. I bought some Sig Aerocote lite because the Solite I had here said that its only good for models to 16 oz's. Pretty fragile stuff and its also really transparent which I dont like much. I dont know the weight of the Sig Aerocote lite but when I was comparing the two I think the Aerocote was about 50% heavier. It uses the same temp settings though as the Solite. What do you think? I have about 3 rolls of the Solite here so I'll switch to that if you think I should.

I managed to read through about the first 100 pages of the RCGroups thread but there is sooooo much non-relevent stuff in there its hard to stay interested. I put a post up on there last night asking people what there overall recommendations were and got a few good pointers this morning. Somewhere around page 350.

Heres the gear I think I'll be using, tell me what you think when you get a chance...
I'll be using Hitec HS-65's all around
E-flite power 10 motor 4.1 oz / 30A-38A / 1100kv / 10x5 to 12X6 prop
Thunder power Extreme 2050 lipos
Electron 6 reciever
CC Phoenix 45 ESC

I would really like to use the wheel pants, but I've heard that they dont work on grass and can cause damage? I have never used them before, what kind of damage can they cause?

Is there any mixing you would recommend? How about aileron differential?

Do you think that I should add another magnet to the bottom battery hatch? How is yours holding up?

Thanks a ton for the info to dye the canopy. I was worried about doing that but not anymore.

Thats a really nice looking plane you have there Dave. I hope mine turns out half as good!

Thanks again everyone, I'm feeling a little better today so I'll be finishing the wheel pants tonight. I'll post a few pics later.

[Dave_ORCC]

Bob,

Well, I hope the info helps some. I've never used the Aerokote that you speak of but, it should work out all right. Some people do layer the second colour on top of the first but, I'm not crazy about that method. I find it tedious to do and not trap a lot of air bubbles between the two layers. It can be done, just by more skilled folks than me.

Yes, the RCGroups thread tends to wander a bit. There is some good info there though. I use the same handle there so you might've noticed some of my posts. Tommy321, from RCG, is a good friend of mine and we both have about 300 flights on our Edge's and are still having fun with them.

I'm sure you'll be happy with the gear you've chosen. Power in the 325-350watt range is plenty. I am sure the power10 is in that range. You might find that you have a tough time getting a decent CG with the 65's in the tail. They are cerainly powerful enough but, they are a little heavier than the 55's or the 281's that I am running. FWIW, I usually have the battery pack about 1/3 through the firewall. That gives me a CG just forward of the front servo screw of the aileron servo. Before you cut the holes bigger (I think you'll need to do that for the 65's in the tail) you might want to finish it up and see how it will balance with the 65's back there. Just tape them in place and see. Tough to put wood back if you decide to go with something other than the 65's. That said, I understand wanting to use them, especially if you have them already.

Wheel pants........ I find the plane looks funny without them, so I've never taken mine off. Off grass it's a little different. Forget about performing a "scale" take-off! Flying off grass I find I need to be a little more agressive with the throttle and hold a bit more "up" elevator until it gets rolling then before you know it you're airborn! Then point it up and go for it. Always fun to hear the slimer guys in the background when I do that. The pants can, however, poke holes in the bottom of the wing on less than perfect landings. That said, I have had my share of less than perfect landings and haven't had that happen.

Funny story about the hatch. I lost mine last February, then in the spring I was walking through our flying site (don't ask why) and found my hatch!! Must've been out there for 3 or 4 months. It was a little soggy but, worked. About 2 months later, I lost it again So, yes, I'd put another magnet on yours!! Tom, on the other hand, has never had a problem with his and he's only got one magnet!

Thanks for the compliment on mine........ it's looking a little rough around the edges *pun intended* but, still flies great!!

Keep posting, I'm anxious to see how it turns out, and hear what you think about flying her.

Cheers,
Dave

[Bobbydog]

Hey everyone,

I'm feeling a little better tonight, got all the sanding done so next step is to start covering I guess. I just looked up the weights of Solite and AeroKote lite. Solite is 2.0 grams/sq.ft. and AeroKote is 5.8 grams/sq.ft. Quite a bit heavier than I thought it was for some reason. Its still alot lighter than the regular covering materials though. Im going to go with the AeroKote, I'm not worried too much about 1/2 oz more weight overall. The Solite is just so thin it scares me for a plane this big.

I finished the wheel pants, they turned out pretty good I think. Keep in mind they are the first wheel pants I've ever seen! I guess a person paints these? Do you have to seal the balsa first or can I just give it a couple coats? I weighed the pants and all the harware required to hold them on, came out to 16 grams. Thats not including paint though. I can see why some peeps dont like to use them. We'll see how heavy my plane turns out, I might have to ditch mine too. Thanks for the tips on these Dave.

You say you have to slide your Lipo way up forward past the firewall to get the correct CG? The motor I'm using is 4.1oz compared to your Hacker A30 at 3.7 so maybe I'll be ok? I guess I'll find out soon enough. I'll be sure to test everything before cutting any holes.

There were a few mods I made to my fuselage tonight. The first is a little extra support cross bar on the turtledeck. There was a really soft spot there in the turtledeck that I didnt like. Its nice and firm now. I just used scrap cap strips. (say that 10 times fast! )

The second thing I did was add some leftover carbon flatstock to the battery hatch cover. The cover was very flimsy and I dont know how many openings I would have got out of it before it broke. Its nice and stiff now with very little weight gain. I'll post a before and after pic for this.

Hopefully I dont get any customers tomorrow so I can get a day in covering my baby! (dont tell the wife I said that! LOL) I'll be sure to post some pics of my covering butcher job. Peace.

Bob

[tommy321]

Just found this thread. It seems its turning into a bit of a RCgroups Reunion... with Tim, Dave et al..
Here's the Edge 540's from my club
Lookin' good... It's nice to see another Edge 540 coming together!

To answer one of your questions from RCGroups, don't bother sheeting the tail surfaces. If you fly it like it's meant to be flown (i.e. no full throttle dives and pylon racing) you'll be fine so long as you don't sand them too much.

My Edge is already tailheavy with the A30, so adding weight to the tail should be avoided.

The power 10 looks to be just about right. (It's similar in size to the A30 anyways).

Tom

[tommy321]

	Quote: Originally Posted by Bobbydog
	I guess a person paints these? Do you have to seal the balsa first or can I just give it a couple coats?

I cover mine. It's easier than you think if you do it in three pieces. The first piece is a long rectange that goes from front to back. Once it's ironed down along its center you can cut slits towards the centerline of the pant in the covering to tack it down around the curves. Then another piece is used to cover each side of the pant. It's a little tough to describe... I wish I had some pictures of it.

IMHO, the only reason to ditch the pants is if they get hung up in a tall grass field. They're really not all that heavy (again my opinion).

I also had to modify my hatch in a similar manner. Only mine was after it developed a crack at the corner of the square opening. Your mod looks good.

Tom

[Bobbydog]

Thanks for jumping in Tom, I can use all the advice I can get! I'll try my hand at covering the wheel pants, it would really save the hassle of trying to match paint. Not to mention its probably quite a bit lighter.

I did a little work on the Edge tonight, but I'm still not convinced that my covering scheme is going to work out looking any good. I was told by someone that the Sig AeroCote covering is pretty crappy stuff and didnt stick well at all but I'm having luck with the AeroCote lite. Maybe a little different. It is thicker than I wanted but what the hell, its only another 1/2 oz overall and it does look pretty cool.

I added 3/8" to the rudder, I was told that the plane needed a little extra for KE flight. Heres a pic of that.

I have run into a few things I need some help with. First off, after I seal the outside edges of the part I'm covering, then I shrink it tight and I'm done? Or do I then go and seal the covering to all the internal balsa bracing? It sure looks good just tightened in the middle without being ironed down. Heres a pic of how I have it now.

For the elevators, do I epoxy the steel elevator joiner into the aluminum slip joints? Or do I leave it "float" free between the two? I'm just not sure what the two aluminum slip sleeves are for. It doesnt say in the intruction manual but for all the other planes I've built you glued them solid.

Any help on this stuff would be great. Thanks everyone.

Bob

P.S. Heres my son today out in the field with me. He's 6 and can fly pretty good. Well, maybe not GOOD but not bad. That means I dont sweat as long as he's up 100 feet and doing circles. I still do the take offs and landings. How would you guys like to be landing on that crater filled field!

[tommy321]

	Quote: Originally Posted by Bobbydog
	I added 3/8" to the rudder, I was told that the plane needed a little extra for KE flight. Heres a pic of that.

Some may have felt that, but I find that mine KE's great with the stock rudder... I think so long as you put a servo on the rudder that is stronger than an HS-55 it'll be fine. That being said, your extra rudder area can't hurt.

	Quote:
	I have run into a few things I need some help with. First off, after I seal the outside edges of the part I'm covering, then I shrink it tight and I'm done? Or do I then go and seal the covering to all the internal balsa bracing? It sure looks good just tightened in the middle without being ironed down. Heres a pic of how I have it now.

I personally iron the center area down... but I do that just to help keep the covering from sagging. Yours should be fine if that's how you like it.

One thing about covering these light tail surfaces is that they warp really easily. A friend of mine named Sev suggested a method that seems to work well. He sticks down the edges around the control surface first without shrinking the middle. Cover both sides. Then pin the control surface down to your flat building board using T-pins. Do this without putting pins through the control. Put the pins around the outer edge using the "T" head to hold the surface down. Next use your heat gun to shrink the covering. Shrink it just enough to get rid of the wrinkles. Leave the control surface pinned to the board until the covering cools, and then repeat for the other side. This should result in a relatively flat control surface.

	Quote:
	For the elevators, do I epoxy the steel Elevator joiner into the aluminum slip joints? Or do I leave it "float" free between the two? I'm just not sure what the two aluminum slip sleeves are for. It doesnt say in the intruction manual but for all the other planes I've built you glued them solid.

I don't think I epoxied mine. (it's been so long I have trouble remembering). I think the reason for the aluminum sleeves back there is to keep the joiner wire from loosening over time. If it was just wire in wood you could end up with some play as the wood opens up. CA or epoxy the aluminum sleeves to the stab, and then you just have to CA hing the stab into the horizontal stabilizer.

Have fun...

Tom

[Bobbydog]

Thanks Tom, that cleared alot of things up for me. I'm off to work but I'll post some more pics tonight.

Bob

[sun.flyer]

I agree with Tom in that I never had an issue with KE flight with my Edge 540. I was using the DS-281 on the tail surfaces and they provided plenty of hold authority. Plane is looking good Bobby, great to see you are passing down this terrific hobby to the next generation ( I am doing the same).

Tim

BTW - Tom is definately a SA Edge 540 expert, he probably has about a thousand flys on his Edge by now.

[tommy321]

	Quote: Originally Posted by sun.flyer
	BTW - Tom is definately a SA Edge 540 expert, he probably has about a thousand flys on his Edge by now.

Not quite 1000.

Try 239. Seems I haven't been flying as much this winter as I did last now that I have a scratch build going on to keep me inside where it's warm.

(You can see my balsa reinforcement of the hatch corner here in the pic).

Tom

[Bobbydog]

Sorry I've been busy the last few days. My damn business is getting in the way of my hobby! I started covering the wings tonight, its ALOT harder than I thought it was going to be. I'm sure there are alot of tricks of the trade that I need to learn. The pearl covering wants to curl sooooo bad its not funny. Makes it really tough. The white stuff only curls about 1/4 as much. I'll hopefully finish the wings tonight so I'll post some pics of what I have done so far.

Bob