GreatPlanes Performance Series 27% Edge 540

GreatPlanes Performance Series 27% Edge 540

[HuckinChikn]

awesome review cracky! The plane looks good! looks like it snaps and points
really well. Sorry I couldnt make it out for the maiden. Who took the video?
very cool editing on the video, and great choice of music!

[Cracky]

Our very own Greyhoundman met me out there. He saved the day for sure! I'm looking forward to some more time on her and gas through the Fuji. With this setup its a great sport flying plane. I need to do a little figuring to get the weight on her. All I had was a digital fish scale and we all know how accurate those are....

[Al Lewis]

Very nicely done Cracky! I guess Great Planes has another great performance model out there now. Looks like a perfect platform for the XYZ 50cc I put in my GP CAP 232. Same weight and half the price of the Fuji.

[Cracky]

Go for it! There are a lot of combinations out there that will make this a fun plane to fly...

[Cracky]

OK, well the day before I maidened the plane I got 15lb 2oz on my digi fish scale. I just went back to the shop and weighed my bare DA-150 and with the same scale I got 8lb 3 oz. The 150 is supposed to weigh 8lbs so I'm 3oz high on my reading. So Until I get a very accurate scale I'm calling it 14lb 15oz.

I also changed up a little bit of stuff in the beginning of the video, I re-watched it and it just didn't look right. Check it out!

[mikeyj86]

Been looking at the great planes performance series for awhile now. Have an O.S. 1.60 that needs a home. Think that will have enough power? I'm not sure if the edge will be too much for it or not.

[sun.flyer]

	Quote: Originally Posted by mikeyj86
	Been looking at the great planes performance series for awhile now. Have an O.S. 1.60 that needs a home. Think that will have enough power? I'm not sure if the edge will be too much for it or not.

Yes for sport flying. You'll need more power to be able to 3D.

Tim

[pipercub123]

I love the gear design. That is a good idea to save weight as most planes have a lot of wood in the gear area. I wonder if they beefed up the firewall any knowing that it'd be used for the gear as well? I think most firewalls would be fine working as gear mounts without beefing up, but that depends on how gentle your landings are. One thing I would've liked to have seen is for them to keep some extra wood on the top and bottom of the motor box ply so the actual firewall would sit into a locking groove and not just a groove. Similar to how the grooves lock for the sides of the motor box. That's just me though. I'm sure their design is plenty tough, but the locking grooves would provide a good deal more for guys like me who would want to put a DA 50 in and expect a long life on the airframe. If you stick to the recommended power options, you should be fine. That's just one area that I can't see saving some weight by cutting the wood short. I can't remember if I saw in the pics whether or not the firewall is pinned. I'm a big fan of pinned firewalls, if done properly it adds a good deal of strength. I had bad luck with a GSP 25% Edge 540 a few years ago with the firewall coming off and that was with a recommended sized engine. I noticed my engine flopping while trying to start it. I'm glad it didn't fly off at me while starting it. So I'm not bashing GP by any means, I'm just extra precautious over firewalls.

I do like the idea of using the tri stock as gussets. Very good idea, but I wonder if it's needed.

I like the two servo rudder option as it's a good way to keep costs down as one higher torque servo like the JR 8611 is pricey compared to two cheaper servos. One thing GP is good for is keeping budgets in mind! On my Airwild 29% Extra 260, I'm using one HS-5645MG and it's been enough to last through last fall and this season while only developing a little slop. Perhaps that's just break in slop and it won't get worse, LOL. I do wish I wouldn't have skimped on servos though. My plane will do a fair knife edge loop, but it's a little lacking so I'm thinking if GP recommends two on the Edge than one isn't enough for my 260. I'm asking Santa for some 8611s this Christmas. If he comes with only one, I'll be more than happy.

I'm not sure if I like the one piece wing idea. A carbon fiber tube would've been a good touch, but I understand about keeping the costs down. The one piecer reminds me of the early days with my LT40 one piece 72" wing. That is a big wing and a little bigger won't be too bad, but for some this might be a deal breaker.

All in all, it'd be a plane that I wouldn't mind in my hangar. My few gripes are minor and I'm glad to see the Edge as a new addition to GP's fleet.

[stardvd555]

I just went back to the shop and weighed my bare DA-150 and with the same scale I got 8lb 3 oz. The 150 is supposed to weigh 8lbs so I'm 3oz high on my reading. So Until I get a very accurate scale I'm calling it 14lb 15oz.

[pittwr]

I have around 50 + flights on my edge. I would recommend going right to a 50cc airplane and get what you really want. This plane is ok but poorly designed. The wing will quickly loosen up in the saddle do to the vibrations and will need to be tightened up with shims or what ever you can figure out to fix it. The wood dowls in the front of the wing wear down quickly. Canopy cover mount is bs as well requireing locktight prior to each fligth until you can figure out a better solution to keep the screws form loosening up. The hardware is prettly lame as well resulting in loose control connections. I'm on my second Fufi engine. The first one over heated because the carb manifold loosened up causing a airl leak leaning the mixiture too much causing an overheat. Fuji replaced the motor free of charge. 18X8 prop is the best for this set up. The landing gear is way to flimsy so unless you grease it on everytime you will hit the prop on the ground. I tied the gear together with springs and cables criss crossed and that seemed to help. The plane flys well but the rudder could be a little bigger. This has been my first gas airplane and a good experiance in the learning curve and from that I know what I'll want in my next airplane.

[jester1963]

great review cracky i have a fugi 43 on my 330s , did you have oil splatter on the bottom of the plane with the stock muffler ?