Extreme Flight 3DHobbyShop Edge 540 User manual

Assembly Manual / Airframe – 92” Edge 540
Thank you for purchasing this 3DHobbyShop by Extreme Flight ARF RC aircraft If you have
any issues, questions, concerns or problems during assembly, please contact our tech
department at: [email protected] or 770-887-1794 10am-5pm Eastern Monday thru
Friday
SAFETY in Assembly
During assembly of this aircraft, you will be asked to use sharp knives and hobby adhesives
Please follow all safety procedures recommended by the manufacturers of the products you use,
and always follow these important guidelines:
ALWAYS protect your eyes when working with adhesives, knives, or tools, especially power
tools Safety glasses are the best way to protect your eyes
ALWAYS protect your body, especially your hands and fingers when using adhesives, knives,
or tools, especially power tools Do not cut toward exposed skin with hobby knives Do not
place hobby knives on tables or benches where they can roll off or be knocked off
ALWAYS have a first-aid kit handy when working with adhesives, knives, or tools, especially
power tools ALWAYS keep hobby equipment and supplies out of the reach of children
SAFETY in Flying
This is NOT a toy! It is a very high-performance RC airplane capable of high speeds and
extreme maneuvers It should only be operated by a competent pilot in a safe area with proper
supervision
ONLY fly your aircraft in a safe, open area, away from spectators and vehicles and where it is
legal to fly NEVER fly over an unsafe area, such as a road or street
•NEVER fly near overhead power or utility lines If your airplane ever becomes stuck in
a line or a tree DO NOT attempt to retrieve it yourself Contact the authorities for
assistance in retrieving your aircraft Power lines are DANGEROUS and falls from
ladders and trees CAN KILL!
•Never fly too close to yourself or spectators
•Spinning propellers are DANGEROUS!<
Never run your motor inside a house or building with the propeller attached Remove the
prop for safety Always fly within your control
•Always follow manufacturers instructions for your radio system
•Always preform a pre-flight check of your aircraft to be certain of the aircraft's
airworthiness
•Always obtain proper insurance before flying Always fly model aircraft in accordance
with the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) Safety Code Visit the AMA's website
at www.modelaircraft.org for more information
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Limi s of Responsibili y
Extreme Flight provides high-quality aircraft and components to it's
customers and end users. These aircraft and components are assembled
by the end user to produce a flying model. It is beyond Extreme Flight's
control to monitor the end user's completed aircraft. Therefore, Extreme
Flight in no ay accepts or assumes responsibility or liability for damages
resulting from the end user assembled product. The end user assumes all
responsibility and liability in use of Extreme Flight aircraft and components
and agreeing to hold harmless Extreme Flight, it's distributors and dealers.
Required I ems
Hobby Knife
Small Phillips Screwdriver
Set Metric Allen Wrenches
Scissors
Small Pliers
Wire Cutters
Adjustable wrench
Masking tape
Drill and drill bits
Threadlocker (Blue Loctite)
Optional:
Heat gun and covering iron
Dremel tool
Assembly Ins ruc ions – Read comple ely before s ar ing assembly!
UNPACK :
Unpack your airplane and examine the components Check for damage of any kind If you have
damage, please contact Extreme Flight to discuss Contact info listed above
WRINKLES :
Your airplane was packed in plastic at the factory without any wrinkles in the covering You may
notice some wrinkles now; more likely, you will notice a few in a day or two or the first time you take
the plane out to the flying field These wrinkles are the result of wood shrinkage and/or expansion
Balsa wood changes size and shape slightly as it is exposed to varying humidity in the air This is a
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natural property of balsa wood As your airplane adjusts to the weather in your part of the world,
wrinkles may appear and disappear Wrinkles may be removed with the gentle application of heat to
the covering material on your airplane The best tools to use are a heat gun and covering iron Apply
the heat gently: the covering material will shrink as you apply the heat, and this will remove the
wrinkles BE CAREFUL! Too much heat applied too quickly can damage the covering, either by
causing it to pull away from the wood at seams and corners or even by melting it The covering will
shrink at low temperature with patient application of heat Wrinkles in the covering DO NOT affect
flight performance If you must shrink on a color-seam, use the iron and go slowly and carefully to
avoid any pulling or lifting at the seam
Remove the canopy before attempting to use heat on your covering! The canopy is made of thermo-
activated plastic and WILL deform with the application of heat Do not apply heat to the canopy
PAINT:
If you need to clean your airplane, we recommend using a damp towel The paint used on the canopy
and cowl is not safe for all cleaners In particular, DO NOT use alcohol on these parts, it will remove
the paint
Let’s get started!
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Landing gear
User blue loctite to lock all of the set screws on the tailwheel assembly and re-tighten them.
Attach the tailwheel to the bottom of the fuse as shown with 3 x 3mm screws and washers. Use blue
loctite on these screws.
Main Wheels: Place one wheel collar over the axle, then the main wheel, then the other collar and tighten
as shown.
Insert the wheels and axles into the wheel pants and attach to the main landing gear with the nylock nuts.
Install two Phillips-head screws through the landing gear and into the pants as shown.
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Slide the landing gear-to-fuselage fairings onto the landing gear legs.
Insert the wheels/axles into the wheel pants and install onto the landing gear legs. Tighten the
axle nuts. Install wood screws as shown through the gear legs into wheel pants.
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Attach the main gear to the fuselage using 4 x 4mm screws, washers, and locknuts. Note that you will
need to use a pliers to hold the nuts inside the fuselage as you tighten the screws that retain the landing
gear.
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Attach the cover plate over the landing gear screws using epoxy glue or silicone adhesive. Slide the
fairings into place and attach with screws as shown.
Elevator servo arm slot
On each stab/elevator half, you will need to locate and open the slot for the servo arm as shown. The
wood is pre-cut, but you will need to remove the covering over the slot as shown. NOTE: The slot is
sized approximately - your particular servo/arm combination may require the slot to be lengthened or
widened.
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Control Horn Installation
our Edge features phenolic control horns. The slots for the horns are pre-cut into all of the control
surfaces. ou will need to remove the covering over each of these locations. The best way to trim
covering on this aircraft is with a hot pencil-tip soldering iron. This method gives a clean cut and also
seals the edges of the covering at the cut line. ou can also use a hobby knife if you cannot use a
soldering iron for this job, but the iron is recommended.
1. First, locate the control horn location in each control surface.
2. Cut away the covering over the two slots.
3. Assemble the control horns as shown, and temporarily push the horn into the slots in the control
surface (do not use glue at this time).
4. Using a pencil or marker, mark around the outside of the square base of the control horn.
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5. Remove the horn and use the soldering iron to trim the covering just inside the square mark you made
with the pencil.
7. Apply 30-minute epoxy liberally to the bottom of the horn and to the wood of the control surface.
Install the horn. Wipe up excess epoxy with a paper towel and alcohol. Temporarily install a 3mm bolt
and rod end through the bolt holes to ensure proper alignment of the two horn halves. Wipe up excess
epoxy that squeezes out. Allow the epoxy to cure.
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The rudder pull-pull control horn is installed in a similar fashion, except that it is double-sided. Remove
the covering on both sides of the rudder over the slots as you did for the elevators and ailerons, apply
epoxy to the center of the two horn pieces, and install into the rudder. Use alcohol to clean any excess
epoxy and temporarily insert two 3mm bolts through the holes in the horn to ensure alignment while the
glue cures.
Trim the rudder horn outer holes away (as on the other horns) if necessary to match the width of your
rudder servo horn.
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Pull-Pull cables
The pull-pull cables for the rudder are assembled as shown in the following diagram:
Install the rudder servo into the fuselage. Assemble the cable ends onto the servo arm as shown. Make
sure the cables cross once inside the fuselage to form an "X", and assemble the cable ends at the rear
onto the rudder horn. Crimp the brass crimping sleeves firmly with pliers and pull on each connection to
test its strength.
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Adjust the lengths of the pull-pull cable to get good tension (just snug, with no sag, and no play in the
rudder – “banjo-string” tight pull-pull wires will not make your plane fly better, but they will wear out your
servo).
When you are finished adjusting the pull-pull cables, apply thin CA glue to each of the crimps.
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Engine Mounting
The Edge can use a variety of 50-70CC single cylinder engines. This manual shows the installation of a
DA-60. Other engines are similar. Templates are included to locate the mounting holes for the DA-60,
DA-50, and DLE-55.
Tape the pattern in-place on the firewall as shown, aligning the lines on the template to match the firewall.
Drill the engine mounting holes and remove the template.
Using threadlocker on all mounting hardware, attach your motor to the firewall. It is a good idea to use
large washers on the back of the firewall to spread the load. Loctite all mounting fasteners!
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We have provided more than enough fasteners to secure the firewall to the engine box, if one of your
engine-mounting bolts interferes with one of the firewall attaching screws, remove the firewall attaching
screw if necessary – the engine-mounting bolt will take over its job, provided that your washer overlaps
the aluminum angle-iron bracket.
ou have several options for mounting your throttle servo. We have provided a location in the bottom of
the engine-mounting box behind the firewall. This hole is cut for a full-size servo. The throttle linkage rod
and ball-joint are included in your kit.
We have also included two servo mounting boxes for full-size servos. These can be used to place throttle
and choke servos anywhere you need within the engine mounting box. Use good epoxy glue to attach
these servo mounting boxes to the airframe.
Note that in this installation, we have avoided using a choke servo and have instead used a home-made
bellcrank fashioned from a servo arm to activate the choke. A choke servo would also work in this
application.
Mount the ignition box using a piece of foam rubber between the box and airframe to isolate the box from
vibration.
Fuel Tank
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Mount the fuel tank with either large zip-ties or velcro straps to the wood tray in the fuselage as shown. It
is recommended to place a foam rubber pad in-between the tank and the tray to dampen vibration.
The fuel-feed line runs from the tank, to either a Du-Bro gasoline filler valve or a -connector and fuel dot,
and then to the carburetor. Run the vent line as shown to prevent fuel loss during aerobatics.
Run the vent line into the cowl and out the bottom as shown:
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Cowl Installation
The Edge cowl must be cut to allow clearance for the cylinder, spark plug, and muffler (if canister is not
used) of the engine. We recommend the use of a dremel rotary tool for this step. Use eye protection and
work in a well-ventilated area.
our Edge cowl is two-piece. This makes it much easier to accomplish your cowl-cutting, and you can
work on only the bottom half of the cowl when necessary, Make a cardstock template as shown that
indicates the position of the cylinder and exhaust outlets relative to the fuselage, and use that template to
transfer these locations to the cowl for cutting.
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Removing covering over access points
Using your soldering iron or hobby knife, remove the covering over all of the required access points in the
fuselage for the wing spar tube, aileron servo wires, anti-rotation pins, stab spar tube, exhaust venting
plates, etc.
Remove the covering over the venting slots in the fuselage exhaust plates as shown and install onto the
bottom of the fuselage as shown.
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Elevator Servos and Horizontal Stabs
Mount your elevator servos inside the horizontal stabilizers as shown.
Center the servos, and slide your servo arms onto the servo output splines. Rotate the servos and arms
as necessary to access all fasteners to lock the arms in-place. Use threadlocker if indicated by the servo-
arm manufacturer. We also use a dab of silicone adhesive on the servo arm screw to lock it in place
against vibration.
Assemble the elevator pushrod as shown. The elevator pushrods are the shorter of the included
pushrods. Note that the pushrods have one left-hand thread and one right-hand thread, so that you can
adjust their length with the included wrench as shown after they are installed.
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