Extreme Flight 50cc Edge 540T User manual

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50cc Edge 540T ARF
Instruction Manual
Copyright 2009 Extreme Flight RC

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Please take a few moments to read this instruction manual before beginning assembly. We
have outlined a fast, clear and easy method to assemble this aircraft and familiarizing
yourself with this process will aid in a quick, easy build.
Please read the following paragraph before beginning assembly
of your aircraft!
THIS IS NOT A TOY! Serious injury, destruction of property, or even death may result
from the misuse of this product. Extreme Flight RC is providing you, the consumer with a
very high quality model aircraft component kit, from which you, the consumer, will
assemble a flying model. However it is beyond our control to monitor the finished aircraft
you produce. Extreme Flight RC will in no way accept or assume responsibility or liability
for damages resulting from the use of this user assembled product. This aircraft should be
flown in accordance to the AMA safety code. It is highly recommended that you join the
Academy of Model Aeronautics in order to be properly insured, and to operate your
model at AMA sanctioned flying fields only. If you are not willing to accept ALL liability
for the use of this product, please return it to the place of purchase immediately.
Extreme Flight RC, Ltd. guarantees this kit to be free of defects in materials and
workmanship for a period of 30 DAYS from the date of purchase. All warranty claims
must be accompanied by the original dated receipt. This warranty is extended to the
original purchaser of the aircraft kit only.
Extreme Flight RC in no way warranties its aircraft against flutter. We have put these
aircraft through the most grueling flight tests imaginable and have not experienced any
control surface flutter. Proper servo selection and linkage set-up is absolutely essential.
Inadequate servos or improper linkage set up may result in flutter and possibly the
complete destruction of your aircraft. If you are not experienced in this type of linkage
set-up or have questions regarding servo choices, please contact us at
[email protected] or 770-887-1794. It is your responsibility to ensure the
airworthiness of your model.

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A few tips to ensure success
1. We are very pleased with the level of craftsmanship displayed by the builders in our factory.
Through hundreds of grueling test flights containing maneuvers that no aircraft should be
subjected to, our prototypes have remained rigid and completely airworthy. However, it is
impossible for us to inspect every glue joint in the aircraft. Take a few minutes and apply some
medium CA to high stress areas such as servo mounting trays , landing gear blocks, anti rotation
pins, etc.
2. Having survived the journey half way around the world while experiencing several climate changes,
it is not uncommon for a few wrinkles to develop in the covering. Fear not! These are not
manufacturing defects, and are easily removed with a little bit of heat. Use a 100% cotton tee-shirt
and your heat gun and heat the covering while gently rubbing the covering onto the wood with the
t-shirt. Be careful not to use too much heat as the covering may shrink too much and begin to lift
at the edges. Take your time, and a beautiful, paint like finish is attainable.
3. By the time your aircraft arrives at your door step it will have been handled by a lot of people.
Occasionally there are small dings or imperfections on some of the surfaces. An effective method
to restore these imperfections to original condition is to use a very fine tipped hypodermic needle
to inject a drop of water under the covering material and into the ding in the wood. Apply heat to
the area with a sealing iron and the imperfection will disappear. Deeper marks may require that
this process be repeated a couple of times to achieve the desired result, but you will be surprised at
how well this technique works.
4. DO NOT SKIMP ON SERVOS! Your aircraft is equipped with very large control surfaces that
deflect over 45 degrees. A lot of servo power is required to prevent flutter and to maintain the
required deflection for maneuvers. We absolutely recommend the use of METAL GEARED
servos with a minimum of 250 oz. in of torque.
5. Use a high quality epoxy for installing the composite control horns and hinges. We highly
recommend the use of Pacer Z-Poxy 30 minute formula. We have used this glue for many years
with zero failures. Recently we have been experimenting with Pacer Hinge Glue and are very
pleased with the results and ease of application and clean up.
6. You may want to add a bead of silicone glue (Pacer Zap-A-DAP-A-GOO, etc.) or RC-56 Canopy
glue to the intersection of the plastic canopy/hatch and its wood frame for additional strength and
resistance to vibration. DO NOT USE CA here as it will fog the canopy.
7. Your aircraft is built using very modern construction techniques and is very light weight for its
size. As with any high performance machine, regular inspection and maintenance is a must.
While disassembling your aircraft after a flying session, pay close attention and inspect glue joints,
linkages and loose covering to be sure the airframe is sound. A few minutes spent doing this will
help maintain airframe longevity.
8. Be sure to put a drop of blue Loctite thread locker on every bolt on this aircraft! Failure to do so
may cost you your aircraft!

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Congratulations on your purchase of the Extreme Flight RC 50cc Edge 540T ARF!
The Extreme Flight Edge 540T is loaded with unique features, including first rate
hardware and components and thorough instructions to ensure a trouble free assembly
and set-up. Weight saving components are used throughout such as a carbon fiber wing
and stab mounting tubes, aluminum landing gear, titanium pushrods and a carbon fiber
tail wheel assembly, all ensuring the lightest, most high performance aircraft possible.
You will notice there is a box built into the bottom of the Edges’s fuselage. This is a pipe
tunnel and will accommodate most canister mufflers and tuned pipes sold for the current
makes of 50cc gas engines.
The performance ability of the Extreme Flight RC Edge 540T is incredible! If aggressive
3D flying is your passion, then the new Extreme Flight RC 50cc Edge 540T is the airframe
you've been waiting for. Long heralded as the ultimate 3D platform, the Edge series of
aircraft are known for their unmatched stability in high alpha flight and their aggressive
gyroscopic tumbling maneuvers. The Extreme Flight Edge 540T builds on this stellar
reputation, offering unmatched flight performance and the quality construction and
attention to detail that you've come to expect from an Extreme Flight product.
We have spent a great deal of time and effort to provide you, the discriminating aerobatic
enthusiast, with the highest quality, most complete package possible. We are very proud of
the end result of our labor and wish you great success with the assembly and flying of
your Extreme Flight RC 50cc Edge 540T!

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Elevator
1. Locate the horizontal stabilizer/elevator assemblies as well as the composite control
horns and base plates from the elevator hardware package. Use a sharp #11 blade to
make a cut in the covering over the 2 slots for the elevator control horns on the bottom of
the elevator surface. Double check to make sure you are cutting into the bottom of the
elevator.
2. Insert the 2 control horns into the base plate and trial fit thehorns into the slot and
make sure they seat properly against thebase and elevator surface. Trace around the
base plate with a felt tipped marker.

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3. Remove the horn assembly and use your #11 blade to remove the covering from inside
the ink line you traced around the control horn base. Wipe away the ink line with a paper
towel soaked in denatured alcohol. Scuff the portion of the horns that will be inserted into
the elevator with sandpaper. Apply 30 minute epoxy to the slots and thoroughly coat the
horns and base plate bottom. Reinsert the assembly into the elevator and wipe away
any excess epoxy with a paper towel and denatured alcohol. Place a 3mm bolt through the
horns to help insure proper alignment and set aside to dry. Repeat for the other elevator
half.

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4. In this step I will outline the procedure we use to install the hinges. There are several
ways to do this and several adhesives you can use. We will describe the way we do it, as
this method has proven itself over many years of model building. If you are new to this
type of hinging process then I recommend that you install a single hinge first just to
acquaint yourself with this method.
Before starting the process get a few items together that will aid you as you proceed. You
will need the following items: 30 minute epoxy (we recommend Pacer Z-Poxy), a scrap
piece of pushrod or 1/8” dowel, paper towels and denatured alcohol. Locate 4 hinges per
elevator half. You will need to cut 2 hinges just beyond the second knuckle to clear the
fiberglass tube socket in the stabilizer. Insert the carbon fiber wing tube into the socket
while testing for proper hinge length to avoid damaging the fiberglass sleeve. Mix a
generous batch of 30 minute epoxy. Use the pushrod or dowel to thoroughly coat and fill
the hinge hole with epoxy, then coat the hinge with epoxy. Push the hinge into its hole until
the joint is about a ¼” from its final position and use a paper towel to remove the excess
epoxy that has been forced from the hole. Push the hinge the rest of the way in and make
sure the hinge pin is centered in the hinge line. Use some denatured alcohol and a paper
towel to remove all excess epoxy, especially on the hinge pin. When you are satisfied with
the result set the surface aside to dry. Position the drying piece so that any excess epoxy
will pool around the rear of the hinge. When you are comfortable with this process you
should be able to do one side of a surface per batch of epoxy. Glue all hinges into the
stabilizer first. After the glue has set trial fit the elevator to the stab and adjust if
necessary. There should be as little gap as possible between the stab and elevator. When
satisfied with the fit remove the elevator and repeat the gluing process outlined above. Be
sure to wipe away all excess epoxy! Set aside to dry. Repeat this process for the other
stab/elevator half. Please see the following series of pictures that will aid in visualizing
this process.

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5. After the hinges have dried thoroughly, pull on them to make sure they are properly
installed. The hinges will probably feel a little stiff as it is almost impossible to get all of
the glue out of the knuckle joint. Use a fine tipped hypodermic needle and place one (only
one!) drop of acetone on each side of the hinge pin. Move the elevator back and forth a
few times and you will feel it loosen up. Be careful to only use one drop as you don’t want
to weaken the glue joint! Add a drop of penetrating oil to each hinge pin and you will
ensure a smooth operating surface with no binding. Seal the bottom of the hinge gap with
a strip of Ultracote or Blenderm tape. Be sure to fully deflect the control surface when
applying the tape or Ultracote to allow full deflection once the gap is sealed. Repeat this
process for the other stab/elevator assembly.
6. Use your hobby knife to remove the covering from the slot in the bottom of the stab for
the elevator servo horn. You may want to brush a coat of alcohol thinned epoxy along the
edges of the opening to prevent gas/oil from seeping under the covering.

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7. Install the elevator servo using the manufacturer supplied mounting hardware with the
output shaft toward the front of the stab. It will be easier to electronically center the servo
and install the servo arm before screwing the servo into position. We recommend the
SWB 1.5 inch servo arm. Route the servo lead out of the hole in front of the servo.

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8. Locate 2 ball links and a titanium turnbuckle pushrod. Thread the ball links onto the
pushrod and install using the supplied 3mm bolts, nuts and washers as shown in the
picture. You may find it necessary to enlarge the slot in the bottom of the stab to allow for
maximum travel.
9. Before you set aside the stabs take a moment with your covering iron and go over all of
the seams with a medium heat setting, paying special attention to the ends of thin trim
stripes. Clean the 2 elevator/stab assemblies with Windex and set them aside.

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Wing Assembly
10. The assembly process for the wing is almost identical to that of the stab/elevator. For
this reason we will not go into quite as much detail as in the previous procedure. Remove
the aileron from the wing panel. Locate the 2 slots for the control horns and remove
the covering from the slots with a sharp #11 blade. Follow the same procedure as outlined
previously to install the control horns into the control surface and hinge the wing. Repeat
this procedure for the other wing.

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11. Locate the aileron servo mount and remove the covering from this area. Use a sealing
iron to seal the edges of the covering to the sides of the servo opening. Take a few minutes
to apply some CA to the joints of the servo rails and the ribs.
12. Attach a 12” servo extension to your servo and secure with thread or heat shrink
tubing. Use the manufacturer supplied mounting hardware and install the servo with the
output shaft toward the leading edge of the wing. Electronically center your servo.
Aileron servo arm length should be 1.50”. We use and recommend the SWB double lock
aluminum arms. Thread 2 ball links onto the titanium turnbuckle pushrod. Secure the
pushrod to the control horns and servo arm as shown in the picture using the supplied
3mm bolts and nylon insert locknuts. As always, use blue Loctite on ALL bolts!

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13. Before beginning the next assembly process, take a few minutes with your sealing iron
on a medium heat setting and go over all seams, paying special attention to thin trim
stripes and the seam at the leading edge of the wing. If there are wrinkles in the covering
on the leading edge sheeting use a heat gun with a 100% cotton t-shirt to remove them and
prevent digging into the wood with an iron. Use caution and avoid excessive heat as you
may cause the Ultracote to shrink too much and lift at the seams. Also take the time to seal
the hinge gaps with Ultracote or Blenderm tape. Clean the wings with Windex and put
them away.
Rudder horn installation
14. Locate the rudder, the rudder control horns and the 2 slotted base plates. Use a sharp
#11 blade to remove the covering from the 2 pre-cut slots in the rudder. Trial fit the 2
rudder horns through the slots in the base plate and into the slots in the rudder. Trace
around the base plate with a fine tip felt marker. Remove the control horns and cut away
the covering from the area where the base plate will mount as done previously with the
aileron and elevator. Mix up some 30 minute epoxy and use a small blade to fill the 2 slots
with epoxy. Use plenty of epoxy and be sure to completely fill the two slots. Use an epoxy
brush to completely cover the areas on the rudder horns and base plate that will glue into
the rudder. Slide the rudder horns back into their proper position and immediately wipe
the excess epoxy from the horns. Repeat this process on the other side of the rudder.

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Fuselage Assembly
15. We’ll begin by installing the landing gear. Locate the aluminum main landing gear,
4 4mm bolts, lock nuts and washers. Insert the gear into the slot on the bottom of the
fuselage and center it in the slot. Secure the landing gear with 4 4mm bolts, washers and
nyloninsert lock nuts by inserting the bolts and washers into the pre-drilled holes in the
aluminum gear mounts inside the fuselage with a long T-handle wrench. Secure with the
4mm nylon insert lock nuts.
16. Locate the 2 axles, 2 locking nuts, 2 wheels, 2 wheel collars and 2 wheel pants from the
hardware package. Place the wheel onto the axle and secure with 2 wheel collars. Place
the threaded portion of the axle through the hole in the landing gear and screw the lock
nut onto the axle, but do not tighten completely. There is a pre-cut slot in the wheel pant
to allow it to fit over the axle. Slide the wheel pant into position over the axle and tighten
the nut on the axle, taking care to make sure the wheel pant is positioned properly. You
may find it necessary to cut about 3/8" off the end of the axle so that it doesn't come into
contact with the side of the wheel pant. A Dremel rotary tool with a cut-off wheel or a
hack saw works well in this application. Be sure to wear safety glasses!

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17. When satisfied with the position of the wheel pants, drill a hole though the plywood
plate that is glued inside the pant at the location of the hole in the landing gear. Secure
the pant in position with the provided 3mm bolt and blind nut. Repeat this process for the
remaining wheel pant.
18. While the Edge is still upside down let’s install the rudder and the tailwheel assembly.
As you did with the ailerons and elevators, glue the hinges into the rudder first with epoxy
and allow to cure. Use a pushrod to apply epoxy to the holes in the rudder post and push
the rudder into position and wipe away any excess epoxy with a paper towel and
denatured alcohol.