Extreme Flight EDGE 540T EXP User manual

EDGE 540T
ELECTRIC ARF
Instruction Manual
©Copyright 2006 EXTREME FLIGHT RC, Ltd.

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Thank you for your purchase of the Extreme Flight RC Edge 540T Electric ARF. This
aircraft was designed to provide maximum performance and fun in a realistic looking,
lightweight, fully aerobatic park flyer. Using an inexpensive and efficient brushless
outrunner motor and speed controller and a single high discharge 3S1P Lithium Polymer
battery, the Edge 540T provides unlimited performance capability.
Great care was taken to design a light weight yet robust airframe. Expert engineering
and modern laser cutting methods in conjunction with a carbon fiber wing tube and
composite control horns keep weight to a minimum. Unique features such as the ram air
equipped motor box, 2 piece plug in wings, and magnetically retained canopy/hatch make
for quick easy assembly and instantaneous access to the interior of the plane and battery
tray. The Edge 540T can truly be assembled in an evening-buy it one day, fly it the next!
As with all Extreme Flight RC airplanes, the proof is in the flying! The Edge 540T
flies precision aerobatics remarkably well and allows you to practice your IMAC
sequence almost anywhere. The slightly stretched fuselage makes for a plane that tracks
like a pattern ship and the lightweight wings minimize over rotation in snaps. On a calm
day you’ll be amazed at how well this thing flies the sequences.
If 3D is your thing then strap in! The Edge 540T really excels here! Beautiful, slow
high alpha knife edge passes. FLAT spins both upright and inverted, rock solid elevators
and harriers, and a wicked wing tip spin! Tremendous aileron authority and insane roll
rate from the massive ailerons.
Sport flyers fear not! Just because you’re not a 3D hot dogger or IMAC flyer doesn’t
mean you can’t enjoy the Edge 540T. With reduced rates the Edge is a very easy plane to
fly. Its super light wing loading allows it to land at a walk. It will instill confidence and
allow you to improve your flying skills. When you’re ready for more advanced
aerobatics, flip the dual rate switch and hang on!
As with any high performance aerobatic aircraft, great care must be taken to avoid
excess speed. Excess speed will lead to control surface flutter and quite possibly the
complete destruction of your aircraft. Don’t let this happen to you! Always have the
motor at idle when the airplane is pointed down and reserve full throttle for vertical
climbs. Make sure you have adequate mechanical advantage in your control linkage set-
up. If you are unsure about this, have a more experienced flyer look over your set-up
before flying. Extreme Flight RC, Ltd. in no way warranties its aircraft against flutter.
As with all of our planes, we put the Edge through a rigorous flight testing regime and
have not experienced any control surface flutter. It is your responsibility to ensure the
airworthiness of your aircraft.
The Edge was designed around the Torque 2818T/900 Brushless Outrunner motor and
Airboss 35 Amp ESC. This is the best choice for powering the Edge, providing plenty of
power for any maneuver imaginable. Other outrunner motors in this class will work as
well but may require slight modification to the motor mount.
The Edge is very easy to assemble. Take a few minutes to read this manual before
beginning assembly to get familiar with the process.

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Tips for Success-Please read before beginning assembly!!!
1. Read the instruction manual thoroughly before starting assembly.
2. We are very pleased with the level of craftsmanship exhibited by the workers in
our factory. However, these are mass produced models. As with any ARF, take a
few minutes to go over the model and add CA to high stress areas or any joints
that appear to need more glue. Specific areas to pay attention to are servo
mounts, landing gear mounting plate, firewall to fuselage side joint, wing root rib
and motor box joints. A few minutes and a few drops of CA will help to insure
the longevity of your model.
3. Make sure your prop and spinner are balanced! These aircraft perform as well as
they do because they are built light. Excess vibration caused by unbalanced
components can cause damage to the airframe.
4. Buy a Watt meter! For less than the cost of a single battery pack you can
purchase one of these. This will save you a lot of time, money and frustration and
provide you with a lot of valuable information about your set up. One battery
pack saved is worth this investment!
5. Observe the C rating of your batteries. If your battery is rated at 2100 mah and
20C continuous discharge rate then you can safely pull 42000 mah or 42 Amps
from it (2100 x 20= 42000 mah=42 Amps). Use a watt meter between your
battery and ESC to determine the number of Amps you are drawing as well as the
number of Watts you are generating. I have found it is best for battery longevity
if your maximum amp draw at wide open throttle is in between the continuous
rating and the burst rating of the battery. Prop your airplane accordingly.
6. We have done a lot of experimenting with various props. Using the Torque
2818T/900 on 3S we like the APC 12x6E and 13x6.5E. Depending on your
elevation you may or may not like these choices, but they should be a good
starting point. Remember to test each new prop with a Watt meter attached to the
system to be sure you are not overworking any of the components.
7. Decals- clean your airplane with glass cleaner and a paper towel before starting to
apply the decals. Mist the area where the decal will be applied with glass cleaner
or water mixed with a little bit of soap. Use scissors to remove the decal from the
sheet. For best results cut as close to the edges of the decal as possible. Position
the decal in place and use a credit card or rubber squeegee to push the excess
liquid from under the decal and allow to dry. You may need to secure the edges
of the decal with masking tape to prevent them from rolling up until the solution
has dried and evaporated.

Wing assembly
1. Locate a wing panel. Check to see that all hinges are centered between the wing
and aileron. Hold the aileron fully deflected and apply a drop of thin CA to each
hinge. Flip the wing over and repeat.
2. Use a #11 hobby blade to remove the covering over the servo bay. Install the
aileron servo using the manufacturer supplied mounting screws. Route the servo
lead out of the root of the wing.
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3. Locate the composite aileron control horn, aileron pushrod with z-bend and ez-
connector. Remove the covering over the mounting hole for the control horn with
your #11 blade. Scuff the part of the control horn that will glue into the aileron
slot with fine sandpaper. Glue the control horn in place with medium CA.
Electronically center your servo and mount the ez-connector to the servo arm.
Place the z-bend in the aileron control horn and the other end of the wire into the
hole in the ez-connector. Center the aileron and tighten the screw in the top of the
ez-connector to retain the aileron pushrod wire. Use a small file to grind a flat
spot on the pushrod wire so that the set screw will seat properly and maintain a
firm grip on the pushrod wire. See picture.
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4. Repeat this procedure for the other wing.
That’s it! You are done with the wings!
Fuselage Assembly
5. Lets mount the landing gear first. Locate the aluminum landing gear, (2) 3mm
machine screws, (2) park flyer axles, (2) nylon insert lock nuts, (2) wheel collars, (2)
wheel pants, (2) wheels and (2) plywood squares from the hardware package. Use
medium CA to glue the plywood square to the inside of each wheel pant, centered in
the wheel pant. Make a slot in the wheel pant and ply plate big enough to slide over
the threaded portion of the axle. Place the wheel on the axle followed by the wheel
collar. Slide the wheel pant over the axle with the retention ring inside the wheel
pant. This ring will keep the wheel pant in place with friction. Insert the threaded
portion of the axle into the hole in the end of the landing gear leg and secure with the
nylon insert lock. Please see the picture on the next page for detail.
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6. Place a drop of blue Loctite on the threads of the 3mm landing gear mounting bolts
and insert them through the landing gear and into the pre-installed blind nuts in the
landing gear plate.
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7. Locate the motor box. Insert the tabs on the motor box into the slots in the F1
former. Use medium CA to secure the motor box to the F1 former. Make sure to
apply CA to all joints on both sides of the F1 former as well as all joints in the motor
box. You may need to bevel the top front edge and corners of the motor box with a
sanding block for proper cowl fit. Do a trial fit of the cowl before installing the
motor.
8. Add the 2 triangle support pieces to the motor box and secure with medium CA.
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9. Use scissors to remove the air scoops from the plastic sheet.
10. Use medium CA to secure the scoops to the side of the motor box as shown in the
photo.
11. Locate the horizontal stab. Trial fit the stab into its slot in the rear of the fuselage
and use a felt tipped marker to mark where the covering will need to be removed
from the horizontal stab. Remove the stab and use a sharp #11 blade to remove
the covering where the stab will mate to the fuselage to insure a good wood to
wood bond. Do not glue the stab in place at this time!
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12. Insert the elevator into the slot in the rear fuselage side. It must be inserted upside
down with the counter balances facing the rear of the plane, then it can be rotated
into the proper position. Please see photo for detail.
13. Insert the carbon fiber wing tube into the fiberglass sleeve in the fuselage and
slide both wings onto the tube. Make sure the root rib of the wing is flush against
fuselage.
14. Re-insert the horizontal stabilizer into its slot. Compare the horizontal stab to the
wing and insure that they are parallel. Trim or shim the slot as needed to insure
proper alignment. When satisfied with the alignment, glue the horizontal stab in
place with CA.
15. Slide the elevator onto the hinges in the horizontal stab and glue in place with thin
CA. Make sure the elevator is fully deflected when you apply the CA to insure
maximum elevator travel is achievable.
16. Slide the vertical fin into its slot and mark where the covering needs to be
removed. Remove the fin and use a #11 blade to carefully remove the covering
from the lower portion of the fin to insure a wood to wood joint. Re-insert the
stab and secure with CA, being careful to make sure the fin is properly aligned
with the wing and stab and rear of fuselage. Attach rudder to the vertical fin
using the 3 supplied hinges and thin CA.
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