wheel pants. Unlike other ElectriFly products I have reviewed, you do not have to
construct the magnetic cowl. It comes
with preinstalled magnets along with
wooden supports. This allows for easy
access to the motor area if need be. The
magnets are even already installed on the
fuselage, which eliminates any need to
perfectly align the cowl.
Looking at the construction of the Edge,
ELECTRIFLY EDGE 540T
you can tell that the focus was kept on
making the aircraft very light with a wood
structure reinforced by carbon fiber. When
I was finished, I was amazed at how light
this airplane ended up being. I had a
ready-to-fly weight of 3 pounds, 4 ounces.
The wings are removable for transport and
storage and joined by a carbon-fiber bar
for lightweight support. You can get
extreme control throws out of the surface,
and even on the bench, I could tell this
was going to be an awesome 3D performer.
The Edge went together very smoothly
with no hang-ups. The manual calls for
either a pull-pull type system for the rudder
or conventional rear-mounted servo. If
you’re using the recommended setup, the
manual states that to achieve the best center of gravity, I should use the pull-pull
system, and I did. After I was finished with
In the Air
The ElectriFly Edge 540T works well on short, grassy surfaces,
basically anything a . 40 size nitro would be comfortable in, the
Edge can handle. You can also hand launch the plane if the
surfaces do not allow you to take off. Due to the electric torque
of the ElectriFly brushless outrunner and four-cell LiPo battery,
takeoffs are very quick and immediately provide you with
unlimited vertical performance. Since it’s a tail dragger, you do
need to apply up-elevator, but it handles the ground well. Landing
is predictable and uneventful. With high rates on, you can really
slow down into high alpha flight and perform a spot landing.
GENERAL FLIGHT PERFORMANCE
Stability During my test flight, winds were about 10mph with
gusts up to 15mph. The Edge handles the wind better than small
park flyers, but due to its light weight, it can get bullied around. It
is a point-and-shoot model and wherever I was pointing the nose,
the plane could go with authority.
Tracking Even with the higher wind gusts, the Edge still remained
pointed on the same course it was already headed. I only needed
to trim the ailerons on my first flight for straight and level.
Aerobatics Since the Edge 540T is a high-performance 3D
model, aerobatics are its main focus. Immediately, I flipped to
3D rates, as I am more comfortable flying with these settings.
The elevator is very authoritative and can command the Edge
with ease, without feeling twitchy. Roll rate is good and I’ll end
up increasing it a bit, just for those over the top type of rolls I
enjoy. The rudder has plenty of throw and can perform 3D
maneuvers easily. The plane is stable in high-alpha flight and
transitions well to hovering or torque rolling. Hovering the plane
is very predictable, as it is much more stable than park flyers.
With the power combination, you have the ability to pull out of
any maneuver and have unlimited vertical performance.
Glide and stall performance The CG seems to be somewhat
conservatively set nose forward. However, this will not prevent
anyone from doing any high-alpha maneuvers, as long as you
keep slight power on. It will glide and slow down quite well for
landings. If not careful, the model can stall even on landing, so
keep slight power on during low speeds.
PILOT DEBRIEFING
The ElectiFly Edge 540T is truly a pleasure to fly. I now can bring
something to the field that is much more predictable to fly than a
park flyer, with the ease of electric power. With the costs of
batteries coming down nowadays, I think this new 50-inch class
of electric airplanes is where it’s at!
