85" EDGE 540T 50cc ARF Assembly Manual Copyright 2020 Extreme Flight RC 1
Congratulations on your purchase of the Extreme Flight RC 85" Edge 540T ARF! Purpose built for the multitude of 50-60cc engines on the market, this brand new airframe is the perfect complement to these venerable power plants that have been neglected for far too long. Our design team started with a very specific goal with careful consideration of weight, wing area and performance parameters to make sure we delivered the ultimate light weight 50cc performance machine.
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.
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. Having said that, it is impossible for us to inspect every glue joint in the aircraft.
Since the 85" Edge 540T (and most of our other giant scale models) now come pre-hinged and the hinge gaps sealed, the most time consuming task of the assembly process has been eliminated. This leaves a very minimal amount of gluing for the assembler, which consists of installing the composite control horns in the ailerons, elevators and rudder, with only the rudder hinges needing to be glued. For this reason we recommend that you spend the first hour or so of assembly completing this task.
3. Scuff the portion of the horns that will be inserted into the elevator with sandpaper. 4. Locate your epoxy, mixing cup, an old pushrod to stir with and a length of nylon cable tie to apply the epoxy. We have used Pacer 30 minute Z-poxy for over 2 decades with excellent results and zero bond failures and we highly recommend this product.
5. Mix a generous batch of epoxy being careful to use equal parts resin and hardener. 6. Use the nylon cable tie to apply epoxy to the slots and thoroughly coat the control horns on both sides of each horn.
7. Insert the control horns into the slots and ensure that the horns are properly seated against the base plate and the base plate is flush against the control surface.
8. Wipe away the excess epoxy with a paper towel soaked in denatured alcohol, making sure to do a good job of cleaning the area. Insert a 3mm bolt and ball link into position and confirm proper alignment before the epoxy sets.
9. Repeat this process for the other stab half, the aileron control horns and the rudder control horns. ***PLEASE NOTE*** pull-pull rudder actuation with the rudder servo mounted in the rudder tray under the canopy is recommended for lightweight 50cc engines in order to achieve proper balance. If using a heavier 60cc or electric motor setup with large 12S LiPo batteries the rudder servo may be mounted in the rear of the fuselage.
10. Assemble and install the servo mounting grommets. Connect an EF 20 AWG servo extension to each aileron servo lead (secure with heat shrink tubing or an EF Servo Safety Clip) and install the elevator and aileron servos in their designated locations. We highly recommend using the Extreme Flight socket head servo screws to mount your servos. The servo output spline of the elevator and aileron servos should be oriented toward the front of the model. 11.
Fuselage Assembly 12. We’ll begin by installing the landing gear. Locate the carbon fiber 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 through the carbon gear and the aluminum gear mounts inside the fuselage. Secure with the 4mm nylon insert lock nuts.
13. The landing gear fairings add a nice scale touch to the aircraft. Slide the fairing onto the gear and up against the fuselage. Secure the fairing to the gear with "Goop" silicon glue. Use blue painters tape to secure the fairings until the adhesive sets. 14. Locate the 2 axles, 2 locking nuts, 2 wheels, 4 wheel collars, 2 outer pant supports and plywood spacers and 2 wheel pants from the hardware package.
. Use your rotary tool and a grinding bit or a file to create a flat spot on the axle for the wheel collar and wheel pant support set screws to seat against. Attach the aluminum axle support to the plywood spacer with the provided wood screws. 16. slide a wheel collar onto the axle followed by the wheel and then the wheel pant support.
17. Slide the wheel pants into position and secure with 2 3mm bolts and washers inserted through the carbon gear and into the blind nuts in the wheel pants. Be sure to use thread lock on the bolts! Pull the pant back from the plywood support block and run a bead of Epoxy on the plywood surface to adhere the block to the wheel pant wall. This adds an enormous amount of strength and rigidity to the wheel pant.
18. Next let’s install the rudder onto the fuselage. 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. 19. Drill a hole in the bottom of the rudder 3 inches back from the front of the bevel to accept the ball link for the tiller arm. Secure the ball link with epoxy.
21. The distance from the front face of the motor box to the motor drive washer is 172mm or 6.8 inches (this is the length of the DLE-61, the longest of the engines recommended). Because the DA-50 is the recommended motor we have included a set of machined aluminum standoffs to be used in conjunction with the stock 2.5" standoffs included with the DA-50 to achieve the proper spacing. 22. The following photos show the GP-61 and Xpwr 40 mounted on an 85" airframe.
***Please note that we removed the laser scribed panels in the F1 former in our electric powered airframe to allow cooling air to reach the batteries*** 23. There is a hole in the bottom of the motorbox to mount your throttle servo. This location corresponds to the throttle arm on most single cylinder engines provides a straight shot from the servo arm to the throttle arm. Some engine makes may require a different location.
24. If using an electric motor we recommend mounting the ESC to the bottom of the motorbox either with screws, nylon cable ties or Velcro straps. 25. If using a lightweight 50cc engine like the DA-50 mount your rudder servo in the servo tray under the canopy using the manufacturer supplied mounting hardware. For proper geometry use the Extreme Flight 3” pull-pull rudder arm with the cables crossed.
26. If using a 60cc engine or large electric motor with high capacity LiPo batteries mount the rudder servo in the provided location in the rear of the fuselage with the output spline mounted toward the rear of the aircraft. You will need to mount your rudder linkage to the interior side of the servo arm for sufficient clearance as shown. A 1.5 inch servo arm will provide full rudder deflection with travel control turned up in your transmitter menu.
27. If you plan to keep your stabs attached to the fuselage during transport then a 36" 20 Awg servo extension is long enough. If you plan to remove the stabs you will need to use a 48" extension. Secure the extension to the elevator servo lead with an EF Servo Safety Clip or heat shrink tubing. 28. The 85" Edge uses a new quick mount system that allows the stab/elevator assembly to be installed or removed quickly with no tools required.
29. If using a 50-60cc gas engine install a Flowmaster 17 ounce tank onto the tank tray and plumb with EF Flowmaster Blue Fuel Line. There is a laser cut opening to accept an EF Fuel Dot as well. The following picture shows the location of our tank, batteries and receiver which provided the ideal center of gravity. 30. Mount your ignition to the interior side of the motor box lid and secure the lid with 4 screws.
31. There is a set of clear plastic baffles included to be used for electric setups to direct air over the motor. Cut and trim the baffles and glue to the cowl inlets with Goop or medium CA. 32. Secure the cowl to the fuselage by inserting a 3mm bolt through the bottom of the cowl and into the blind nut in the lower fuselage along with 2 3mm bolts inserted through the F1 former and into the blind nuts in the cowl.
33. Install your choice of prop (if using the DA-50 we highly recommend the Falcon 23x8 Carbon Fiber prop) and Extreme Flight 4" carbon fiber spinner. We have spinners available that are painted to match these color schemes. 34. Install your switches (there are suggested switch mounting locations laser scribed in the fuselage sides visible from the interior of the fuselage), batteries and receiver.
36. Included with your Edge are a set of Side Force Generators (SFGs) along with 2 clear spacers to be installed between the SFGs and wing tip to prevent them from interfering with aileron movement. They are to be installed using the supplied white thumb screws threaded through the holes in the SFG, through the clear spacer and into the pre-installed blind nuts in the wing tip. 37.
Control surface throws I highly recommend that you purchase a throw meter that measures in degrees. There are several units available commercially. These units are a great aid in set-up and definitely beat the “that looks about right” method. For any type of precision flying, surfaces that travel equal distances are a must. The following control surface travels are what I use on my own Edge. These are a good starting point, but are by no means the only way to set up the Edge.
