We got behind on posting video again, but that's what happens when you live in Florida and have a talented group of video guys who are always at the field!
As you can see, I've been flying both sizes of Edge a lot. I've been recovering from some surgery, and as such I needed the easiest flying thing I could get my hands on. Both sizes of Edge fit the bill really well here, though the 60" version is far more pilot friendly. Neither has any kind of bad manners or difficult characteristics, and this is just what I needed.
Some of these video have been on RCG, but they kind of got filed away and not blogged until I had enough for another article. I probably should have put them in a miscellany post, but with five videos it makes a nice Edge presentation.
48" Edge EXP and Hitec's New HS5070MH Servos
The second half of the year, for a lot of reasons, has been an utter blur. Lost in the blur were two 48" Edge EXP videos. These were made using Hitec's new 5070MH (metal gear, high voltage) servos, running on 7.4 volts.
Somewhere between shooting this video, and then moving the servos over into my 48" MXS, I put the footage in a safe place and simply forgot about it! If you follow the blog you already read about it, but if not, read how well these servos work in the MXS by clicking here.
For a lot of reasons the first HV video we shot were not very good and I didn't air the plane and servos out like they deserved. For these videos, I was feeling much better, and you can see how hard you can push the plane when you have this kind of torque and speed.
I think the older analog servos are still just fine for extreme aerobatics, but these new HV servos are more powerful and don't work as hard to keep up. For that reason alone I suspect they will be more reliable, which was beginning to become a problem with the analogs. They were just never designed for this kind of stress, though the HV servos are.
Bonus Footage: Edge with HS65 and 85MG Servos
I did not have enough HV servos to go around, so I cannibalized the ones out of the Edge to put in my new MXS. To get the Edge back in the air, I set it up with HS65MGs, along with an HS85MG on the elevator. Now I was able to fly the plane back-to-back with first HV and then standard analog servos. The funny thing is that the HV servos wowed me when I first tried them, so the question at this point is: will the analogs now be disappointing?
Surprisingly, no. The plane still flies just fine, though it is not as crisp at high speed in big deflection maneuvers. The extra torque comes in very handy at high speed when you have such large controls to move. As such, the plane is not quite as good for super extreme aerobatics, but for most people I think the old analogs are still just fine. When we have the next quantum leap in battery or power system technology, then the faithful old HS65MGs will no longer be up to duty in these planes. They are still good enough that I plan to use up what I have, but anything new I build will be high voltage servos.
There's also the sphere of the latest and greatest, It makes some people crazy if they don't have the latest and greatest, biggest and most bad ass of everything, so for those folks, nothing but the HV digital servos will do. However, just because a better servo has come out doesn't mean the old ones will suddenly stop working. The analogs still work really well in this plane, though HV is certainly the next step forward in the evolution of the 48" EXP.
Team America Huckin from Doc Austin on Vimeo.
Edge EXP Red Sky from Doc Austin on Vimeo.
Double Bonus: More 60" Edge EXP
Bonus Footage: Edge with HS65 and 85MG Servos
I did not have enough HV servos to go around, so I cannibalized the ones out of the Edge to put in my new MXS. To get the Edge back in the air, I set it up with HS65MGs, along with an HS85MG on the elevator. Now I was able to fly the plane back-to-back with first HV and then standard analog servos. The funny thing is that the HV servos wowed me when I first tried them, so the question at this point is: will the analogs now be disappointing?
Surprisingly, no. The plane still flies just fine, though it is not as crisp at high speed in big deflection maneuvers. The extra torque comes in very handy at high speed when you have such large controls to move. As such, the plane is not quite as good for super extreme aerobatics, but for most people I think the old analogs are still just fine. When we have the next quantum leap in battery or power system technology, then the faithful old HS65MGs will no longer be up to duty in these planes. They are still good enough that I plan to use up what I have, but anything new I build will be high voltage servos.
There's also the sphere of the latest and greatest, It makes some people crazy if they don't have the latest and greatest, biggest and most bad ass of everything, so for those folks, nothing but the HV digital servos will do. However, just because a better servo has come out doesn't mean the old ones will suddenly stop working. The analogs still work really well in this plane, though HV is certainly the next step forward in the evolution of the 48" EXP.
Team America Huckin from Doc Austin on Vimeo.
Nothing beats that final 10 minutes of flying time after the sun goes down behind the hill at SPARKS.
Edge EXP Red Sky from Doc Austin on Vimeo.
Meanwhile, my 60" Edge is grinding away and racking up the flights. I stopped counting the flights so I have no idea how many she has, only it's a lot. Here are two videos we shot and posted on RCG, but for some reason they never made it to the blog.
I am, especially pleased with the first video for a few reasons. We shot right after a big thunderstorm had moved out, and the air was thick and dead calm. The sky was simply beautiful and I was having a reasonable day flying. We also had a nice HD camera on hand, so everything came together in one of those rare videos that I did not find a lot of fault with. Certainly I am always looking to do better, but it is nice to get one every so often that I can simply be satisfied with.
I am, especially pleased with the first video for a few reasons. We shot right after a big thunderstorm had moved out, and the air was thick and dead calm. The sky was simply beautiful and I was having a reasonable day flying. We also had a nice HD camera on hand, so everything came together in one of those rare videos that I did not find a lot of fault with. Certainly I am always looking to do better, but it is nice to get one every so often that I can simply be satisfied with.
My Edge continues to use Hitec 5245MG servos and they are working well. I broke the rudder servo case in a ground strike by throwing the plane into a "wall" maneuver too low to the ground, but I fixed that easily enough just by replacing the case top. I used to send them off to Hitec for that kind of thing because I don't trust my own work, but this time I wanted to fly it so badly that I wasn't going to wait. I don't remember exactly what the case cost, but I think it was around $5 or so. It only took about 15 minutes to pull the servo, fix it and get it back in the plane, and it was so simple that I feel a bit silly I did not try it earlier.
Eventually I will switch this plane (and the rest of the 60" fleet) over to Hitec HS7245MH servos, but at $70 apiece that has to wait until all of my 5245MGs get some ageing. I am also waiting to see if Extreme Flight will make a high voltage Airboss ESC, and if so, that will allow me to run the servos on 7.4 volts without having to wire up a separate BEC.
Edge EXP Just Fly from Doc Austin on Vimeo.
I am probably going to put the Edges away for awhile because I have been flying them so often the other planes in the stable are getting dusty. These have been very trusty airframes that have always served me well. I can always count on the Edges to look after me if I am having a bad day or otherwise not flying well. A lot of times I would have wrecked anything else. simply because the Edges are so forgiving.
I am starting to lean more and more toward the 60" class airframes and am awaiting a new 60" Extra. I'll be using the Hitec 72256MH servos in that plane (though I hate using a separate BEC), so keep an eye on the blog for that report.
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