Help! FT Edge Dilemma

[Joexer]

Background:
I am an intermediate Pilot and I absolutely Adore Slower flight. I love my "bush" Storch, Pizza Box Flyers and all things STOL. I just do not find super fast planes as enjoyable. I like the look of the FT edge as far as speed goes from videos I have seen but I am interested in 3d much and thus not sure if the Edge will be suitable.

Dilemma:
The edge has a symmetrical airfoil and therefore will be at High AoA in level Flight. If I Never plan on inverted flight, could I droop the ailerons a few degrees and add Leading Edge Slots to add lift to the airfoil so as to lower Level Flight AoA and help with slow flight characteristics? Does this make any sense? Bad Idea? I plan on putting a gyro on it regardless and I think I could lower throws enough to bring it in line with say a warbird maybe a tad more pitch.

If it counts for anything I personally do not mind modifying the Apperance for functiinal gain ie high lift devices

 

[DamoRC]

The Edge is, in my humble opinion, one of the best flying planes that FT have released. I built mine really light and have a slightly underpowered motor setup, and with the throws turned down and a good dollop of expo, she's a pussycat. I buddy boxed a guy a couple of weeks ago with this plane. He has some quad and heli experience but had never flown a plane. In 10mph winds I had to take control of the plane back only twice over a 5 minute flight.

Go ahead and build / fly her and you might like her just they way she is.

Edit. Here is some footage of my Edge.

DamoRC

 

[Hai-Lee]

The key to landing or flying slow is the build weight! I have seen people try to "Droop" ailerons and even setup flaperons on various models only to watch them stall violently and crash. My four star 20 came into my possession after the previous owner did the same experiment.

If you want to modify the design to make it fly slower and safely I would recommend you try vortex generators as a first step as they straighten the airflow at low speeds and prolong the stall to far lower speeds. There are a few threads in the forum describing how to design and implement.

Have fun!

 

[Merv]

could I droop the ailerons a few degrees and add Leading Edge Slots to add lift to the airfoil so as to lower Level Flight AoA

You could always build it with a flat bottom wing.

 

[Ventus]

You could always build it with a flat bottom wing.

Yep. The simpler and better solution (I assume you want more lift, otherwise there's really no reason for this, planes with symmetrical airfoils are mostly a joy to fly - have excellent tracking etc.).

I believe VGs can't hurt either.

The downside is you will get decreased stability but that would be even worse with drooped ailerons (and can be fixed by moving the CG forward).

 

[d8veh]

Rather than mess about with the Edge, which is designed to work like it should, if you want a slow plane, get a Sportster, build it light and use a light battery - say 3s 1300mAh. The Sportster can fly really slow while still being totally under control. In calm conditions, you could fly it in a tennis court, doing all the aerobatic manoeuvres.

 

[schuttkerk@yahoo.com]

I have an Edge built. I bought the FliteTest landing gear kit. The wheels fit so tightly into the wheel pants that they bind. It won’t roll. Anyone else with this problem?