Blog on World of Civil Airplanes : Zivko Edge 540 Unlimited competition Aerobatics Aircraft

Zivko Edge 540

Zivko Aeronautics is a woman owned and operated company that has been involved in aircraft and aviation since it's founding in 1987. The staff at ZAI are professional, with over 70 years of combined experience in every aspect of aviation. The staff includes experienced FAA licensed mechanics; a FAA licensed inspector, and a full time Aeronautical/Avionics/Mechanical Engineering staff. The Edge 540 aircraft is an advanced, Unlimited Class aerobatic aircraft that meets or exceeds the performance of any other aerobatic aircraft available, in the U.S. or abroad.

The Zivko Edge 540 is the most common aircraft used in the Red Bull Air Race World Series – in fact all champions of the World Series have flown this aircraft.

History:

The Zivko Edge 540 manufactured by Zivko Aeronautics is a highly aerobatic aircraft. Designed by Eric Zivko in 1992, it has been flown to victory on the international Unlimited aerobatics circuit several times since the mid-1990s. This includes Hannes Arch’s 2006 FAI European Aerobatics Freestyle win in the 540. The Edge is a ‘Shoulder Wing’ plane with extremely stiff wings. The use of a steel tube frame with composite fairings results in an extremely light, durable and stable fuselage. The Edge 540 has the highest aerobatic thrust to weight ratio of any competition aircraft.

A tandem-seat version is sold as the Edge 540T. The latest version of the Edge 540 is the V3, flown by Hannes Arch, Kirby Chambliss, Pete McLeod and Matthias Dolderer it is the most advanced and expensive version of the type ever produced. The V3 is lighter, slicker and smoother aerodynamically and can pull 12.5, 0.5 higher than an ordinary Edge. Its ability to be disassembled easier also is a bonus for the far reaching World Series. You can alter the centre of gravity in the V3 and this can affect the flight characteristics to counter weight or to suit personal flying tastes. The canopy was also redesigned, becoming longer but thinner to aid the flow of air over the body to aid lift. Adjusted alierons and rudder also reduced drag during high speed turns.

The Zivko Edge 540 is the most common aircraft used in the Red Bull Air Race World Series – in fact all champions of the World Series have flown this aircraft. Peter Besenyei narrowly one the 2003 season against the Extra 300, Kirby Chambliss did the same against Besenyei the next year when he moved to the Extra. Mike Mangold won the first World Championship in the Edge 540 while Chambliss finished third. In 2006 after three years of success Paul Bonhomme, Steve Jones and Alejandro Maclean joined the two Americans in the Edge. That season saw Kirby again clinch the title against Besenyei.

After four years of being number one, 2007 saw an explosion of interest in the Edge and mass desertion from the Extra 300. The five existing pilots stayed with the winning machine. Mike Goulian and Frank Versteegh moved over to the Edge from Extra. New comers Sergey Rakhmanin and Hannes Arch also entered their first season in the 540. That year out of the top six, five pilots flew the Edge 540 including that years victor, Mike Mangold.

In 2008 Alejandro Maclean became only the second pilot to leave Zivko moving instead to an MX2. Peter Besenyei, the first pilot to move away from Edge returned after his disappointing third place. Season rookie, Glen Dell also arrived in an Edge 540. The 2008 World Championship would again prove a masterstroke for the Edge, all of the top 6 were 540′s including Hannes Arch surprise win.

In 2009, Edge saw its prominance drop due to the rise of MX Aircraft and the end of Extra’s time in the air race. Besenyei and Rakhmanin moved to MXS-R, but this was counterbalanced by Matthias Dolderer, Pete McLeod and Yoshihide Muroya joining the Red Bull Air Race on the Edge. Nicolas Ivanoff also moved over to the type. Again Edge held the top spot with Paul Bonhomme and also claimed second place with Hannes Arch. Most impressive though was the winning aircraft in every stage was a 540 and only twice did MX aircraft claim a spot on the podium that year.

In the 2010 season the pilots remained static and new comer Martin Sonka took to the season in the Edge. Edge also gained an incredible first place in every race of the season and replicated the 2009 results with Bonhomme and Arch, first and second respectively. The Edge 540 remains the undisputed champion of every season of races held since 2003.

General characteristics

Developing nation :USA

Manufacturer/designer :Zivko Aeronautics, Inc.

Production line :Guthrie Municipal AP, Oklahoma USA

Type aircraft: unlimited aerobatic competition aircraft.

Cockpit: one pilot.

Wing span 7,43 m.

Wing area: 9,87 m².

Fuselage length: 6,30 m

Height: 2,8 m.

Engines: one Lycoming IO-540; 340 h.p. B&C starter and 8 amp alternator, slick mags, Bendix fuel injection system.

Propeller: Hartzell HC-C3YR-1AX1 or HC-C3YR-4AX, composite.