In the story Wonder Woman: Patty Wagstaff Commands the Skies in the July 20 issue, writer J. Douglas Hinton asked: “We’ve noticed that some of the better known aerobatic pilots, such as Kirby Chambliss, have switched to the Edge and others, the French CAP. What’s your take on that?” Wagstaff replied: “Every airplane is a compromise. The Edge is lighter than my Extra 300, but it doesn’t have as good a roll rate. I can roll 420° per second. The other thing is a few Edges and CAPs have come apart. I just feel more comfortable in my Extra with “G” limits of plus and minus 10. It’s built like a tank but fortunately doesn’t fly like one!”
Zivko Aeronautics would like to respectfully comment on this as we feel that it may be taken incorrectly and cast a poor light on our aircraft. While Ms. Wagstaff is entitled to her opinion and choice of aircraft, her statement could be interpreted by the public that some CAPs and Edges have come apart. This is entirely untrue about the Edge. ZAI has never had a structural failure on any of its Edge 540 or Edge 540T aircraft. To date, we have delivered over 45 aircraft.
We feel that the continued success of the Edge series of aircraft in aerobatic competition and great success in the Red Bull Air Racing World Series speaks for itself. The Edge 540 is routinely stressed to over 10 Gs during the Red Bull Air Races. The roll rate is in fact 420° per second as well. We feel that 10 of the 13 pilots in the series choosing to compete 50 feet above the water/ground with our aircraft is a testament to the faith they put in our aircraft.
DAN BIERLY
Zivko Aeronautics Inc.
Guthrie, Okla.