sea157

My Feedback: (30)

I just bought an older Hanger 9 Ultra Stick 120
The price was GREAT and I could not pass it up for the price!
It has a DLE 30 on it.
What do you think?
To much motor for this plane or will it handle it?
Anything I should watch out for?

bikerbc

That is quite a bit of motor but you don't need to run it wide open . How does it balance? I have a DLE 20 in a 120 size plane and I find that it has lots of power . I don't run it wide open very often . It kind of depends on you and the type of flying you like . If you are into speed you are going to be happy . If you are looking for a relaxing Sunday flyer you will have more than you need . Stick's are very nice planes . It would fly well with a lot less motor . If you find that it is over motored since you got such a great deal you could take the DLE 30 out and save it for something else and put a smaller motor of your choice in . I am betting that it will fly like a dream with with the DLE 30 though . I would Stick with it..What's the worst that could happen ? Go over your firewall . put in some triangle stock to reinforce it maybe some fibeglass cloth and epoxy resin if you can get at it . Your firewall will be under quite a bit of stress and there is the possibility you could yank it loose .

sea157

My Feedback: (30)

It needed 1/4 oz on the tail to balance it but I think if I put a carbon fiber landing gear on it I can eliminate that.
The owner already reinforced the firewall, and he already put a hatch on top where the tank is located, that makes it nice to get into the tank area.
The ignition box is located in the tank area also.
I will be checking everything this week and running the DLE 30 a little to make sure she is tuned all right.
I feel the same as you said, I do not have to fly it with the motor wide open if I don't need it.

bikerbc

Thats good news . It sounds like the past owner knew what he was doing . Keep an eye on your ground clearance for your prop . It could get close if you start changing gear . You can often put bigger wheels on to pick up a little room . I am sure you know this but just a reminder .Du-Bro makes a great gear that I like better than Carbon Fiber . Its called Super Strength Landing Gear . It weighs 4 3/4 ozs. Prop clearance to the axels is about 4 1/2" . I think it would fit the Stick but you would need to do your own measuring . I like it because it wont bend and it absorbs the shock of a rough landing with no damage to the plane . You can paint it .. It might be just a little small for a 120 size plane though . I use it on planes with fuse width's of abouth 4" , I think the stick is a bit wider isn't it ? Good luck with this plane , I think you are going to really enjoy it .

AA5BY

The Ultra Stick 120 was somewhat heavy and underpowered with a 1.20, whereas the Ultras Stick Lite does very well with a 1.20. There is about 2.5lbs difference between the two.

bikerbc

AA5BY It sounds like you are farmilliar with both planes which I am not . I am more familliar with the U S Lite which I think is a great flying plane. I could see where adding 2.5 lbs to it might spoil it though . Was the Ultra Stick 120 an ARF also ?

AA5BY

Yes... the original Ultra Stick 1.20 was an ARF also. The plane is a good illustration of how weight comes into play because both airframes were identical measurements. The problem was, by the time one powered the original for the extra 2.5 lbs with a bigger engine, it was 3 - 3.5 lbs heavier than the Lite version that replaced it, which meant a just under 10 lb plane compared to a thirteen pound and that is when the crow flight mode really showed its stuff. On the previous, flaps were quite effective at slowing the landing, but on the latter lite version, the descents could be very steep without picking up speed, where one can literally turn the nose straight down from two hundred feet, do a 90° elevator turn near the ground and land at a slow speed within a few feet. That was not possible on the heavier version anywhere close to what is achieved on the lighter version.

The Ultra Stick Lite is the only plane that I"ve had three of. My first, was totaled in an oak tree, but because it had been discontinued, got a heroic rebuild because the plane meant so much to me. Then Horizon got a small shipment after they had been discontinued and I was fortunate enough to get one of those and had it as a back up for several years until a fateful funfly day with very strong winds. No one was flying and I decided to give it a try with the USL... In crow mode flying negative ground speed, I gave it too much power, and got it on its back and that is a no no in crow flight mode and hit the runway on the nose and it suffered catastrophic damage, even bending the crank shaft on the Zenoah G-20. So, with a new crank shaft, I'm now flying my last. All around, it is the most fun plane I've ever owned.

I've better flyers of course, but none match the fun factor. Last summer, it was used for launching piggy back gliders. Our field requires a glider to get to about seven hundred feet to pick up thermals. The gliders we used were the $5 foam jobs converted to two ch RC. The had to be carried aloft at a slow speed and the USL did that superbly in crow flight mode climbing strongly but not with too much speed.

flyinwalenda

My Feedback: (5)

I fly the older Ultra Stick 120 and as stated it is a bit heavy but it is well built . I prefer it over it's replacement the US Lite. It's a shame both are discontinued. Anyway I had a Zenoah 26 on it originally and it flew it OK but eventually I wanted to do more with the plane. I now have a CRRC 40 on it and that really hauls it around.
The DLE30 will be fine !

sea157

My Feedback: (30)

Just a quick question guys.
Do any of you have the Ultra Stick programmed in a Futaba 9Z radio?

flyinwalenda

My Feedback: (5)

I have it on an 8U Super. What are you trying to set-up or mix ?

sea157

My Feedback: (30)

I was hoping someone would have it setup on a 9Z so I could just send them a campac and have them make me a copy of the setup.

The 9Z is A LOT different (harder) to setup compared to the 8U I had years ago.
With the 8U you just follow the setup instructions they have in the Ultra Stick manual.

I am trying to setup the Crow (Butterfly) feature now.