WING ASSEMBLY

The manual is so good that it not only tells you to CA the hinges but gives you the proper technique and details for doing so. For those who are unfamiliar with CA hinges, this is very helpful. Included in the kit is a large CA hinge strip which is 2x9 inches that you need need to cut into 3/4x1 inch [19 x 25mm] hinges from the strip. This is easily done with an Exacto or sharp razor blade. Once the strips are cut to size, the I followed the directions in the instruction manual to glue the aileron hinges in place.

The next step is to install the aileron servos, pushrods and control horns. I cut the covering away from the servo openings in the wing where the servos will be placed. I used Hobbico CS-65 servos which are high torque and dual ball bearings. At 6 volts they put out 92 oz./in. of torque at a speed of .13 seconds. Perfect for this sort of plane. String is threaded through the wing so you can easily tie onto the servo wires and pull them through to the wing's center section. Note the heat shrink tubing over the servo extension.

I used the provided 2-56 metal pushrods and clevises to hook up the servos to the control horns. I did substitute the control horns on the ailerons with Du-Bro horns. I find them easy to use since only one hole has to be drilled to install them. Typical control horns are often difficult to get the screws to line up, especially on tapered control surfaces.

To complete the wing assembly, I glued the belly pan on with some 5-minute epoxy. First I bolted the wing onto the fuselage and then lined up the belly pan with some glue on the bottom of it. When the glue had set, I used some masking tape on each side of the belly pan between the wing and the fuse so I could lay down a filet of 5-minute epoxy to seal & strengthen the bond. After smoothing the filet with the end of a Popsicle stick I quickly removed the tape before the epoxy began to set.

That completes the assembly of the wing so we are onto the fuselage!

Mounting the engine is next. For power in the U-CAN-DO-3D 46 I chose the O.S. FS-70 II Surpass

I first mounted the supplied Great Planes engine mount to the firewall loosely per the instructions. Then I fit the engine into the mount adjusting the spreader bars to fit the engine. I then clamped the engine onto the mount and measured exactly 5 inches to the back of the spinner back plate. Great Planes Dead Center Hole Locator tool Mark holes for engine bolts Using the Great Planes Dead Center Hole Locator tool I marked the mount for drilling. I drilled the holes and used the supplied hardware to mount the motor. I tapped the mount after having drilled the holes and bolted the motor on securely.

OS FS-70 II Surpass Closer Look O.S. FS-70 II Surpass 4-Stroke power for the U-CAN-DO-3D 46 The O.S. .70 4-stroke engine uses a ringed piston and puts out 1.6bhp while weighing in at only 23 oz. with muffler. It's practical rpm range is 2,000 to 12,000rpm. Full specifications are below: Bore: 27.7mm (1.02") Stroke: 26mm (.976") Displacement: 11.5cc (0.702 cubic inch) Power Output: 1.1 BHP at 11,000rpm Practical RPM Range: 2,000 - 12,000rpm Weight: w/o muffler- 20.3 oz. (603g) O.S. recommends the engine be run on fuel containing 5% to 15% nitromethane with a oil content of at least 18%. I chose to use Wildcat Fuel with 15% nitro and 18% synthetic oil as I've found it runs extremely well in all my engines, especially the 4-strokes. The synthetic oil helps to keep the engine cleaner, castor oil can gum them up over time. One of the advantages of 4-stroke engines is fuel economy. With the supplied fuel tank in the U-CAN-DO-3D, flight times with this engine should be in the 10-18 minute range (depending on throttle usage) for the longer time quoted. Other advantages is that they are quieter, have more torque and can swing a larger prop. These are all good things for the 3D flyer! Props recommended by O.S. for the 70FS II are 11x8-9, 12x7-8 and a 12.5x6. But I used an APC 14x4 to get more thrust from the engine. I was getting about 9000rpm with this prop which was right where I wanted it. The engine performs excellent in the UCD 46. It was easy to start and to tune. It was a bit rich out of the factory on the low end and required about 1.5 to 2 turns on the low end to get it running perfect and a smooth transition from low to high throttle. This is the 2nd O.S. 70FS II that I have owned and both are powerful and user friendly. Typical O.S. quality. The carb is now positioned on the centerline for increased mounting flexibility. The tube on the side connects the fuel intake to a 90° outlet on the crankcase vent that allows for routing of the exhaust back into the engine - keeping the fuselage and inside of the cowl cleaner.

On my larger UCANDO the thrust lines on the firewall were marked incorrectly and there was no right thrust built in. On the UCANDO 46 the thrust lines and right thrust were perfect so no changes were needed as on the other plane. The image below shows the correct offset on the UCD 46 firewall.

RADIO INSTALLATION

Final items to finish up the fuselage include assembling the fuel tank, cutting the cowl for the engine, installing hardwood blocks for the cowl, mounting the canopy & installing the radio. Let's finish her up and get to the field!

Just like its big brother, I was excited to get to the most enjoyable part for me, THE FLYING! The weather was nice but a bit breezy. Ten to 25mph winds were blowing but I decided to proceed.

MAIDEN FLIGHT

The maiden flight went quite well. I did not have the usual preflight jitters that often comes with new aircraft. Perhaps it was the familiar outline of the big UCD that I have grown very comfortable with. I lined up the plane into the wind and advanced the throttle. After a short rollout she gracefully lifted into the air. A couple clicks of up elevator were all that was needed to keep the plane tracking straight.

I made a few laps around the field just to get the feel of the plane and then started right into the usual fun fly maneuvers. Loops could be large or very small. On high rates with flaperons you can get the nose to chase the tail. The roll rate on full deflection (45 degrees) is very fast.

Knife edge maneuvers showed some roll and pitch coupling on my UCD. I believe it is the CG though as I have flown a friends UCD 46 which had an O.S. 50SX up front and his had very little coupling. On mine it was rolling out in the opposite direction of the rudder and pulling toward the canopy.

Hovering was very difficult in the wind, I could not hold a good hover. Overall I learned that this plane flies FAR better in calm conditions then it does in the wind. Subsequent flight tests on days where the wind was 0 to 5mph made it apparent that the plane is much more stable in the calm. Hovering is easier, most maneuvers are easier and landings are much less eventful.

Landings are simple as UCD will float right in. Just feed in some up elevator and you can set the plane down right where you want it with very little airspeed. The thick wing makes stalling very hard to do.

TIME TO PUSH THE ENVELOPE!