Excellent responses everyone!

Minnflyer, I first thought the UCANDO was pretty fragile, then I started landing it on the wheels!

When I advanced to the UCANDO from my trainer, I didn't use a buddy box because I felt I needed low rates and dual rates don't come through the buddy cord. But I did have an "instructor" next to me the whole time, kept me out of trouble. But, before I made the transition, I was doing tailslides, trying to fly inverted and all of the standard aerobatics with my trainer. The guys at the club felt it was time to move on to something that flew well.

The problem I fear is that I have a GP P51 .40 and both the trainer and UCANDO land sooo easily that I don't know if I am being prepared for flying a "Sport - Scale" plane. We'll see this spring!

Gus, on dual rates, I don't have expo on my radio so the sticks are already pretty sensitive, and with the "barn door" control surfaces, I think it would be a little much without dual rates.
I have flown on high rates a very little bit but truth is, at my skill level, I don't need that kind of deflection to control the plane. I'm still doing the basic aerobatics with knife edge and hover thrown in. It's a good point, definately teaches you to be smooth without dual rates but I think someone should have a fair amount of exponential before they scrap the low rates.