I gotta agree with Mike too. If the newbie isn't ready, he's going to trash an "old school" second plane just as quickly as a UCD.

Well, perhaps not AS quickly, since the UCD is pretty darn fragile. But I certainly was impressed with the flying qualities of mine, and my grandson flew it for many flights before he graduated from his trainer with absolutely no drama.

I guess the key to all of this is the experience level. If nashman is giving himself too much credit (IOW, he's not as good as he thinks he is ), then no, a UCD wouldn't be such a great idea.

BUT... if he is past the occasional disorientation phase and can fly competently, why not a UCD?

Nashman, only you can decide this. All the advice given in this thread is valid, with your best interests in mind. As long as you realize that the UCD is a fragile airframe (due to its light construction) and will NOT tolerate any abuse, and as long as you realize you need to stay on low rates and NOT fly it at full throttle, then I believe the UCD will be a splendid second airplane for you.

Just read again -and again- what britbrat wrote. Newbies tend to get over-confident, and this almost always leads to trying things they're not ready for, with resulting disaster. Don't fall into that trap.

Let us know what you decide, and how it went...[&:]