Hey CofG... The Giant "Do"... Sounds like a good plane, Same with the Edge, But
I don't have either.... But have seen the edge Not (Aeroworks) and it flew good..
The funtana.... Some don't like it... I almost got one but ended up with the
Showtime.. I flew both the 40/90 funtana's... And both flew good IMO.. they do
flare somewhat on landings, But you adapted to it and really it's not bad.. But
you do need the power!! If I got the 90.. I was going with the YS-110... Kyle
makes it look like that would be enough with the YS-120... Thought of a profile..

Well I'm still waiting on the post office on my "Do".... I guess I should have fixed
that little hole in the wing....

I just about have the Katana V2 46 ready... I'll maiden it on Thrusday or Friday..
She looks like it'll be fun....

raideron...
That's a spiffy looking profile you got there. I'll bet it's fun to fly. Never flown a profile. I hear nothing but good about them but somehow they don't appeal to me.
Actually, the more I look, the more I keep coming back to the UCDs. No kidding. I hear they are the "funnest" planes to fly of them all. Clearly there are some planes that do some things better, KE in particular, but if you fly the do enough you can even get it to KE good. But for all around fun, it's do for me.
Good luck on your maiden. Does that thing have a removeable wing? Hard to haul?
Thanks
Bud

raideron...
Oh, Showtime is great plane too. Or...so I hear.
Thanks
Bud

Cofg,

Why on earth wouldn't you fly in winter? If Lake Superior forms a wolf's head on the map, I live in the mouth, Michigan's Keweenaw peninsula. We get an average of 200 inches of snow per year (about 116 inches right now) and wind chills you don't wish to hear about. We use skiis on our planes and fly every day we can see a quarter mile, snow or no. I flew today, off the snow, in 10 mph winds, gusting to 20.

The engines LOVE the cold, believe me. Sometimes, under 10 degrees F., we have to use lighter fluid to juice them a bit on start-up, but today everything, 2 strokes and 4 strokes, started easily: 28 degrees F.

Flying doesn't have to stop when it's cold and snowy. I make my own radio mitts, by the way, to keep the hands warm without gloves.

Jack

Jack211...
You are one tough dude. Man, my hats off to you. Flying in 28degree weather. You ARE tough. My limit is about 40 and no snow. My field that I fly at is 4 wheel drive only if there is any snow. I got the Typhoon because I thought I might be able to fly it around my house a bit and I've tried it, but I rather not fly as fly that.
I agree many times I like the cool temp for engine performance. Makes them feel....like I'm at sea level. Also, the air is more dense (like me) and makes the 3D stuff a little easier.
Or so I've heard...
Thanks
Bud

Jack211...
Do you have a favorite plane to fly in winter? Do skis effect the flight characteristics much? I assume they have a huge impact, but just guessing. Do you plow the runway and fly on wheels? Does your sight freeze and cause delayed inputs? I suspect you have to richen engine way up to run properly.
Now you are inspiring me. Maybe...No way!
Thanks
Bud

Raideron,

Well, you did it, pal. You got me to buy a Katana V2 from OMP, yesterday. They raised the gd price from the net ad by 10 bucks. I can't understand how a profile fuse can be more expensive than a UCD .46, $149, or a Hangar 9 Twist, 99 bucks. I ordered a new SuperTigre .51 for it. Let's keep in touch on how it flies. Mine won't be here and ready for two weeks or so, I suspect.

By the way, my Saito 82a, beloved engine on my Twist, crapped out for the SECOND time. There's about a .003 thousandths movement in the drive shaft when I grab the prop. It starts easily and flies well, no flameouts or backfires, ever. This engine I bought in August, flew for about 500 minutes flying time, then noticed a strange buzz in the air. On the ground, turning the prop, it sounded ugly, messed up. Prop was balanced well. I returned it October 10, and Saito rebuilt it. It was in the air again by the end of that month. It ran very well after the rebuild, then I got that movement in the bearings. Anyone else have a problem with the 82a Saito?

Evidently the Twist forum mentioned folks having problems with the Saito .82a. I suspect they had a bad production run on their bearings--or I just got a lemon. I'll let you know how they respond, but I suspect there's something essentially wrong with the alignment (head, piston, drive shaft, bearing) in the engine I bought. I never even gave that 82a a rough landing! and there is NO reason why those bearings should have failed.

I DETEST down time on my birds because of EXPENSIVE engines failing for no good reason. If you CRASH a bird, that's one thing, but $279 bucks for an engine that fails after 500 minutes of flight is NOT a good investment.

I'm pissed, but 'nough said. I'm going back to 2 strokes. I won't accept anything less than a new engine from Horizon/Saito service center.

Jack

Jack211...
How about battery life. Do your battery charges seem reduced because of the cold? I would guess so.
Do you tint your canopy to warm your pilot?
Thanks
Bud

I'd love to see a UCD46 do a rising flat spin in cold air. I'll bet that would be awesome. Not many planes can do that. But I've seen the UCDs do them a lot. Cold air would just make it spin faster and climb quicker. AWESOME!
Thanks
Bud

[Jack211...
The 82s I've seen and been around have worked very good. Maybe you just got a lemon. Let's hope.

thanks
Bud

Maybe it caught a cold.
Thanks
Bud

Bud, we find ourselves crying a lot, looking into the air after our birds. The cold and wind do that to the eyes. Ha! I fly a Twist, a UCD .46 and .60, a Model Tech Magic and Extra, a Sturdy Birdy II (with a .51 SuperTigre, fast as hell), and a Big Stik .60 in the winter. (The Lanier Dart .60, plastic, is too brittle to fly in cold weather.) In one hour last month I built 4 pairs of skiis for my birds. (See above in this thread somewhere for pix of my skiis.) My favorite is the Twist, but in wind I love the Extra 300. I wish I could say the skiis affect flight, but I can see absoltuely NO difference (anti-intuitive) in most of my birds, which are, usually, overpowered. The Magic has a .45 Super Tigre. It screams. The Twist shows no affect either, with skiis, believe it or not. We do have a guy who flies a light P-51 with wheels. He uses the road next to the field to take off and land, but the plane is so light, has a .36 something on it, he can bring it in slow and plop it down on the snow if he has to, no damage.

Several of the engines prefer rich at starting (thumb over the carb), but when warm they operate just as in summer. I had to give the Magic two clicks of rich today, which is really miniscule. I have not changed my 4 strokes even one click. Amazing.

The birds PREFER cold weather. Try it. You'll discover what we did: we get more flying time in winter than summer.

Best wishes--for winter flying,

Jack

Bud, the batteries take the cold just fine. I DID recycle one of my old 600 mAh NiCads (kept reading 524 on my voltmeter), the one on the Magic, last night. It came up fine today (550) --and that bird, with the .45 ST gets 4 16 minute flights on it.

My transmitter bat has never gotten below 9.6 in four to five hour sessions of flying. I have a backup battery for the transmitter. I ended up leaving it at home in my second radio transmitter 9both are Futaba 6EXAs). Those NiCads are amazing, cycle after cycle after cycle. They LOVE to be used. I actually got my transmitter battery to register 11.6 for the first time since I've had it (for a year) last week. Generally it begins sessions with an 11.4 reading.

I have taken to painting the insides of my canopies. I had a Dalmatian dog under the canopy of my UCD .60. Kids loved it, but I crashed the bird and rebuilt the scheme WITHOUT the Dalmation. Ah, well.... If you fly, you're gonna crash sooner or later. As someone said, I don't crash any more. I don't crash less, either.

But, holy smoley, don't be a cold weather flying wuss and give up flying because of snow or cold. And you can make a radio "glove" to keep your hands warm for about 7 bucks.

Jack

Hey Ron, Nice V2......[8D] You'll love the way it flies. I have the original one and it is amazing.
CofG, sounds like a lot of different types of planes that you are considering....

Thanks Rob:-))... Will see on Friday....

Jack211 and CofG... I know what your talking about on the cold... Man... It
was freezing at the field this morning while training.... Seems even harder on
the fingers to just be holding a button......

Hi I{m buying mine today .46 and using a Super Tigre G90 Im at 2600ft see level any prop suggestions ??[8D]

My Bad its not FEET is 2600 Meters

Rob Clement RC...
Ya...I'm looking at alot of planes. But I go through a lot of planes too. But I'll probably only buy one or two. I'm reluctent to step up to bigger and bigger airplanes which seems to be a trend. I want a 40 size, 60 size and 90/120 size. I want to stay with glow and I really like the Saito 82, Saito 100, YS 110 size range. There are a lot of planes in that catagory but trying to get new ones to satisfy the need to build ARFs is always challenging. Not sure what I'll get but I'm anxious to get something to occupy my building needs for the next month or so. Probably get a UCD 46. But it would be fun to get the Giant size but then I don't have the engine. Always something.
Thanks
Bud

Has anybody used this equation for estimating the weight of a built airplane?
Examplel = UCD46

Shipping box overall weight 12 lbs
Multiply by 2 24 lbs
Add 6 30 lbs
Minus 3 27 lbs
Divide by 2 13.5 lbs
Minus 8 5.5 lbs = estimated built up model weight

Works every time.
Just another tip to put in the back of your mind.
Thanks
Bud

This probably was a tongue in cheek post. But in case anyone actualy believed it here is what my Ucando 46 with an OS 91 pumper weighs: 6 and 3/4 pounds. With a couple oz pilot and no fuel in the tank. But since I didn't do the math it may very well be correct.

Northwing...
Usually this equation works pretty good. Most UCDs come in under 6 lbs, yours has a larger than normal engine which may account for just a little extra weight. But generally this is a good estimate of weight.
Thanks
Bud

the most i ever got out of mine was 6lbs 4 oz with saito 100

CofG,

I'm with Northwing. Unless you enjoy mathematical manipulations, weigh the damn bird when it's finished. Then you'll know, for true--if you NEED to know. I don't. I set the CG where it's supposed to be and fliy the bird, trim it out, test the stalls and go from there.

It's not that I don't love math less, but I love flying more.

Jack

Hello does any can show me or tell me how to set the wings and the fuselage a part for easy transport since the lower part of the fus. doesn´t have screws or bolts Thank You

cdmonsalve... I'm unsure of your question.... The wing does come apart with the
two screws that's recessed into the belly pan...

Hi all..... Well I just got off the phone with the post office(... They have an
automated thing.. And once I put my number in, it said inable to find???? Anyway
it trans.. me to a live person(I think) She asked when did I send it back, I say
12/26... She said it's to early yet for it to be in our system.... I said a few things
and all I heard from her was her breathing into the phone... Then says to check
back in two weeks and it should be in the system...$%^*^%#
Guess I should have fixed my "Do's" wing.... A few mins of work.... But now
months of waiting........................

On another note... I maidened the V2.... WoW... She flys nice, only did a half a
tank on the first flt., But great inverted flat spin, nice harrier, Hovers like shes
on a wire and almost hands off K.E. and H.A.K.E.
It only needed one click of ail and elev. for hand off flying, inverted also)
And lands like silk.. I check all, It checked good so topped off the tank for a
better test... Take-off was great, But as soon as I was heading back up the field..
The YS dies and I see something white falling:-((... She takes the dead stick in
stride and lands smooth... Then I see.... No fuel tank... Even the mighty YS
needs fuel....
I find the tank, then see that the front tank strap snapped????? No stress on it
But the worse part since the tank was full as she dislodged itself... It cracked
the tank on impact(( So less than a tanks worth of flying.... But WoW......
I LIKE IT!!!!!!!!!!