RE: U Can Do 3D
 

I noticed a couple things that from what I've been told must have changed. Just to make things clear this is a UCD60 ARF.

I was told the 1/2 rounded part of the fuse was stringers covered with mono. Mine the 1/2 rounded section is covered with sheet balsa and then the mono.

After inserting a mirror to look over the landing gear area there is tri stock already there. There are two pieces of tri about an inch long glued in place.

Are these changes or is this what you have observed? Think I still need to reinforce the gear area?

Thanks for helping a newbie!

SteveL

RE: U Can Do 3D
 

Hi SteveL,
My UCD 60 was just bought 2 weeks ago and should be updated, my turtle deck is balsa covered stringers, and I only had one triangle stock glued in the landing gear area, they are relying on two former's to take the load, and there is no support on the fuse side for those formers.[>:]

RE: U Can Do 3D
 

Steve,
I bought mine this summer and I too used a mirror to look in the gear area.
Mine was just as you describe.
I drilled a couple holes from the wing saddle side of the bulkhead just behind the gear all the way thru and out the slanted exhaust channel floor.
I then inserted two 4-40 all thread rods and glued them in to the area where the gear blindnuts are with a generous amount of epoxy.
So far so good.
About 10 gallons of fuel thru it...mostly off the rough, grass area on our acreage behind our house.
So far, knock on wood, no problems.
JLK

RE: U Can Do 3D
 

What do you guys think about using the Saito FA125 to power this plane? I have a brand new OS .91 too.... your thoughts and ideas on which engine to use? Pros and cons of each?

Thanks for your input.

Steve

RE: U Can Do 3D
 

If you keep the weight to 8lb or under it should be great. On the gear, those formers need to be strengthened,the tri stock GP uses is not enough,you can add some to the formers vertically by reaching in from the wing saddle area. If you really want to shore it up and dont have a weight issue you can lock the 2 formers together with a block of wood,then I coat all the former joints w/thinned epoxy to prevent oil from softening the glue. I do harrier landings with this setup and some of them aren't pretty,nothing has come loose thus far.

RE: U Can Do 3D
 

Steve,
I recently changed from a Saito 1.00 to a YS 1.10 on my UCD.
No...I'm not going there.
With the 1.25 you will need to be very conscious of throttle management.
I'm now running a 16X6 and flew it extensively for the first time this Sunday.
I broke a servo arm on the aileron...don't know how...never heard any flutter but I did a lot of WOT straight and level.
The 1.25 will pull it like a rocket...just be careful.
JLK

RE: U Can Do 3D
 

Just replaced the bearings in an old OS108,man what a pain getting the rear bearing out,tried heat,freezing & hammering,I succeeded in locking up the bearing but not getting it out until I used Liquid Wrench and turned the heat up to almost 300. Hope I didnt warp anything.The bearings I put in were from VXB in CA.,only 13$ for both,I hope they hold up,they are rated for 19K RPM but the rear bearing is pretty much sealed with a permanent lubricant,not sure if it will last but I got the engine for free so not much at risk.I need to get the Do ready for this weekend,it was so noisy before,sounded like a bad bearing but after inspection, I couldnt see&feel anything wrong.Anyone else using after market bearings?(I know, I'm a cheap *****!)

RE: U Can Do 3D
 

I use this source:
http://rc-bearings.com/

RE: U Can Do 3D
 

A little late weighing in here, but, I started out running ds811's all around. First the rudder started fluttering around nutral when you flicked the stick... kind of the crazy violent shaking thing. I put a hs 5925mg to take care of that. Then towards the end of that same season the elevators started doing the same thing. From advise from people on rcu and horizon.. I ignored the fact that they were doing that b/c they said, "that is just something digital servos do". I was new to the hobby and did not know better. I was flying a slow flyby and saw my right elevator shaking in crazy flutter almost full travel both direactions. I was able to slow it down and get it to the ground. I put some hs 645mg and never had that problem again on the elevator, but, they were kind of slow and made it hard to hover.. later upgraded these to 5945's. Then the ailerons started just barely shaking as the others started out doing. That was ok though b/c I crashed this plane before those ever started to really have problems.. ha. Put hs 645mg's on the ailerons on ucd2 and never had a problem there.

I sent in the 811's and they switched out the gears for free and I used them on a twist for a while. Seemed to be great for that application. No twist anymore, but, I use them for throttle servos.. I like them there. Never really cared for the 537's on the throttle.

I am not the only person with this problem. There are other people and some who lost their plane (do a search).. usually you see it first with the big rudders where there is more torque and then it moves to other surfaces as things wear out. I don't get to fly very often so I would expect someone who flies a lot to run into the problem within a month on the rudder and about 2 months max on the elevators.

RE: U Can Do 3D
 

THE UCD... any version is a plane that should not be flown fast... it does all sorts of neat maneuvers at lower throttle settings including landings that will make anyone look like an expert... full throttle should only be used for vertical stuff and maybe for short takeoffs... I have seen UCD's all sizes break wings mainly because they were flown at high throttle settings and then turned hard!!!

RE: U Can Do 3D
 

Doh!!!! Wish I'd gone there first,look at the price difference compared to OS/Tower!!!! Thanks for the info.

RE: U Can Do 3D
 

I forgot to put on my post about how I fly... I could see why you think I fly fast/hard etc. I never flew the ucd fast on that first plane. I was always too scared to do that. The only time I throttled up is if I was pointing straight up. I sealed the hinge gaps too.. so the flutter was not caused by that. All the hardware was 4-40 rods and nice upgraded hardware with no slop. I am positive that it was the servos and not the build, flying, etc. I did have a ys 1.10 that could blow a lot of wind over the surfaces like say when I pointed up, but, if they can't hold up to that then I say they are still not strong enough to do anything fun.

Now.. the ucd2 I would fly straight for short distances at full throttle. Would never yank it when I did that. I only seeled the bottom of the hinge gap on that one. I did all kinds of walls, waterfalls, and blenders and yanked it around pretty good.. had a blast doing it. Never had a problem with my mg servos. Those ds811's would not have lasted 1 month like I flew the ucd2.

RE: U Can Do 3D
 

This may be an old question but what do you guys do when the engine is mounted inverted in the U-Can D0-3D. I have an OS Max .91FX installed in my airplane. The engine drips fuel like crazy from the carburetor and the engine does not run that well with the engine at full speed. If I take the engine out and mount it on a test stand right side up, it runs great. I realize that the fuel tank is much higher than the carburetor when the engine is inverted. I have tried using a Perry oscillating pump but the engine still does not run reliably and the engine quits if it idles very long due to the excess fuel again dripping out the carburetor. I know that the designated tank location is high due to channel under the tank allowing the air to flow past the engine. Why did Great Planes have to set this up so high and why has it still remained on the market. All inverted engines should have this problem. I have cussed this engine out many times and now I feel that it is due entirely to the tank being so high.

Please tell me how you remedied this problem. Would another type of pump remedy this? I quit flying it last year but I tried to fly it again yesterday and I realize again why I quit flying it. Maybe the solution it to just get rid of the airplane and replace it with an airplane with the fuel tank located lower.

RE: U Can Do 3D
 

A Cline regulator (fuel system) will solve the problem. I use one on all my .91 2C engines. Never had a deadstick and you can put the tank on the CG.

http://www.billsroom.com/pcfs/

RE: U Can Do 3D
 

YS Engines do not care where the fuel tank is :D:D.

RE: U Can Do 3D
 

I had Moki 1.35 and currently have OS 1.08 in 2 different UCD's both inverted w/o a problem. I used a Cline on both because I moved the tank over CG and to stop the siphoning of fuel. You might be able to go without the Cline but fuel will siphon into the carb if open and some leaks out when priming,its best to prime,then flip prop,prime,flip prop several times with inverted engine before starting. This helps ensure getting enough fuel in to start as some will run out the carb. I would think once its started,it should run right even w/o the Cline,might have to set the needles?

RE: U Can Do 3D
 

Got out last weekend to "test" the cheap ***** bearings I put in from VXB,so far they are fine,about 15 flights.(OS 1.08) I learned a few more things while trying to step up my 3-D a notch. Rolling Harriers:I now hold full left ail. ,work elev. up/down and also work rudder l/r and need some throttle management if it goes too fast or too slow.In all, its very tricky to keep the nose up to stay stalled, I have to stay at the right throttle setting to keep it in Harrier mode or else it will climb or the nose drops to level. I like to use the elevator to make the circle,if I pull up when the plane is entering knife edge, it turns better than using rudder when its upright. The other thing is prop selection for hovering.Too much prop and it will climb too much even at lower throttle,I round the tips of a Zinger 17X5 and even cut 1/2 " off to get the quick spool-up,this is a must if you want to drop lower in a hover and still be able to pull up quickly,I had it bobbing up& down at will,now I want to H U C K I T on the deck-maybe next weekend.

RE: U Can Do 3D
 

I am sorry if this is a repost to some extent. I tried to read thru this post but it is kinda lengthy. Anyhow just picked up my U Can Do 60-90 from lhs. I bought a saito 125 to go on it. Which prop would be best? I understand throttle controll is a must. I am aware that this is a slow plane designed for extreme 3d. I have read tons about this plane and I am very excited to own it.

I have only opened the box but not started putting it together. I normally rush to get a plane together and end up making careless mistakes (this one I want to make sure is right). I was wondering what needs to be upgraded. I think the push rods, from what I undersatnd, need to be but not sure what else. Other construction do's and donts?

I know not to start out aggresive as I have read so many times not to. I have limited knowledge concerning mixing on the radio and I am very interested in how to set it up (for future reference). I will be using my old heli transmitter (Futaba 9CHP) with this plane. It has most mixing features just never used them.

Any help/recomendations on the assembly, upgrades and setup would be appreciated....

RE: U Can Do 3D
 

You can do a search on this thread for "MIXMASTER", it should come back with all my posts. I have posted most of the areas needing beefing up. In short:Landing gear block&formers,fire wall(use tri stock soaked in thin CA)& epoxy them in.Use 4/40 linkages,seal the hinge lines,no CA hinges-pin points or GP nylon (the hard white nylon ones with a pin that is flattened in the middle-can be de-hinged). If you dont want to solder,use 4/40 all threads & carbon tube.I glue(epoxy)the stab&screws on permanently to reduce the risk of coming loose in flight.I have balanced the elevator halves with lead shot on the leading edges of counter-balances underneath,just carve out some balsa,add the lead & balance & recover.If you seal the hinge gaps of the elevator you probably could skip the lead shot.Use servos of at least 60-85 oz. torque,I trust Hitec HS635 Karbonites-85Oz @ 6V.If you want to 3-D, the wing trailing edges need to be beveled to 45 deg to allow spoileron travel of 45-55 deg throw for harriers,walls.Also will have to get-into mixing big time for 3-D& the "Do". Elevator flap mix-with up-elev giving up spoilerons.(note that the radio mix; elev-flap might not allow enough spoileron travel at full mix(100%),might have to use another p-mix to elev-flap to achieve 45-50deg throw.I know it might sound like a lot, but if you can make these mods,you will have a plane that "kicks *****",it will be all up to you.

RE: U Can Do 3D
 

Sorry for being so long winded but.....dont forget right thrust,some Dos dont have any built in,and I think inverted engines balance best,not just laterally but also the "waterline CG".

RE: U Can Do 3D
 

Thank you . I dont understand all that but i will sort it out piece by piece. Sorry for my ignorance..

RE: U Can Do 3D
 

Just ask & I (I'm sure others too) will try to explain-none of it is rocket science for sure,just 20 yrs building & flying make us anal about some things.

RE: U Can Do 3D
 

There is not any thrust built into UCD firewalls, never was. The original engineering included an off set in the vertical stab, which proved to be insufficient. If you measure carefully you will see it. I found a Saito 100 to require 4 degree and a YS 110 to require just 3 degree. If one dosen't want to mess with right thrust setup and have a straighter cowl installation, mix in some right rudder to throttle. I know that MIXMASTER is going to pull out his radio and figure out the combo to this one.:D

Got my servos back from Horizon. After they opened them up and saw that I replaced the gear train, they wouldn't warranty them. They suck.

$37.50 for new potentiometers in all four servos, + labor and shipping isn't too bad, but they suck.

Mounted them, powered up and shake away. Worse than before I sent them in. They really suck.

They now vibrate not only @ neutral, they vibrate under load as well. They really, really suck.

I will call tomorrow and see what they want to do about them before I say that they suck again.

Other than that, I did get a good fifteen minutes out of it today. Didn't want to shake the tail off it, so, called it a day. Joe

RE: U Can Do 3D
 

So what does repacing the gears at one time have to do with bad pots [:@]?

RE: U Can Do 3D
 

Don't know, but more than likely, once you open them up, the warranty is void. They said that they tested them, but if they didn't install them to a control surface, then I don't consider that a real test. If you power them up on the bench, they don't shake. Its only when they are installed. I'll see what the story is tomorrow. I'll be happy if they strike the charge from my credit card and I'll trash can them. Joe