olidel2002

I am in the middle of this build (Ultra Stick 40) and am encountering a couple issues:

1) The Rudder and Elevator control rods are too tight. How do I fix (Servos struggling and not returning to center)

2) No hole drilled for nose gear. (any thoughts?).

3) Is an O.S. L.A. .61 too much engine?

Additions:

I sealed the fuel compartment with epoxy along with the landing gear area (building trike gear format).

I fiberglasses stripped the wing joint.

Bob Paris

My Feedback: (13)

Hay olidel2002,
I built mine with a K&B .61 Twister...great combination and your going to love how it performs with a .60 size two stroke bolted up front. I mounted my elevator and rudder servo's aft near the tail, to off set the weight of the larger engine, plus you will have short control wire runs to the flight controls. The airframe can easily handle the larger engine and I managed to break-in a Super Tiger G90 on mine. Talk about vertical performance...wow....just lots of torque issues to handle when at full power. Mine was made into a tail drager...no nose gear for me, and I used a good scale tail wheel assembly too and 3" main gear Robart scale wheels (great tires that really grip the asphalt runway). I too sealed my fuel tank compartment like you did, but I also made a fuel tank hatch on top of the fuel tank for easy access.

My model has flew for over four years, with over 400 flights + ...before I flew it into a tree at full speed and power. There was not much left of the airframe, but it was my most flown model. It is light on the controls and the most manuverable of the current crop of Ugly Sticks. The Tower Big Sticks fly great too and are a little more stoutly built, and not quite as manuverable...but still good. The Ultra Stick flys just like the old Midwest Middle Sticks...great and light on the controls.

Ugly Stick style models...like your Ultra Stick are pointers. There is no built in stability and she goes exactly where you point the model. It will not recover on its own in a turn...you have to fly it level. This model will land slow, glide well and not the best aerobatic of models...but they are a true blast to fly. There is not a model you can fly, that takes off and lands as well as an Ugly Stick...period. I've been building and flying These types of models for over 35 years, and they have been around since the late 60's when Dick Jennsen developed the first Ugly Stick. This airframe is the most copied model of all time and there are at least a dozen folks building this model for radio control today, in every size, from .049 to large gas engines. From 20" wing span to 100"...and there are so many of them around, because of how nice they fly.

Soft Landings Always,
Bobby of Maui

Lifer

My Feedback: (1)

Have you drilled-out the horns and/or the servo arms?

olidel2002

Well, I did not use the stock wires for front wheel and throttle. How they imagined you could get a wire to flex like the directions said is beyond me. I forgot what it's called but I had it in my stack of extra stuff, it's a red tube with a yellow insert. Flex something or other. Worked like a charm, for the rudder and elevator I drilled out the exit holes and modified them so there wasn't as much friction, but it did create an ugly gap. Much to the delight of my 6 year old, I patched the wound up with Angry Bird Stickers (These things are tough, he put them on his bedroom wall and it took the paint off when I removed them.).

Got the fuselage done. O.S. .65 LA mounted and all servos etc. in place. The fuel tank is my next task, I hate the permanent fuel tank and wish for the days of kits when you had a fuel hatch. Oh well, going to be fun routing around the nose wheel. Servo reverser here this week to get the quad flaps going. If all goes well, in 2 weeks I should be having fun.

tomintexas817

Thanks to all for the build tips I start my u.s. 40 build this weekend.