Hey JW,
Nice to hear from Ya!!

Joe,
PM was in regards to possibly starting our project early. Although we escaped the brunt of Jeanne, we got enough of it to cause some minor damage. Water well equipment and a window were hit by flying debis. Of course when the window broke the debris hit Simply Magic and UCD[&o]. I can salvage the engines and most of the electronics, but the airframes are toast. We got the well and window fixed and the drywall guys started yesterday. Hopefully we can be sort of back to normal by November 1st. We didn't even call the insurance company as the new damage was way below our $3600.00 deductible.

Thought as long as this last thing happened we would do it right with the YS. Figured I could sell the Saito pretty easily as she's not seen fuel yet. Figured might as well do it all right. Of course the PM was sent before your #4 got busted up, so I know you'll be bust with that. Far as I'm concerned 2004 has been one S*&tty year. Brian.....

Hi all! Thanks for the concern. All is well in Al. Got about 6" rain with winds at 40-45 mph but no damage. Stoney, glad you guys made it OK. Joe, sounds like you got more rain than we did.

I have been working and traveling on business so that my RC building and flying time has been about nil. I did manage to find a guy who worked a trade for the Saito 182 twin for an OS 160 twin for the Cub project. The Saito was just too much engine for the project and the 160 fits so much better to the firewall and the cowling. Unfortunately, I am still stuck where I last left off on the project. This is going to be a long project with all my work commitments. I can now see how the retired guys find time to build so fast. Not hard to do when thats about all you have to do. For me it's work and travel. I'm just glad my ARF hanger is is in good shape to get some flying time in when I can.

Dave, keep those great shots coming.

Matt, did you get the Cap-X flying? JW is it still daylight up your way?

Roger,
I'm so happy to hear that all is well with you. As we were watching the news it appeared that you had been slammed pretty well. We all thought that you had lost power. After Charley we were without power for five days. It's amazing how one takes electricity for granted. Fortunately I had the foresight to have purchased a generator a couple of years ago and we ran off of that. It really helped, I just had it hard wired into the whole house breaker panel so we can run everything but the A/C and stove. Now if I can afford a 10,000 some day we could have it all. Brian....

Hi guys..

...Hope everyones well ....and getting back to normal after all the bad weather....they were running out of names to call these hurricanes..

...Just a quickie..the "Boss" is away in London, so in sneaky/Stealth mode i managed ( at great leangth ) to get a "Rare Bear" captured and bought into captivity.. ...not many of these RB's in the UK at the moment, bit of an endangered species....and thats what i'll be if she finds out[:@]...more later guys... ...im going to stealthly dispose of all the evidence that there's a Bear in the house...

David,

The Bear looks pretty cool. What are your impressions of the build quality?? Thunder Tiger had a reputation awhile back for some junky stuff. I'm just finishing our master bedroom and bath. If the carpet guys come tomorrow like they are supposed to, we can move back into our bedroom tomorrow night. That will make wifey very happy. We have more painting to do and still another bedroom to rebuild. We expect to be done by November 1st. If all does well thren I can take some time to slap the .46UCD that I have so I can go fly!! Brian....

...Stoney...the build quality on this chappie is fitst rate..cant fault it ...i was a bit.. er...sceptical but i'd had a TT Glider in the summer, that too was spot on.
Did a bit of homework, finally managed to get one and not disapointed.....and it was only about $100 more than what you guys are paying ....not the usual DOUBLE[:@]....more pics and stuff later.....what engine though, thats the question...

David,

Why not a YS and enjoy the extra power. You apparently got it, so might as well spend it!!

From out of the ashes............I just might have to christen this one the 'Pheonix'. Made a little progress in about 40 intensive hours. Just a little more detail to the covering and time to install the gear. Picked up a 'Hatori' header to route the pipe down the heat vent. Not sure on a muffler yet, but for Sundays fly in I'll be running the open header......oh yeahhhhh !! Joe

Check out the new colors, or should I say the lack of them.

..Looks Ace Joe...Better than the origonal.

"Rare Bear" is a little troublesome ...trying to move / relocate all the gear as far forwards as possible so as not to have to add any nose weight to balance the damn thing ....its got such a short snout......lovely ARTF...few picies for ya ...

David, I was eyeballing one of those beauties today at the LHS. Superb quality. I'd say one of the most pleasurable ways to balance out that bear would be with, you guessed it..................a YS 110. Bet you saw that coming. Working on the flames for the tail section right now. Hope this one dosen't go down in flames as well. BTW, how did you bend the head pipe for your Cyclone? Joe

Tail is done. Now that was a lot of trimming. Joe

...Joe that's lookin well smart now..

header pipe...O.K. i had a standard 90 degree elbow from the head the used one of O.S's small ( lengthwise ) flei bendi thingie's ...cant show ya a pic at moment ...some budding young aviator has mashed the picture folders up somehow...i'll try later....its 3 AM....

Hey Guys,
I thought the thread was just about dead!! Our reconstruction efforts have been setback slightly. I can't believe that this has been a full time job trying to get our home back in order. We moved back into our master brdroom last night after I installed the new ceiling fan and light fixture in the hallway. Our back porch (47' X 20') ceiling is finished and all the surrounding screening that was blown out is replaced. The ceiling in the garage is completed and we are in the process of prepping our kitchen, breakfast area, great room, dining room and entryway for paint. We expect that work to be completed by 10/26. We can then move the furniture out from our den and guest bedroom and replace the ceilings and insulation in those rooms. I was shooting to be done by 11/1, but it looks more like the 15th. Then maybe we can start having a life again and try flying!! I still haven't found the time to slap that UCD .46 together. Our weather finally broke yesterday when the first cold front came through. Humidity is down and an expected high of 85 today with a low this morning of 68. At least we can look forward to a few months now without the bad storms.

Joe, your new bird looks great, nice flame job!! I would guess that she will be set up similar to the last one?? Are you still contemplating the Yak??

David, Rare Bear is starting to look pretty good. I haven't read much about the plane itself, but I agree with Joe that a YS would be the way to go. What type of retracts are you going to install??

Later, Brian...

I t s b a c k !!!! After about 40 intense hours its ready to re maiden. I feel as though all I've been doing is 'first flighting' UCDs for the past two years. Sporting new colors and a 'Hatori' header for that YS110FZ. Don't know what I will do for a muffler, but I like it not coming through the cowl. For now I'll run it with the open header......ohh yeahhh !!!!!! Finalized the rudder mod as well. Added a couple more inches to the top at an upward angle towards the back. Comes out to about 64 sq. in. compared to the stock 80 sq. in. Right now it seems to lack something, perhaps that stripe that runs over the cowl and down the sides. Got some YS decals comeing, that will help. Check it out. From this........ to this !! Joe

Magnificent Joe, whats on the underside ?...one question though...was that "Flameing" trim precut or did you do it by hand ? ....Oh..By the way..forgot to mention ...had a little Monokote Magic to perform on mine....[:@]...took of with rates on high and grounched the underside of both wing tips...snapping about 1/4 " of that little, sideways on, front rib at the tip..soon fixed mind [:@]

More wrestling with the Rare Bear...for info ..theres only about 1 1/2 " from the L /edge to the firewall... moved all the servo's and repositioned the (new..slimmer) tank in an effort to aleviate putting 1/2 Lb of church roof up front.. Tank removes to access servo function. No the carbon wing joining tube doesent come through that round hole in the fuse carcas......its further back and up out the way...

Had to be Mechanical retracts ...the Robart stuff was 6 - 8 oz heavier to do the same job ...Managed to get hold of some Quallity EZ OK Models Supra .60 size retracts...nice

Dave, the underside is the stock scheme. Red and white checks. Only difference is the bottom of the fuse is red as well. Yes, the flames were hand cut. Tedious to say the least. If I pop this one in it won't be as easy as just buying new components. What have I got myself into? Never had retracts, marvelous little devices. Good luck with the bear, I'm sure it will sparkle as the rest of your fleet does. I need a fleet.

Brian, yes, same plane, same setup. Just new skin, and I hope this skin is thicker, if you know what I mean. Can't complain though, flew this one all season with at least 75 flights. As far as the 'Yak' goes, it is very appealing, yet I think my next project will be a gasser. Mmmmmmm, Wild Hare !!

High winds today, fun fly has been rescheduled for next week end and wouldn't you know it, I will be in New Jersey. I've managed to miss every function this season, including our own clubs outing. Maybe next year I'll have more social time. Later, Joe

I forgot, it weighed in at.............gulp...... EIGHT POUNDS, ELEVEN OUNCES !!! what a fatty. Wait till Roger hears this. Joe

Good god [X(] Far and away the heaviest UCD of all time. Thank god you have the big YS in that puppy. Joe you have an uncanny knack for picking heavy planes. My UCD with the Saito 100 is 7 pounds 4 ounces.

Coo, you got me on that one. Previous builds were all around 7-1/2 lbs. until this one. Now keeping in mind that the current one is a compilation of the first three, yet no deviation in the building process. Along with that, there is now what I believe to be, 'a small amount' of re in forcing and the glue involved for the re build. Also, this is now covered with 'UltrCoat' as opposed to 'MonoKote', which I believe is heavier. I guess it all adds up. I just read of another that weighed in @ 7lbs 1 oz. I'm jealous. One thing that I have noticed is how the additional weight has really smoothed out the flight characteristics, dosen't seem as twitchy, but most likely has lost the advantages of a lighter model. At this point, I will fly it for what its worth. I still enjoy this model. Joe

Couldn't rest until I got that finishing touch, the final stripe. The one that goes over the cowl. It wouldn't be a UCD without it. Joe

Great job Joe...contact Don Anderson ASAP..... Colour Scheme for the "U-Sure-Can-Do-3D" .....is it me or does it look ' Plumper ' round the middle.....Nice.

Plumper? I'd say this heavy weight is down right FAT!!!! Got out tonight and the UCD is bigger and badder than ever. Couldn't notice the additional 5 oz. Spent most of the evening shakeing it down, tweak here, adjustment there to the control surfaces. Gotta have those trim tabs centered, all mechanical. SWEET!!!! Little too loud though, 102 DB. Going to have to come up with a muffler or figure a way to attach the stock one if I want to fly at the field. The rocker clearance setting adjustment was very noticeable, lots of power. Okay, I'm happy now. later, Joe

Hi
I just ordered my UCD can you guys give me the dos and don'ts while building this thing (hinges, pushrods, etc). I am on a limited budget so I don't need the best of everything, just the basics.
Thanks for your help

Jeff

Jeff, welcome. First off, on the simple side, get your self some 4/40 linkage, solid metal rod works, as the plane can stand the weight in the tail with a big four stroke. If the engine selection is lighter, some have used CF rod and 4/40 ends. 4/40 control horns and ball links. Save the supplied hardware for a smaller model. Personally, I like pinned hinges as opposed to CA, for strength and ease of installation. All the above are by Dubro. If running a Saito 100, use a 15/6 or 16/4 APC prop. With that selection it will need app. 3 degrees of right thrust on the engine mount. Quantum Models sells Ernst thrust plates, best way to go for a couple bucks. Good luck, Joe

P.S. Start reading. There is even more on the UCD .60 in the 3D flying forum.

Thanks for the information, I was thinking about using the thunder tiger 91 does anyone have any opinions on this engine?
Thanks
Jeff