FRED,

I do balance my planes laterally. My flying buddy (Jack 211) powers his UCD60 with a Saito 1.0 and we both agree its a dog! I hope you won't be disappointed. I spent a few extra bucks and equipped my UCD60 with a HD metal geared rudder servo, as well as using high-torque metal geared servos for the ailerons and elevator(s). I am pleased with them. I also slid some carbon fiber tubing over the metal pushrods to "beef" things up a bit......nice and stiff with zero play.

I'm on my fifth Twist since they were introduced. With the exception of the one I'm currently flying all of them are in various stages of repair. So one might say I've cut my teeth on that bird. (I have to admit that I consider the plane a consumable and consider the $99 well spent if I get more than three months out of one. This is because the first four were flown every day with an average of 3/4 gallon a day put through them....now that's what I call service.) Unfortunately my sabbatical is over and I can't devote every day towards flying! !@##@#$@$#@$ I have outfitted the most recent one with a OS .61 FX propped with a MAS 13X5. I can hover all day, even in winds exceeding 20mph. (Of course the plane is hovering, but also blowing away like a kite!) Did I mention that that combination gets 20+ minutes for each stock tank of fuel? (And most of that is hovering.) That's the piece de resistance! My ST .51 would be lucky to manage 16 minutes and it struggled to pull out of a hover, while the OS rockets out of it. Touching the tail to old mother earth is a confidence builder to be certain and when the wind calms I do it as much as I can/dare.

You're spot on, mentioning the Twist's weaknesses. I use carbon fiber rod (1/16" ) glued across all the weak spots and have been having great success so far. I just lay down the rod, pour baking soda as a fillet on both sides and saturate it with thin CA. Stand back and watch the chemical reaction! When the vapor clears....you have a solidly reinforced Twist....suitable for abuse!

My name is Downtrodden, and I'm a Twistaholic!



(Hoping I can get my UCD60 to do what the Twist does so readily!)

downtrodden

Excellent post. I agree with the Twist, I have two spares under the cellar steps. That is a cheap fun plane. They should sell them on tear off strips.

I hope to keep in touch and if the O.S. 91 won't do the job, I will probably take the YS 120 off the bipe again. I have the tank mounted on C.G. centerline so that will help on flat spins and blenders. When I grow up I want to learn to hover.

Sabattical? What's that all about? That was an impressive string of epithets.

FRED

Oh happy day! Jack took this picture on the day of the UCD's maiden flight. The expression says it all.

Epithets? More like the disjointed thoughts of an itinerant tinkerer/daydreamer.

Sabbatical = deciding where you're going and making sense of where you've been.

downtrodden

Excellent picture and congratulations.

However, you should be ashamed of yourself letting that poor little Twist sit shivering in the snowbank.

Talk to ya later, FRED

Downtrodden...

What plane is that you're holding?

Thanks
Barry

For you guys that have put a lot of flight time on the UCD 60: I have one with a webra 120 and 17x6 APC prop. I have been learning to hover and I have been getting better every day and get 2 minute hovers now. However, For me the most difficult part about hovering is avoiding that the plane begins to torque roll. It is very difficult to get the right amount of aileron to avoid this and once it happens the plane rolls very fast and I loose the hover. The good thing is that I will learn to torque roll before I learn to hover .
What do you guys think about this? Is this tendency to torque roll the same for everybody else? maybe I have too much prop or I don´t have enough power for the aileron servos? I have Futaba 3004 standar servos for the ailerons on 6 Volts.
I have carbon fiber push rods and good mechanical advantage on these servos too.
Thanks,
Andres

I can kinda "park" my UCD in hover at a safe altitude.
Seems to hold very well...when I get lower seems thing change!
[sm=drowning.gif]
I have definetly noticed this torquing effect with my foamie though.
Seems like when it torques it goes fast.
One thing I've noticed if I can get the pro-torque aileron in to it and start it to really roll it stabilizes.
Just hangs there spinning around the prop with very little correction.
Looks kind cool!
Wish I could do it all the time!
JLK

Barry, the plane is a U-Can-Do 60.

Andres, check the thrust angle of your engine...it sounds like you have 0 thrust angle. You're a brave man putting 3004's in anything but the throttle in that bird!

FRED, the Twist didn't shiver long...I still favor her above all things with wings. (My wife was looking over my shoulder.) I had her in the air for over a half-gallon's worth that day. I don't think I could ever tire of her.

I'm flying big-time on Saturday.......come Hades or high water!

Peace.
Downtrodden.

olstoney

You should have the klett hinges by now, I sent them 1st class on the 28th in a padded envelope.

My PM is working again.

Hey, Guys

Thanks for your interest; I have sold my three Saito engines.

Regards, FRED

Fred,
Got em yesterday, thanks. PM in your inbox.

Expected high here today is 60 and sunny. Finally a break and I don't have my servos back from Horizon yet. Looks like 68 degrees Saturday and I don't have my servos. Sunday looks good too and I don't have my servos. I guess I better use the time to pull my fuel tank and check the stopper. Its been dry for months and have to see if it shrunk. Nothing worse than a fuel soaked plane on the first day out. Might as well wake up the 110 while I'm at it. Hhmmm, sounds like a lot of work, might have to take out the Extra instead. Joe

Sounds good to me, have fun .

Guys,
Sorry I haven't written in a while been real busy here at work. No excuse I know! Weather here hasn't been the best for flying too but I cant complain since I don't have snow like some of you and just wind ans some rain is all! Flew the Do a couple more times and well had enough of the engine cutting out on me! Pulled the cowl, added a velocity stack and filter to the Saito 100, adjusted the low idle and well seems to be doing much much better, just need to get back in the air!

I appreciate the advise on the mixing out JLK and will get some more hands on time soon I hope! Brother Joe always into something I see! The extra is a awesome plane too! One day I will have quite the assortment of planes too! Well guys be good and have fun I will let you guys know how she flies now that I have changed a few things!

Chuck

Is everyone on spring break or what???
Like a ghost town I tell ya! Hope that everyone is doing well and that they are having a good flying season so far! My UCD is good, still mixing and learning stuff every time I fly. Good stuff!

Take care!

Chuck

[b]DOWNTRODDEN[/b
I just pulled another Twist out to try one of my OS 61 SFs on for size. What did you use for a motor mount? Did you do a lobotomy on the one supplied with the kit? I just have to try a 61 on the Twist after reading your post..
Did you have to add a lot of tail weight?

Regards, FRED

I am installing a Saito 125 in my DO 60 without a pump and have the fuel tank on the center of gravity. Do I need a pump if the tank is installed on the center of gravity and is this too much power for this plane? Also which prop to use with this combo and should I install the engine sideways instead of inverted? Sorry I didn't read the whole thread.

I would suspect if you put the fuel tank all the way back to the CG that you would have fuel pull issues without a pump. You could safely go back 2-3 inches from stock with out a draw problem.

No the 125 isn't too much engine. But it can be if you use too much throttle. Keep is slow and it will be safe.

I use a 16x6 APC or 17x4W APC with my Saito. Either would work very good on your UCD I would think.

I would stay with the inverted mount on the UCD. The engine runs fine inverted and installation will be much easier. Sometimes you can get a bit of flooding but it's not too bad. I run the engine inverted in all my UCDs.

Thanks
Barry

Thanks Barry for your reply. Since the fuel tank is already installed on the center of gravity-first I'll try to see if this works. If not I will have to move the fuel tank. Thanks again.

Yay my UCD 60 will be here Monday, I also got Realflight G3 coming hopefully later next week, gonna use that practice 3d and getting into helis.

hey fellas - been a while since I visited RCU, actually been about three years since I flew last.

Just picked up my .60 UCD with a Saito 100. I am sure these questions have all been answered in the previous pages (i cruzed but this is a big thread) I am having some issues...

My Saito floods out and is a real pain in the a... to start. Are there issues with tank place and inverted mounts or ??I actually think I may have problem with my 100, fuel pouring our when it runs - A LOT.

Also where are you guts balancing at now. I went 6" and my batt is WAY back in the fuze...

hey guys just got my Do setup the other day..puttin a OS 91 II in her.....i was wondering what kind of fuel i should use to get just the right mixture and also what prop should i use for it. thanks guys any info would be great.

Will

Otter,

I have Saito 1.00 in UCD also. I have not had any troubles with flooding except during prime. I sometimes have to pour exess fuel out the muffler.

Balance wise I have about 5 ounces of lead in the pipe tunnel to obtain the CG.

alrightie then, it's time to wake this thread up again. got my ucd 60 with YS 1.10 /16x4W apc and it turns too many rpm. has anyone tried the 17X4W with any sucess? also how far back can i go with cg, before it becomes unmanagable?

I fly my YS 110 with the 16x6 APC. It gives more thrust than the 17x4W. I use the 17 when I want to do a lot of hovering. It's easier to hover but doesn't have the thrust of the 16. If you are below 2000' elevation or so you can use the 16.5x5.5 APC that is special made for the YS 110.

The UCD has a wide range on the CG. I run mine at 5 5/8" back and I love it there. It is very easy to hover and allows some precision maneuvers like rolling circles. You can go all the way back to 6" but I don't know what you would gain.

You'll love this combo. Make sure you don't over speed the plane with the mighty 110. Never!

I was just flying mine today. My favorite airplane. I love it.

thanks
Barry

I fly mine with YS110, 17x4w, tank over cg, cg on 6" and I like this set up.

Link to one of mine videos ftp://rcheli:[email protected]/Film..._Tuochdown.wmv



Torbjörn Olofsson
Sweden