I’m trying to narrow down my search for a second plane. Either the Hanger 9 Pulse XT, there Ultra Stick or a Great Planes Super Sportster. Any comments?

I like the ultra stick, it was fun playing with the flaps using crow. It was a blast.
One vote for the ultra stick.

Great planes has a plane called the Easy Sport, it's a little goofy looking, but it flies great!

The Ultra Stick is a great flyer. It is easy enough to be a trainer and then you can really ring it out to do almost anything.

Make that 3 votes for the Ultra Stick. they are a great fun plane to fly and are pretty capable of a bunch of maneuvers. I know of a couple of high level pattern fliers that use them to practice their patterns.

Ultra Sticks are great. They can do just about everything and are tough.

Hanger 9 Pulse Xt - bought one last year great plane and stable even at low speed. Great flight characteristics. Better build than the Super Sportster. I am very satisfied with mine.

Regarding the Ultra Stick. How long of a build time? What size engine? Where should I purchase it from?

There are three sizes. I like them so much I bought all three.
A 40 size I have a Super Tigre 51 on it.
A 60 size I used two different engines on it. First a OS 91 4/stroke and a Super Tigre 75.
A 120 size I have a Zenoah G-23 gas engine on it.
They all are ARF, not much building.
They are made by Hangar 9 sold through Horrizon.

I have
A 40 size (Not an actual Ultra Stick - but a similar plane from a different manufacturer) with a Saito 72 on it.
A 60 size with a Saito 1.00
A 1.20 lite with a Saito 1.80

they are all great fliers and being ARF's took less than a week to build. IMHO the bigger they are the easier they are to fly but that is probably a vision thing. The bigger ones also cost more so you may be a little afraid to break them.

Look at your LHS they may have them (or similar ones) in stock at a good price. Otherwise Direct from Horizon.

I have to agree with the guys on the H9 Ultra Stik!! Easy ARF to put together. Go with the flaps if you have a radio you can program a little, it gives the plane a whole nother flying dimension I think. It will take a total of 4 servos just for the wings however. You can fly with just the ailerons, or tie the flaps to move in unison with the ailerons. Hi and Lo rates either way. Has a great roll rate [8D] Then you can either use the flaps as flaps to just float in or go with Crow - Flaps go up Ailerons go down, but yet all still respond to the stick. You can make the plane all most come to a stop in a dive.

My little 40 size I just fly with an OS55AX - not a power house, but fine for my style of flying.

The H9 US Lite 120 has an OS160 on it, and I think it's going to be as much fun or more to fly then the 40 size. I'm still messing with getting the engine broke in.

I recommend the Goldberg Tiger 60. It is a beautiful plane (check out my gallery) and it flies just as well. Set up with a 91 four stoke and a 13x8 prop it will really fly!
I believe it is one of the most recommended second planes on RCU[X(]

You won't be sorry!

My Stinger 40 flies fantastic! Consider one of those.

I would vote Pulse XT. Great flying plane and the prettiest of the bunch that you mentioned. It is a bit fragile though so don't be rough with it.

If you go with a 40 sized Ultra Stick, it's hard to beat an OS .55 AX with an 11 x 6 APC prop. Hovers at half throttle with power to pull right out. A good four stroke is the Saito .82 with a 13 x 6 prop. Has about the same power as the .55 AX but is twice the price.

I purchased a Pulse XT several months ago, new in the box. Before I got to build it, I trained a student to fly on the buddy box with his Pulse XT. It was extremely stable and fine for loops and rolls, but does not compare to the Ultra Stick in hovering, inverted flight, and flat spins. I sold the Pulse XT shortly after that still new in the box and still fly my Ultra Stick weekly, as I have for the past two years.

I don't think you can beat a world models skyraider mach 2 as the ultimate 2nd plane. Doea it all and it's only 70 bucks. I've been flying for years yet it still provides enjoyment for me. Knife edge circles are fun with it. I have a super tigre 51 on mine and it's ballistic. Flew fine with the Supertigre 40 I previously had on there. Here's mine.

what about the good old four star or a tower hobbies kaos?(not the best covering but great plane) these were some of my favorite planes before i got this thing for extra 300's i got 4 in my room and only ones ready to go...

Looks good. This would be a great plane for me and something for my kid to fly after he learns on his trainer. How much of it is pre built? How long to put it together? I could not find too many reviews on it.

True enough, the Pulse isn't much of a 3D machine but that isn't what it was designed for. It is however, a great 2nd plane.

It's definitely the most complete and quickest assembling ARF I've "built". All flying surfaces are already hinged and glued in place. THe tail feathers interlock then bolt together so no glue needed back there. I was nervous about a bolt in tail but mine hasn't even come loose in about 150 flights. Basically just glue the wing halves together (5 min epoxy) and mount the engine, then hook up the hardware. Hardware is decent and went on in reocrd time thanks to having the pilot holes PRE-drilled! No alignment needed. Mine might have taken 4 hours to complete tops and that was me just double and triple checking things. Next one most likely can be built in under 3. I'm very impressed with the quality of this ARF for an absurdely low price.

If you search this forum there's tons of reviews.

Mike