I just purchased a Hangar 9 Super Stick ARF. I have found disturbing mentions on the net, and in this group, with regard to the wing incidence of this kit. Although there is no degree of incidence mentioned in the instruction manual, people have stated it is -2 degrees. Is this correct? Some people say that this is correct and should be left so, while others say it should be corrected. Which is correct? What should the incidence be?
The strength of the tail section has been questioned also. Statements that it will break if built as a tail dragger have me worried, as this is what I bought this ARF for, a taildragger trainer.
Any comments and recommendations with regard to assembly will be appreciated. The info I got in a google search was lacking. Thanks in advance. Lee

I have seen the Ultra Stick fly and they are great. I have never heard of any needed modifications. I would assemble it as per the instructions and enjoy.

I have an Ultra Stick which is very similar to the Super Stick and it flies great as well.

The only problem with the Utlra Stick that I have seen is that the main landing gear can rip out on hard landings. Some of my friends use nylon bolts to hold the gear on. I used the supplied steel bolts and have not had any problems.

Let us know how it turns out. Have fun.

http://www.modelretailer.com/library...RCApril98.html

I'm putting a us120 together now. Good luck.

Do you have the 40 or 60? I am building the 40. I just put the horizontal stab on and it does seem a little weak. I followed the directions for joining the wing halves and it came out good.


Rick

I once had the 60 sized Super Stick...and it had so much negative wing incidence, I practically had to "scare it" up into the air. No Joke - I would get it up to speed, then either give it tons of stall-inducing elevator, or hit the bumbs at the end of the runway, and let it bounce into the air. Once in the air, it did fly great, was quite a performer...but the takeoffs were an experience. And the sticky back covering lasted about 45 flights before it started peeling back. Take clear packing tape to the field, you'll need it for covering repairs. And it since tail feathers are solid balsa instead of framed like the Ultra Stick, it weights more.

I've also flown the Ultra Stick 60, and it's a lot better plane...and not that much more in price. The only real advantage to having the Super Stick is Horizon has plenty of spare parts, likes wings and such...

Oh, and the tails are pretty brittle...I glued mine back together several times...

Mark

I have the 40 size and apparently made a mistake buying this one. All I wanted was a tail dragger to train on. Live and Learn.

I have had both the .40 and .60 size. I pinned the firewalls with 1/8" dowels, and tri stocked the vertical stabs. I don't recall if I did anything to the landing gear blocks.

Be advised that the C/G location listed in the assembly manual is INCORRECT! I no longer have my manuals with the correct C/G locations. I recommend that you contact Horizon customer support for the correct C/G location.

Good Luck.

Yes, I did beef up the firewall with a little fiberglass I had laying around. Although I did it because I was putting a YS 91 on it, and was worried about tearing it off. The YS did shake the hell out of it, put pulled it around nicely. The same 91 pulled the US 60 around a lot better...just my opinion.

Mark

What I can say about this plane is that - I made a WRONG purhase. This is not what I have expected from a Hangar 9. The Super Stick 40 is of a very low built quality. Reasons are as follows:

1. The wing incidence is not correct as per manufacturer fit. I have had difficulty in taking off this plane as it seems to hug to the ground. It will be lucky enough if the plane finally take off before you run out of the runaway.

How to correct the problem? When I purchased the Super Stick, I could say that I have very little experience in aerodynamic and theory of wing lift vs. thrust angle or angle of attack. But now after buiding and successfully fly my own design aeroplane and delta using a Coroplast material, I have gained some critical knowledge about it.

What you may need is either one of the following options:
a) You could set the wing to a + incidence ie. make the leading edge move a 2 - 3 degree up. You can simply put 2-3 screw washers at the front wing screw against the fuselage so as to increase the wing Angle of Attack.

AOA is one of the things that determines whether the wing is going up of going down. But REMEMBER, too much positive AOA can cause your plane to pitch up (nose up) as if it is tail heavy.

b) You can opt to put in some negative thrust to the engine. That means you are pointing/angle the tip of the engine towards the ground. Try put a 2-3 washer at the rear engine mounting screw so that the engine will point down towards the ground but again REMEMBER not to have so much down thrust, or it could make your plane pitching up too.

You have to try and experiment the above to get too your prefered flight character.

c) You may also try to droop the aeilerons (both of them) a few degree downward. BUT this is the most difficult to make it take off and I do not strongly recommend it.

2) The other reason I do not like the Super Stick is that the tail section is TOO fragile in such a way even you land it smoothly, it still break. I have to strengthen it several times as it broke several times.

My suggestion is DO NOT build it tail dragger. Use the front gear instead.

3) The plane is also hard to balance. It is nose heavy and I have to add in some weight at the tail section.

Flight character is not that bad. I can roll, loop, envert the plane as per my other plane, with the exception that it does not hover nicely. I believe this could mean a lot more trimming work to be done.

My final word is that, should you have a couple more bucks get a World Model Stick 40 and it is much easier to fly but it has a dihedral wing compared to Hangar 9 stick which is almost straight wing which is more prefered for aerobatic manuever.

HOWEVER, if you want a good cheap plane with so little headache and most importantly a 10 time more durable, then I would suggest you have a look at the S.P.A.D section of this forum. I used to have fun building a balsa plane but with the SPAD, I am wild with my dream plane. I can come out with a plane any design and try and fly it at will. Should it fail or crash, my only lost is time and could be a couple of propellar. The plane is durable and "bounce" back

I've had 4 Super Sticks and have only a few suggestions. reinforce the firewall and reinforce the tail before you put the feathers on. If you don't you will get cracks where your pushrods exit the fuse. If you want a inexpensive engine that will perform with this plane I'd suggest the tower 75. Seems to have just as much power as a 91fx juist half the price. Also adjust your CG back an inch farther than the book tells you.