Hey folks i am going to purchase a yellow aircraft cap 232 with a saito 100 motor all digi servos jr switch with charge jack complete aircraft. Looks real nice and never been flown is it worth 500.00. I have been flying helis for years now and am getting into planes but don't know to much. It is not to much plane for me considering never flying a plane i took my buddies extra 300 s with an 83" wingspan and brought it right into a stable hover and then landed with out flinching. SO what is a good cheap radio for this thing with expotential settings? Thanks for any Help.

I wouldn't go cheap radio. You can use the radio for a long time. What are you using for your helis? I like the 9C. I fly helis, gliders and power on it. One radio, six Rxs and I can fly just about anything I have.

Watch for tip stalls on landings with the cap. It can bite you pretty easy.

The price sounds pretty good if it is all new and straight. Have a ball.

I use the 9 chp for my helis as well . Is there different funtions on airplanes or is it just throttle hold and idle up in diff places?

You just take the 9C out of heli mode and put it in Acro mode. complete different mix program sets. Read the 9C manual (if you lost it, you can download it, there's a link on Tower's ad for the radio)

Generally the idle hold and idle up are just heli settings. If you are properly flying the plane you vary the throttle throughout an aerobatic maneuver to maintain a constant airspeed.

Caps are generally considered WAY advanced for learning to fly fixed wing. Learning basic level flight and how to handle loss of engine are better done with a plane that has a better chance of recovering from a mistake is preferred. You may be fine as long as the prop keeps turning... but lose power and you could be in for a costly lessson.

Yeah but if you read my opening post flying is no problem whatsoever for me. I was inverted with my first heli in 1 month (hovering inverted and all ways of flight down. I gues i am 1 of the lucky naturals fell in love wiht rc flying right from the start and planes are just looking cooler and cooler every time i see them fly. Just a stupid question but did you ever take off running after your bird when the engine cut up high and tried to catch it before it hit the ground. Because i seen a successful attempt by a member in our club last summer. Funniest thing i ever seen , i **** you not...!

Any pilot's worst enemy is overconfidence. It has killed more pilots and destroyed more models than any other cause.

I agree with FHHuber. I am in no way knocking your talents and abilities. If you really want that plane go ahead and buy it. But save it for later. I will not insult you and suggest a trainer. But have you thought of a nice advanced plane? How about a Golberg Tiger. Either the Tiger II or the 60. They fly great and will give you all the fun you want. They are also slow and smooth enough that if you get into an unfamiliar situation you will have a chance to save the plane. Flying a high performance plane like the Cap may be easy for you. But the unknown will bite you in the butt. I would hate to see you destroy a nice plane. These are just suggestions. Take a good look around here for threads on second planes. You will find something that will make you happy and expand your horizons.

Mark Shuman

Well i am going to have to take your advice. The cap is really really nice plane Yellow aircraft with saito 100 motor twin cylinder. all digi servos. I would really be upset if i did smash it. So therefore i will buy a cheaper advanced plane with good slow flying abilities, (big wing area i want?) I will check out those kits mentioned in the above post. Thanks for all the help. Fhhubber never took offense i appreciate your feedback . TY all

Some other planes that are an absolute BLAST to fly and will perform any aerobatic maneuver known are the U CAN DO and the Kyosho Flip 3D. They are also pretty forgiving, not prone to tip stall at all.

You'll see in a post on how long it took to solo... I went 14 years bringing home bags of balsa (well usually just something relatively minor broke... but always something broke) every time I went to fly.

No one was quite as blunt with me about needing to not be overconfident... and to fly something that was within my capabilities.

If being blunt saves you from breaking as much balsa, it wass worth what it took to get the point across.

You mean you were serious? The opening post stating the high value of your plane and asking for a cheap radio to fly it had me fooled there.

Anyway, if this is for real, the Tiger II advice is definitely a good idea... other planes in its performance class include things like the Four-star 40 or 60 and the Venture 60. Other options are an Ugly Stik (of one flavor or another... there must be a zillion copies and variations) or a SIG Somethin' Extra. Any of them are good for getting the feel of aerobatics once take-offs and landings are a doable thing and all of them slow down enough to give you some reaction time til you get accustomed to things (well, they slow down if you let them... but whether you want to do it the easy way or do it the hard way is up to you).

Oh it was definatly real, i just don't know much about planes. I have a Futaba 9CHP for my helis and thought i couldn't use it on airplanes. But now i know you can i am going to use that for my palnes as well. I purchased a U CAN DO this morning . should be here soon. What is a good motor for that plane, Real reliable not worried about power since i have the cap for that. Which will be grounded till i learn what i need to not smash up my good plane. Some people were telling to use some type of wire instead of metal rods for linkages? The cap has some wire on it to . Thanks for the help guys especially Fhhhubber i was gonna go fly the cap, probably only once too pe@ce

Very Cool.
Which Size did you buy?

If you bought the .46 size I would say go with a four stroke minimum .72 size or maximum .91 MAX, some guys are doing it buts its a lot of engine for the .46 size plane.
If you bought the .60 size and you have the $$ I would go with a Saito 100 or a YS 1.10, either will turn the U CAN DO into a 3D beast.
I personally didnt have the cash at the time and went for the OS .91FS Surpass w/o the pump. THe fuel tank is mounted in the nose. It is MORE than enough engine for Torque Rolling, Knife Edge Loops, any vertical maneuver you wanna do, but I am at sea level, you may need more power if you are at higher altitude.
The other engines I mentioned will rocket the plane out of a hover and give you MEGA vertical, but they are really overkill under most normal conditions.

Go check out the 3D forum on this site. There are several threads about U CAN DOs that have literally THOUSANDS of replies that cover almost any conceivable question you may have about the plane. I am on my second one, so feel free to PM me or email I would be glad to answer any questions I may have.

Also, I have a 9C and I can probably help you setup your radio to get a good jump start on the funtions you will need to setup for the plane.

Great sounds like a pretty decent plane. I bought the .46 size UCAN DO. I have the saito 100 twin cylinder motor in my YA Cap 232 that im not gonna fly for a while. When my buddy flew the cap today in 32 degree temps it was amazing. Wish i could of got a video with the powder snow blowing around when he hovered it with the tail a 1/2 inch above the top of the snow. So i will go with the saito 100 for the U CAN DO to. If i run into any stumps i'll get in touch. Thanx for the help guys , cant wait for the plane to arrive. Oh i have 4 spare Futaba S 9253 digi servos from 1 of the helis i terminated from my fleet into power cables earlier watching the cap roll. Dumb mistake thank god it was the rapto .30 V1. But anyways the will be excellent in the U CAN DO right ?

Your heli experience will give you some advantages in learning to fly fixed wing, since the fixed wing and hely fly similarly if you compare level forward flight.

That means you already know how to deal with control reversal, and can probably do well at flying around the trafic pattern.

Learning landing on the other hand... its a whole different approach.

Also, the fixed wing plane tends to fall out of the sky if it quits moving forward.

To land:
The heli you fly in above where youwant to set down, convert to hover by pulling the left stick back, adjusting collective and then pushing the left stick forward (again adjusting colletive) then just hovering on down.

The fixed wing you fly with the wind reducing power, judge when to make the 90 deg turn to base leg, pulling power back more, then turn to final, and may pull power back all the way to idle, and guide the thing smoothly onto te runway. You have to remember to maintain flying speed... and you have to be accurate in you judgement of when to make those turns in order to put it on the runway smoothly.

2 different skill sets. (both only summarized...)

The U-Can-Do will probably not give you problems anywhere but landing. Its not something I would have recommended... but, I'm sure you've seen the normal trainer model recommendations and you appear to have decided not to bother with one.

I strongly adise getting some help leaning to handle stalls and landings.

LOL, Now ya got me nervous about rackign up the UCDO3D on mu first landing. I completely understand what you saying about it falling out of the sky which would probably do a noser on landing and some significant damage. So maybe i will complete this and hang it next to the cap, then buy a used trainer that my wife can learn on too. She won't touch the helis lol .

Rozzi,
Dont worry, they land pretty easily actually, its not prone to stall at all if its balanced correctly. If you havent flown the U CAN DO you cant understand how gentle they are for such a wildly aerobatic plane. Its not as easy as a trainer but its much easier than a thin symmetrical airfoil. As long as you dont pull the nose up and stall you will be fine. They will allow fairly slow landings as long you keep the nose level and the plane moving forward. Im telling you you will be shocked at how docile the U CAN DO will be compared to other planes, I know I was. Its 10 times easier to fly than my profiles and Edge type planes.
I would definitely get someone experienced to trim it for you on the 1st flight. Let them take it off, trim it and land it and see how it behaves. They can tell you what to expect.
Generally once the plane is trimmed it will fly level with very little input, you wont have to fight it to keep it level. Some planes you have to constantly stay with them to maintain level flight.

Heres the key to a SMOOOOOTH landing,
Start off with the recommended CG, moving the CG back will make landings more difficult and stalling a bigger problem.
..Practice your approach several times just as was mentioned before, but dont land on the 1st try unless you are deadstick and absolutley must. Get a feel for the sink rate once you cut the throttle to idle on final approach.

..CRITICAL -Work on making your final turn correctly (proper line, elevation and speed to hit the spot on the runway you want.
Heres the trick. Remember this is my opinion, how I was trained to land and it works SO well.
Stand with your shoulders parallel to the runway, your final turn should be maybe 3-4 clicks above idle IF that much and ends up about 30' above the ground and about 75 yards from the end of the runway. DO NOT FACE THE PLANE, face the runway and turn your head to look at the plane with your shoulders lined up with the runway.
You FINAL turn to line up on the runway should be made so that with your shoulders parallel to the runway the plane is just behind your shoulder,, which shoulder depends on the wind. The key is that the plane should be slightly behind your shoulder as it comes in line with the runway. This is the easiest way to get a good depth perception angle to hit the centerline of the runway. If you line up early you can still land but its going to be harder to judge how far in fron of you the plane will touch down. In grass its easier to fudge, if you have a landing strip you will see what I mean. Like I said, I personally have found that a ballpark of 75 yards out and 30'-40' high is the best spot to be as you line up on the runway.
..As you make the final turn cut the throttle to idle, focus, make SMALL corrections on final approach to keep the wings level and the nose level to VERY slighty down, if you line up correctly the plane should very nearly fly itself in at idle providing there are no updrafts or downdraft tendencies at you field in the appraoch areas, even then tiny corrections will get you on the ground. The best handle for controlling approach sink rate is tiny throttle corections, NOT elevator. However as, the plane settles in and gets 2-3' above the ground ease in very very tiny bit of elevator and control the descent. when the plane is about 3" above the ground use the elevator to glide 3" above the ground as long as possible, but DONT pull the nose up. If you do it right the plane will touchdown anyway but will make for a smooooth soft touchdown. Let it coast to a stop. Kill the engine and go get your plane. Do not try steering the plane around on the runway after landing. Eventually you probably will anyways, but I find that I am more prone to tear up my plane while taxiing than I am by crashing in flight.

If by accident you give too much up elevator on approach and the plane darts upward, just ease in about 1/4-1/2 throttle, level the plane out and fly back around. Dont try to force the plane down, if its running out of gas or deadstick just keep the nose level to slightly down and let it ease down to earth. The most common place to tipstall is on the bounce, if the plane bounces up more than a foot or 2 throttle out and fly around for another approach, dont force the plane down after a bounce. If the engine is dead and the plane bounces, just level it out and let it glide down easy. The 3" rule I mentioned before is the key to bounce free landings.

For aligning the plane off my shoulder I imagine a line that extends off of my shoudlers infinitely, parallel to the runway. As I make my turn to line up on the glide path, the plane is just behind that line.

Trust me you are gonna have a blast with that plane. Soory for the length, I didnt realize I had typed so much.

Something else.
DOnt use the 2-56 pushrods that come with the ARF, they are too flimsy and flex a good bit. Go with 4-40, you wont regret it.

You had said something about servos.
I would go with the fastest 60oz in servos you can afford for everything but the rudder. For the rudder I would look for the fastest 90+ oz in servo you can afford.

It requires 6 servos
2 elevator
2 aileron
1 throttle
1 rudder

Heres a good review with lots of details
[link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/magazine/article_display.cfm?article_id=187]U CAN DO .46[/link]

I wasn't saying you CAN'T go directly to the U-Can-Do. Just it would be a very good idea to get some help learning the areas which will be different from the heli. The light weight of the 3D/fun-Fly plane has its advantages. The controls can be initially set at the mild rates listed... and you can have success.

One thing to watch for is.. a heli's roll response is not dependent on forward airspeed. The fixed wing's roll response is VERY dependant on airspeed. there is a speed right near stall speed where the ailerons can seep to be acting backwards... and attempting to use more aileron to force the desired direction results in a spin almost every time. Finding out about that on a landing approach results in a broken model.

Its things like that which are why I advise getting a bit of assistance.

I Understand FHHuber, we are both just trying to help him out. I was just trying to make him more comfortable about his purchase. If it were me picking for him I would be buying a dihedral flat bottom wing trainer. But if hes gonna leap out there, this may be the most versatile forgiving plane he can get other than maybe a Sig LT40, that is,,, in my opinion.

One other thought...

It's pretty easy to get a used single-cylinder 2-stroke engine that'll haul the U-Can quite well for way way under a hundred dollars... and of course such things are usually reusable, like if you were to put together a pure trainer for the wife. You might want to consider picking one up for the U-Can-Do because the value of your airplane is way way less than the value of your twin-cylinder four-stroke engine... so using a good inexpensive engine will protect you from the worst loss in case of a bad landing or other mishap.

Man that is alot of good info guys. I have a few friends who have been flying planes since we were little boys(not to little) like 15 , 16. But they are so happy that i finnaly am going to planes because not one of em can fly my helis without putting it in good. But man when it comes to planes they never cease to maze me. So they are gung ho on getting me going. I bought a T6xas with a trainer cable so i can hook up to their tx and they take it if i loose it in the air, and they can also land it till i feel comortable. I will take your advice on the linkages to. Thank you all very much a huge help. Went from planning on flying my 1 good plane to another pretty decent plane UCDO3d which probably saved my cap for another day lol . Appreciate it tons

Sounds like you've got a good plan going there. BTW, how's the weather your way... I used to live in Rome, NY... and we did get a bit of weather up there this time of year!