my parents got me the Easy Fly 40 for christmas...after learning to fly on a Tower Trainer 40 with my older brother...we put the Easy Fly together...this kit had the crappiest pushrods we have ever seen...they were so thin and flimsy...we couldn't get them to work right so we had to buy the goldburg pushrods...anyway...we kinda put that fact aside and didn't worry about it anymore...until he bought his Hangar 9 Ultra Stick 60...came with the exact same pushrods...anyway...it ended up he was talking on the phone to this company...when he said something about the pushrods they said...we try and put a cheap trainer kit together for a beginner...I was just curious if the Ultra Stick 60 was a trainer kit...does anybody else have a problem with the flimsy pushrods???

I will replace the push rod on all my planes with goldenrod or fiberglass push rods just to be sure I wont have any problems. I tried to use what was in a kit one time and IT broke when we were breaking in the motor. we were real lucky on that so I will replace most of the kit parts when I can with better parts just to be on the safe side....

Don't know what Hanger 9 Ultra Stick you bought, but the one I assembled had pre-installed pushrod guides and came with solid wire pushrods. They were very easy to install -- need a little bit of bend on the tail side, and operate the 3D surfaces with no problems. Of course I am running Hitec 605s for rudder and elevator.

The only equipment that came with the kit that was totally useless was the fuel tank. I replaced that with a 16oz Sullivan rectangle tank -- fit in compartment with no problems.

The only other problem is the landing gear mounting. The HARDWOOD block provided inadequate support and resulted in a total failure of the landing gear during a relatively uneventful moderate landing. It is now augmented with a lot of epoxy and carbon fiber cloth.

This is probably the best airplane I've own PERIOD.

Though it is relatively easy to fly, it is a fully acrobatic 3D-capable airplane and is not what I would consider as an ideal 2nd plane.

I agree and (respectfully) disagree with Hilleja's post.

I agree with the statements about the kit contents. I have had no trouble whatsoever with the pushrods in the kit (with a little custom bending). I also agree the the plane is very capable aerobatically. And based on Hilleja's early post, I reinforced the landing gear areas and have had no problems (but that may be because this plane lands like a feather).

Where I would disagree is the comment about a second plane. On low rates, this plane is really tame. Great on the ground (first tail dragger), easy and stable takeoff's, tracks great in the air, handles the wind great, lands slower than a trainer, and almost will not tipstall. Not to mention the great 60/90 size. Also, this plane will accomadate as wide a range of engine sizes as I may have ever seen.

Now on high rates (as published in the manual or even more) the plane is very agile. Tumbles, snaps, spins, whatever (minus knifedge) and might be too much for a second plane.

But what a great second plane proposition!

Just start on low rates - for get crow flaps, get used to it, hone your skills and steadily tune the plane as your skills increase.

It really is a great plane.

I have the Easy Fly 40, and the US 40.

Being my first plane, I thought the pushrods were quite flimsy looking on the EF40, and replaced them with CF pushrods.

Next plane was the US 40, built it with the crappy pushrods, and haven't noticed a problem yet. I fly the heck out of my US 40, and the only problem I have had is that the landing gear mount block tore out on a semi-tame landing (which many others have echoed). After reinforcement, no problems.

Are they a trainer? Depends on the person learning.

Tim

And I respectively agree with RSchrock 100%.

That doesn't mean I'm ready to contradict myself. I just feel your second plane should be a basic aerobat, a high wing or a low wing, a nose wheel or a tail wheel. Having said that were does the Ultra Stick 60 fall in. I guess you could set it up as a basic aerobat, but why -- it is so much more and a relatively new flyer is not going to be ready for it?

A 2nd plane flyer is also a 2nd plane assembler and probably still using his/her original trainer radio system. My first Ultra Stick was setup on a Prism 7. I set it up as a full-span airlon ship because I knew the radio wasn't up to the Ultra Stick antics. I still was able to play with flaperons but really didn't get into them because this was only my 4th airplane and approximately 4 months after graduating from my trainer. My 2nd airplane was a very FORGIVING Ugly Stick that taught me basic aerobatics. My 3rd airplane was a Joss Stick -- my first airplane with dual airlons and my first airplane that was setup with flaperons.

I've had a total of 4 Ultra Sticks. My 1st 3 where 120s with an OS FX 1.60 on them. They were great crowd pleasers but I never really flew them, they were glorified simple aerobats -- I was still learning and wasting their capabilities.

It is now just over 2 years since I got back into this hobby and I recently finished my 4th Ultra Stick. This one is the 60 version with a Saito FA-100. With several months of Ultra Sport 40 and Fun Tiger flying under my belt, I can finally take advantage of this plane and have been throwing it around the sky with abandom. Prior to this point in my expertise I was not capable of really enjoying this type of plane and would not recommend it to someone else who is also not ready to totally enjoy it.

So you see, I recognize that you can make this airplane a gentle aerobat, but you are wasting it doing so and there are other basic aerobats out there that are cheaper and easier to setup -- don't forget the complexity and cost of putting together a 7-servo system. My 1st radio was a Tower Hobbies System 3000 4-channel -- not even. My 2nd radio was a Hitec Prism 7 -- fun but still not even. My 3rd radio was a Hitec Eclipse 7 -- almost there but no cigar. My 4th radio and the one I use now with the Ultra Stick is a Futaba 8AU -- everything I want for now. My 5th radio is a Futaba 9C -- its in the hanger but I haven't figured it out for the Ultra Stick yet.