im looking to upgrade from my traner wanting to go into 3d

i have realflight g4 and can do just about any thing on a plane

thinking of getting the great planes u-can-do-3d 46

looks like a good choice y/n


please help



jesse





http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXDUL8&P=SM

The U-Can-Do 3D is a great plane. There are about 5 at my club, many of them are second planes. It will fly well (sport) with a 46, though maybe not do the best 3D. Drop in a Magnum .70 four stroke and it can hover nicely, and do anything you ask of it. You can kill the throttle anywhere in the pattern and gently come in for a smooth landing - it flies very well at slow speeds. I guarantee you will love this plane.

I wouldn't recommend the U-Can-do as a second pane.

First off, it has some huge control surface and is very responsive with a fast roll rate. This isn't what you want in plane number two. It will be a huge jump going from a trainer to this. You could minimize the throws to deal with this but only to a point. It's best to get something else.

Secondly, the U-Can-Do is prone to aileron flutter. You really have to manage the throttle. This isn;t something you want to have to deal with fresh off of a trainer.

I strongly recommend sticking with one of the more traditional "second planes". There is a good list here: http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_4537845/tm.htm

3-D aerobatics are cool but I'd learn more of the standard aerobatics and flight techniques first. This will make you a better all around pilot. Then when you are ready to give 3-D a try take a look at something like the OMP Edge-540 profile, Mojo, or something similar. These perform 3-D maneuvers better than just about anything out there and are great for learning.

As for proficiency on the simulator... they are great tools but not really equivalent to the real thing. A lot of people can get overly confident from their simulator experience and struggle in real life. I should know because I've fallen into that trap myself.

I really know nothing about 3D planes but a guy at my field let me fly around his H9 frenzy. It did whatever you told it and just stayed there. Very solid plane. And you could float the thing in at like 5mph. If your radio has dual rate and expo you can set it up to fly as tame as a trainer. People tend to get into trouble trying to learn the snaps, and low level hovering that does take a good bit of skill. Just take your time. Oh and the plane had a 1.20 4 stroke in it. Having a 3D plane doesnt mean you have to rush into everything 3D.

Jesse,
I fly electric so don't think I'll have any suggestions for you I'm afraid BUT however competant you think you are on a Sim a jump from a trainer to a 3D machine is massive, think I'd probably try and find something in between !!!!!!

I have to agree that 3D plane is too big of a step.
I am currently flying a Hangar9 Showtime (which is almost the same plane as the U-can do) and even on low rates it has an insane roll rate and even after about 25 or so flights the pucker factor is still there. I would not have been able to handle this plane as a second plane, no way.
If you want a good aerobatic plane that is more within reach try a Pulse or even Twist.

I've got to agree with ChuckW and Missleman, the U-Can-Do isn't a good second plane. For one thing, this plane is very tender and breaks easily. A person's second plane usually gets banged around more than their trainer did, and you are going to want a plane that can take the abuse. The U-Can-Do doesn't stand up to that abuse very well and you'll more than likely spend a lot of time repairing your plane.

Ken

I vote a Hanger 9 Tribute 36. We fly them with .46 engines or .56 4-strokes and have unlimited vertical whenever you want. The plane will do ANYTHING. Flat spins, knife edge, hover, perfect inverted, dizzy rolls and land at about 0.5mph....... amazing.

If you turn the rates down it's an impressively smooth and well-mannered, stable plane. They're cheap, small, and break down to just about suitcase size.

I will 2nd misslemans post by saying a twist 40. Its my 2nd plane after training on a mustang pts. It is a really fun plane to fly. It lands softer than a trainer. With a mild head wind, you can almost set it down like a heli. It would make a good entry level 3d type plane. Its not a speed demon though. Too much speed can lead to the covering coming off. Ive read several posts in the twist thread with this issue. I was advised, and would recommend the same to anyone using a twist as a 2nd plane, to fly on low rates until you get used to it. It will roll at an insane rate. Even on low rates. Its a fairly inexpensive plane to build but it can be a bit fragile. Its built light for the acrobatics.
This is my new plane of choice when I go to the field. It gets flown twice as much as my trainer, but I still have fun with the mustang.

You know, I hope I don't come off harsh here to anyone because I certainly don't intend too. My intent is to help people have a long, happy love affair with this hobby. I just don't understand though why people always want to ignore certain guidelines when learning to fly. Trainers are called that for a reason. Certain planes are recommended as good second aircraft for good reason too. I see a lot of people figuring they can get a Giant Scale P-38, a turbine powered F-18 or high performance Yak-54 for a first or second plane. They are just inviting disappointment and frustration. There are plenty of good resources such as your list, web sites, manufacturers recommendation, etc. that can help someone choose a good airplane for their skill level.

This information is compiled from a lot of people with a lot of experience. People new to the hobby should trust and follow it. Yes, there are innovations and things can change but the general progression of learning to fly exists for a reason.

I also don't understand the reliance on a simulator and the false sense of confidence it can cause. I can fly any of the jets in Real Flight pretty well. Does that mean I'm ready to go out and fly a $15,000 turbine powered F-15? Of course not. If I didn't soil myself on the first 200MPH pass, it would end up as a fireball on the edge of the runway eventually. Give me a few more years of experience though and it will hopefully be a different story.

If people followed sound advice on flight training and progressing to different planes, they'd probably save a lot of money and frustration by not crashing as much (that's not to sy crashes won't happen of course). I even see it t my own field. People will ignore the advice of very experienced, very talented pilots & builders. I suppose they do it because they don't want to hear what they are being told. They almost always crash their plane due to ignoring the advice they were given. Go figure.

When I was 16 and got my drivers license, I wasn't handed the keys to a 427 Cobra for a good reason. When a full scale pilot does their first solo, they don't tell him or her to go tear up they sky in a SU-31 or hit Mach-2.4 in a F-22. You have to progress and learn appropriately so you don't damage machinery, yourself and others.

That's not to say that no one can ever fly the wild 3-D planes, scale war birds or turbine powered planes. In fact, I'm saying just the opposite: learn to fly right so you CAN and WILL get there. Sure there are exceptions. Every now and then someone comes along with remarkable ability and aptitude. Those people are few and far between though.

My point is that people need to really listen to those with the experience and use the wealth of resources out there to learn how to do things the right way. Trust me, I've figured this out the hard way.

I think the excitement of the hobby has a lot to do with it. I remember asking about second planes, and wishing as hard as I could that plane XYZ could be recommended for plane #2, so I'd ask everyone and wait for the one or two people that said it was a good second plane. Luckily I didn't get XYZ, I listened to the people here and got a Dolphin low wing trainer.

I suggested the UCD as a second plane because there are plenty of people that show up to my field and tell me that's what I should be flying. I've seen it fly slow, with low rates and a 46 engine, and heard a few people say it was their second plane. But I guess they are the ones that said 'go ahead and get XYZ', and I guess I want to believe them. Of course I haven't seen them try to learn on these planes, nor have I seen them come down hard and need a repair. I guess anyone with years of flying experience can think a plane is incredibly easy to fly, because they forget they have such experience, and think anyone could fly it, which probably is the case here.

I'm sure there are planes that will make a good second plane that are not the normal second planes, and maybe that's what this thread is trying to find, such as the Twist - not often recommended for #2, but at least one experienced pilot, whose opinion I greatly respect, has recommended it.

It makes me think of playing guitar. I got a cheap learner's electric guitar, learned how to play Mary Had a Little Lamb, then wanted to play Stairway to Heaven. Of course you're supposed to learn to play first before you learn to wale, but the excitement of playing makes you want to skip that. Just like I didn't want to get half of the 'second planes' that came recommended - I wanted something that can rip and looks great, but we have to be patient if we want that bird and want to be able to actually do what it's capable of.

thanks alot i think i changed my mind looking at bthe hanger 9 f-22 raptor tranner




thanks
jesse

I know what you mean about the excitement. I went on a buying spree when I first started out. I had trainers, 4*'s, a Sukhoi, a Cub, a Rapture, a Somthin Extra, Little Extra, 1/2a P-51, Profile Hots and various other planes.

The Sukhoi was too much of a handful for me. Miraculously, I didn't crash it though. Not bad anyhow. I ended up selling it after a few flights. I could fly the wings off the Somthin Extra and Little Extra but couldn't land either worth a crap twice in a row. Same goes for the 1/2a P-51. The 4*'s and Rapture were what I really needed to stick with but I convinced myself I was bored and moved on too soon.

I figured out my mistakes a couple years ago, took a few steps back and my flying immediately got way, way better, especially the landings.

I've also owned a U-Can-Do. It is very light, with a thick airfoil & huge wing area. That makes it float like a blimp. It can be extremely responsive though. The huge ailerons fluttered very easily which can shake the plane apart. I've seen horizontal stabilizers break off of them too. Like RCKen pointed out, they are fragile. That's trade-off of the light weight, not a design flaw.

I've also had two Twist 40's. The first got destroyed when I dumb thumbed it doing a knife edge too close to the ground. I flew the second for a while but decided I didn't like it. It wasn't a great 3-D plane but was light and floaty like the U-Can-Do. It's a great fun-fly plane to be honest. It just didn't "fly" like a plane should to me though. It was more this really light thing with a giant wing being pulled around by the engine. It can also be EXTREMELY responsive and fragile. People do love them though, it's all a matter of preference. Regardless, I do not think it is a good second plane.

When it comes to 3D, one of the OMP profiles or something like a Mojo will make the U-Can-Do's and Twists look a lot less impressive. I had the OMP Edge-540 and it is an excellent airplane for a good price. It definitely isn't a second plane either.