Hi guys, I thinking about buying this super stick http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products...ProdID=HAN1700 My LHS has it for $87.00. It will be my 3rd plane. I'm flying my trainer (goldberg eagle) and a S.P.A.D. debonair that I made some mod's to. I have a tiger60 kit almost ready. My question is will this be a good third plane ? or should I fly my tiger first then the stick. And next question is what is a good engine for the stick? I want it to learn some basic 3D stuff. What engine will have enough power to pull it out of a hover? It will be a while before I get to tring to hover and that kinda of flying but I would like to have to power in the plane when I'm ready.

The Stick would actually be more stable and forgiving than the Tiger 2. Sticks aren't really 3D planes. Rather, they're more for general sport aerobatics. So, any 3D capabilities a stick may have will be limited. Same with the Tiger, except it will have a narrower flight envelope that can more easily get you into trouble. The Tiger will be more likely to death spiral after an attempted harrier or hover. It will also land hotter because you have to keep the nose down to keep air speed up on final. The engine for the Stick will depend on which size you get, the 40 or 60.

NorfolkSouthern

Theoretically anything with a greater thrust to weight ratio can hover. I've seen a video around here of a Hobbico Avistar hovering! Some planes are just easier than others. The easiest are the profile planes such as the ones sold by Ohio Model Products or the Mojo series. I have a cheap ModelTech SU-31 Sukoi profile that is absolutely ballistic with an OS .55ax and an APC 13x4 wide prop. Anyway since you are asking about the Super Stick and I can only assume you mean the 40 size since that is what you linked to. An OS .55ax if you want to spend the money or a Magnum .52 with an APC 13x4w prop should hang that plane. If you really want to spend some cash though put a Saito .72 four stroke on it. While these engines will hover that plane it won't be easy unless your very skilled. I also agree with NS's statements that the Stick will be a more forgiving airframe than the tiger when you do practice these manouvers. However, I believe if you want to 3D... get a 3D plane since it is very difficult to 3D a plane that was not designed to do so. I wasted a lot of cash on sport planes that I liked the looks of (better than any profile) thinking I could learn to 3D them.

I am looking at buying the Super Stick myself. I have read alot of reveiws. They all say it flys great.......but......the covering is cheap. I plan to buy one anyway and when the covering gives up, it looks like an easy plane to recover. And I would like to try covering an airplane anyway.

I had one and it flew quite well, in fact it could almost be used as a trainer, but the horizontal stab was a solid slab of what had to be the densest balsa in existance making the plane so tail heavy that it needed a lot of lead in front of the firewall to balance at the proper CG. If you need to put that much lead up front, you may as well put a .60 on it and then the nose weight would at least be functional.
If you want to do 3-D, the Ultra Stik would probably be a better choice. It's designed to be light.

The Ultra Stick has flaps, in addition to the ailerons. It can be set up to do quite a few functions with a computer radio, one of which is the "crow", which causes the flaps to lower but also raises the ailerons. It's used as a speed break during dives, among other things. Or, you can set it up to do both full and half ailerons. I can see the full aileron feature as especially useful for 3D-type maneuvers. As Mr67Stang says, you can get an Avistar to hang on the prop with the right power system combo. The smaller control surfaces, however, will require more skill than something that's designed for the purpose. In your case, I'd invest a little more and get an Ultra Stick. I think it would give you more of what you want.

Another possibility that you may have overlooked would be the Hangar-9 Twist, which has a thick airfoil and large control surfaces. It's priced reasonably, and could even make a good "second plane" when the rates are dialed down. The Twist has introduced quite a few pilots to 3D.

NorfolkSouthern

I just got the lucky stick http://www.globalhobby.com/public/mo...ery/123710.asp
and so far it's going to together real good, the covering has no wrinkles and is tight.
Just a thought..

Having trouble figuring out the CG of my super stick 60. It says 1/8 inch behind main spar of wing. I have always measured my CG from the leading edge of my wing. My question is how far back from the leading edge of the super stick 60 is the CG to be measured?

Most .46 engines will provide a .40 ARF to hover, OS naturally is the all time favorite these days for the ease of tuning and rarely a deadstick. 12.25X3.75 is a good hovering prop for any .46 2 stroke, that's the key I think. I can't hover with a 10 or 11 inch prop as well.
You might consider the Funstar ARF, low price, stick looks, but far greater control surfaces to work with. These Phoenix models are Towers biggest and best kept secret. I own many Phoenix models and have enjoyed flying most of their whole product line that usually sits in the .40 size. The hinges are already installed and pinned, the engine mount is mounted on arrival, these throw together in 3 hours and I've never had a covering issue with any of them. I fly my Funstar regularly for a year now.
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXEDP0&P=ML
Phoenix Models Funstar 3D 46 ARF .40-.46,52.7"

$229 combo with AX. Attached is mine, still haven't bother putting on the cowl....