RE: U Can Do 3D as a trainer?
 

I think the helicopter pilot got hit in the head with the rotor blades one time too many.

RE: U Can Do 3D as a trainer?
 

lol lol lol lol lol :D

RE: U Can Do 3D as a trainer?
 

Just out of curiousity, how many people that responded in this thread have flown a UCD?

RE: U Can Do 3D as a trainer?
 

I have flown one.

This is a flying buddies of mine. Its the UCD .46 powered by a saito .91. I would get a lot lower and it would be super easy to get a tail touch out of but I didnt want to give my friend a heart attack :)

RE: U Can Do 3D as a trainer?
 

The UCD arf .40 is a heck of lot easier to fly then most trainers! Under a competent instructor it will allow you to learn good habits not bad ones. I have been flying now for only 3 months and flown a PT40, an Avistar 40, a US aircore Knighthawk, and the UCD. The UCD is the easiest to fly and land. It will fly where you point it and not wallow through the air like a pregnant hippo. I started flying the RF G2 sim before ever going to the field and the instructor said I was the best first time pilot he has ever had. If you want a trainer fly a good sim and then get a decent plane to fly at the field. I would have been very disapointed if I had bought a trainer the UCD had been a great partner in my learning process.

RE: U Can Do 3D as a trainer?
 

I own a UCD 46...and it is nicer than a trainer. I wish I had bought it first and saved myself the buttload of money I spent on a trainer. Come on guys let's get real here...no one can dispute that the UCD is big baby as far as stability goes under slow flight. Now what is all this talk about a trainer being more sturdy for crashes...HELLO PEOPLE...we are talking about rc airplanes...does the word BALSA mean anything to anyone...yes they (trainers, 3d, pattern, etc) are made mostly from balsa...and last time I checked balsa breaks the same on trainers as it does on any other plane. Balsa wasn't made for crashing in trainers or any other plane for that matter. Hey the UCD hardly stalls coming in at low speeds on a dead stick...it just kinda plops down gently. Anyway...the only difference between a UCD and a trainer is that once you learn how to fly...just crank up the throws and you're in there. If you crank the throws on a trainer...you still have to fight those silly tendencies in all your maneuvers. I think the UCD would even be safer than a trainer. For instance lets say you have a trainer and make the mistake of doing a roll to low to the deck. As soon as you are inverted your trainer has the built in tendency to meet the deck and you aren't careful that's exactly what you'll do. Had you been doing the same thing in a UCD at the same height...you loose minimum altitude and you survive. I don't think anyone can argue against that. By the way...let any instructor fly the UCD first and I bet they would prefer to train you on it vs. a trainer

RE: U Can Do 3D as a trainer?
 

Finally gutted the Avistar and installed everything into a Magic Extra. This Magic fies smoother, and is much much more stable than the Avistar ever was. Landings are a snap and at about half the speed of the Avistar, On low rates the plane is just as tame if not tamer than the Avistar. It is almost impossible to ding props or drag a wing into the ground while taxiing in any kind of wind. No disgusting nose dive tendencies while flying inverted as the two trainers I have flown had. The top speed is also allot less than the trainer and allows for much more recovery time if I get disorientated or the plane gets into any kind of extreme nose down attitude or a dive. Another thing I find very important is its ability to track straight and level at any speed or speed change with minimal trim change whereas the trainer climbed like a big dog during acceleration and descended even faster as I bled airspeed. As far as i am concerned this is the ultimate trainer. Had I known anything I would have saved the $$ and time and purchased this as my first plane. With very low rates it is easier to fly and much more forgiving than any trainer I have ever flown. So as I see it if the guy just low rates the hell out of it and has an instructor with him, preferably on a buddy box he will very happy and in no danger of losing his plane or hurting someone.

ZK

RE: U Can Do 3D as a trainer?
 

desertmike,

I fully agree with you on the flight qualities of the UCD. However, there is a difference in the build and design of a 3D craft v.s. a trainer. The trainer is braced so it will take a beating. The 3D planes (UCD included) is not braced and re-enforced in such a way. The fact is that the 3D planes are built light. They are built to fly not to crash. The trainers are also built to fly (in a most ungraceful manner) but they are built in such a way where they can take a beating. I have built both types of airplanes and I can tell you there is a major difference in the construction of the two. The other durability of the trainer comes in its shape. The box style fues. makes it easy to repair, while the 3D models generally require a more skillful approach due to the sleekness of their design.

So with this said, balsa does not break the same on trainers as it does on 3D planes.