ultra stick lite engine choice
 

yes, I've searched, but didn't see anything conclusive, plus I want an opinion with my list of engines

I'm wanting a ultra lite stick for my next plane, and I'm going to put a convert in it, here are my choices:

-Mac 32cc
-homie 25
-possibly homie 30 (need to pull the muffler off and see if it's a 25 or a 30)
-ryobi 31
-poulan 32
-old '80's zenoah 23 (guess) from a green machine weedie
-shindaiwa 25ish (not labeled and haven't disassembled)
-poulan 46

I'm wanting power on reserve, able to pull out of a hover, aerobatics, just an all around fun plane. I'm not afraid of trimming the firewall or moving servos to the rear. I'm undecided as far as gas/glow, magneto or EI, any of the three are an option on any of the engines. I'm thinking the ryobi and poulan 32 are going to be eliminated because of mounting difficulty, but I put them up there anyway

what would be your choice?

Thanks!

RE: ultra stick lite engine choice
 

My vote....Hommie 30cc. Capt,n

RE: ultra stick lite engine choice
 

A guy at the field has this plane with a G-26, it flys well but is no barn burner I agree with Captin at least a 30cc and a Homey is a good one. I have a Giant Big Stick that I flew on a Poulan 46, what an awsome plane! Ulimited vertical. The Poulan was a brute of an engine and the airframe soon began to show it. I replaced it with a 45cc CRRC. It still has great performance but not like the old Poulan!

RE: ultra stick lite engine choice
 

I just got a stack of weedwhackers,many of them Homies,how can you tell the difference between the 25cc and the 30cc?I also got a bunch of Ryobis but they had the displacement listed on the covers, but not so with the Homies,except for one.

J

RE: ultra stick lite engine choice
 

on the homelites, take the muffler off, the 30cc will not have a bridge in the exhaust port, the 25cc will, actually, if you look at just the right angle through the spark plug hole you can see the exhaust port too...

there's a guy I fly with sometimes with this plane with a G26, seems to have decent power, I was kinda thinking one of the ~30cc engines myself for the plane since that would be closer in par with the G26 than a 25. the 46 was a wild thought, I still have to get the carb adapted to the engine and it's pretty much ready to go.

Thanks for the input!

RE: ultra stick lite engine choice
 

Thanks for the info!

RE: ultra stick lite engine choice
 

The G-26 is a tough engine to compete with.
The Homie 30 probally will not have the power the G-26 has.

Find out how much weight up front you can live with and go as big an engine as you can.
Perferably a chain saw engine. They are in a higher state of tune than most engines.

RE: ultra stick lite engine choice
 

I flew my Ultra Lite Stik 120 with a souped up Homelite 30cc and it flew great. Pretty much unlimited vertical. My Homelite 30cc is all hopped up and turns an APC 16 x 8 at 9400 and so is a little more powerful than a Zenoah 26cc.

It was a great combo until I "dumb thumbed" it into the beach on a high speed inverted pass one day....

AV8TOR

RE: ultra stick lite engine choice
 

on yours did it still have the magneto or was it EI converted? I have some 25's sitting around I have been toying with and might try getting a cheap EI to try.

RE: ultra stick lite engine choice
 

Mine was with CH Ignitions electronic ignition. I never run magnetos. I like all the benefits of electronic ignition, or Gas/Glow.

My Ultra Lite Stik also had a smoke system. It was a lot of fun. To replace it, I bought a Giant Big Stik. I like it, but the aerobatics were a little more lively with the Ultra Lite Stik.

AV8TOR

RE: ultra stick lite engine choice
 

I have two Homelite 30's and two McCulloch 32's. The Homelites have more power but the Macs look more like intentional model airplane engines.

Right now lessor one of the 30's is on a Bridi Stick. It takes it for a good ride.

RE: ultra stick lite engine choice
 

av8tor, did you shorten the firewall at all? have to add any weight?

the homie in question will be inspected saturday or sunday, if it's a 30 it's getting stripped! if not, the mac 32 is probably going to get the EI I have sitting on the desk...

I have a 9Z radio, so I should be able to have some fun with this plane...

RE: ultra stick lite engine choice
 

well, the engine I was hoping was a 30cc is a 25, so I'll probably go with the mac or something, I'm probably going to push the buy button this week, when I get it I'll work more on the engine decision, see how it balances out with what combination

RE: ultra stick lite engine choice
 

The Homelite 30 on my Ultra Stik had electronic ignition, but I also had a smoke system installed. It flew great.

The Mac won't have the power of a Homelite 30. Maybe if you are comfortable with porting you can liven it up. It's an easy conversion.

AV8TOR

P.S. Forgot to add that no, I didn't modify the firewall. I did modify it in that I put the rudder servo in the tail. That way it balanced fine...

RE: ultra stick lite engine choice
 

if you can get a homelite 33CC from a chain saw go for it you will see and feel the extra torque and power I have one on a Ryan's Rebel that I sell and I can do anything that you ask on that plane (80" wingspan, 12-13 Lbs weight, 1300sq. in. wing area) these engines are very easy to convert and install I use a conventional Plastic engine mount, I'll see if I can post some pictures with my daughter's camera.

RE: ultra stick lite engine choice
 

I have a Ultra Stick that I have put a RYOBI in it. I relocated the firewall back about three (3) inches from original, and used a flat piece of aluminum for the motor mount. The carb protudes through the new firewall. This set-up did not require any additional weight on the tail to balance the plane. I have C & H electronic ignition, and a bigger carb (26 venturi). A plastic dish from Wal-Mart made a very nice cowl to top it off. I have ported the engine only slightly, and currently swing a 18X8 wood prop and produces 7300 t0 7500 RPM. This is an awsome flyer, with almost unlimited verticle. I am currently working on an additional engine that will be ported a little more, and will have a larger intake. Elevation here is 3700 feet. Rumor has it that you don't want to run a ROYBI over 7500 RPM. I will be testing that rumor with that set-up.

RE: ultra stick lite engine choice
 

I have a Ultra Stick that I have put a RYOBI in it. I relocated the firewall back about three (3) inches from original, and used a flat piece of aluminum for the motor mount. The carb protudes through the new firewall. This set-up did not require any additional weight on the tail to balance the plane. I have C & H electronic ignition, and a bigger carb (26 venturi). A plastic dish from Wal-Mart made a very nice cowl to top it off. I have ported the engine only slightly, and currently swing a 18X8 wood prop and produces 7300 t0 7500 RPM. This is an awsome flyer, with almost unlimited verticle. I am currently working on an additional engine that will be ported a little more, and will have a larger intake. Elevation here is 3700 feet. Rumor has it that you don't want to run a ROYBI over 7500 RPM. I will be testing that rumor with that set-up.

RE: ultra stick lite engine choice
 

ok, I pushed the expensive button... it's on it's way :)

Av8tor, or anyone that flies a large stick in a "spirited" fashon, what servos should I use? I looked at an online manual and it said standard, but is that really enough? I was thinking something around 100ozin and faster than a standard servo... opinions?

I'm going to wait on the engine choice for a little bit, but I'm leaning twards the mac, I started porting it a long time ago (it was my first conversion), need to go over it again and see where it sits... the muffler needs to be redone, I only put on one 1/2" tube, I now have some thinner wall stock and need to put two on...

RE: ultra stick lite engine choice
 

It can't hurt to put better servos in it, but I fly pretty agressively, and mine did fine with regular servos but running on a 6 volt battery pack...

AV8TOR

RE: ultra stick lite engine choice
 

that's what I wanted to hear, Thanks!

I knew you flew pretty agressively, kinda why I wanted your opinion... I've been flying the mini ultra stick for the last year and a half and that thing gets thrown all over... apparently enough to kill an aileron servo in flight :). I'm looking forward to a big plane that's as fun to fly as that thing...

RE: ultra stick lite engine choice
 

ok, I have the plane in house now! plane and servos arrived today, but no time to assemble :(, need to spend too much time repairing the rest of my planes for flying this weekend :) the plan is to spend both saturday and sunday flying, still have to program in one plane, fix it's tail, add some features to the program on another plane, get a prop adapter for yet another (lost the first one in flight) and screw it's motor down, and charge 7 batteries and a plane...

anywho, progress on the stick will start soon, probably start with moving the servos to the rear as far as I can, then assemble the wing, then figure out if I can avoid cutting the firewall off...

RE: ultra stick lite engine choice
 

I didn't have to cut my firewall, and I had a Homelite 30cc in it AND a smoke system. Just mount the elevator and rudder servos in the tail and you'll be fine.

AV8TOR

RE: ultra stick lite engine choice
 

sweet, I got a C cell battery (4200mah) for it, that should be a bit of extra ballast if I need it...

I'm really looking forward to flying this thing, be nice having a big plane that can fly crazy and calm...

RE: ultra stick lite engine choice
 

I definitely enjoyed mine.

Good luck and have fun with yours!

AV8TOR

RE: ultra stick lite engine choice
 

Just a few things I did to my Ultra stick just in case, I used carbon fiber for the front wing attachments, and beefed up the holes they fit into with an additional 1/4 inch plywood epoxyed in after I noticed the original wood dowells amd the holes wearing quickly. Maybe I am tough on them, but I wring them out ane have fun. It would have much easier to install them the first time rather than going through the trouble of re-drilling for the carbon fiber up-grade. flathead four

RE: ultra stick lite engine choice
 

so you used carbon fiber tube instead of the two dowels?

I was figuring on adding some extra support to the dowl pin hols up front for good measure

RE: ultra stick lite engine choice
 

I used carbon fiber with the dowel inside it. This is a big wing, and snap rolls put tremendous pressures on the wing and the contact points. I also discovered that the ruder helper was to much help at higher speeds, so either a very strong servo or a revamping of the helper size was necessary. I opted for both because comming out of a spin at higher rates of speed was scary, especially close to the ground. Otherwise, this is one really fun great flying machine. Oh, one other thing, I slowly peeled the the covering back and "GLASED'' the center section of the wing, just in case. HAVE FUN "FLATHEAD 4"

RE: ultra stick lite engine choice
 

one question about the gluing of everything, should I go ahead and use 30 minute epoxy, or Gorilla glue?

just curious, I've been using gorilla glue on all of my electrics and a trainer throughout the last year and have been pretty happy with it, but since the tail is just glued on this thing and I plan on throwing it around, I don't really want that to fall off...

went to the hobby shop and ended up with a pair of lighter foam tires, new tail gear (didn't like the looks of the stock piece), and a gallon of 10/10, I might just set this thing up as gas/glow and be done with it... I better get on that muffler and prop adapter!

RE: ultra stick lite engine choice
 

I do not have any experience at all with "GORRILA GLUE'. I guess that is something else I need to look into. I am sure that someone out there can be more help on this matter. FLATHEAD 4.

RE: ultra stick lite engine choice
 

GORRILA GLUE is great stuff.

If for some reason you want a stronger joint, mix the GG and a little water then apply it to wetted surfaces.

It doesn't get all of the bubbles in it and boy is it ever strong.

RE: ultra stick lite engine choice
 

ok, short of sticking the velcro on my reciever battery, taping the voltwatch to it's mount and routing the antenna through one of the old pushrod tubes this thing is ready to fly! ok, so some radio programming might be helpful...

it came in at 10lb 9oz dry with a 4200MAH 6v reciever pack, 7 servos (6 of them high torque), Mac 32cc engine set up on gas/glow with trimmed head. balanced to 4.5" (per recommendations on a thread on this plane here somewhere, book said 4.125") with no weight added with the battery mounted to the rear of the stock radio tray and the fuel tank (stock 21oz monster) mounted just in front of the radio tray.

RE: ultra stick lite engine choice
 

Good luck, and may your flights with this duo be many. I use a Futba 8 channel with the flaps and all, and set the dual rates rather low. I am glad I did, because with the extra power and torque, I had my hands full for the first couple flights getting everything trimmed. One thing I learned early on, these engines produce a lot of torque, so only seems natural that the plane will want to make a quick left turn if you give it full throttle right away. It takes me about 20 minutes to put 10 ounces of gas through my RYOBI, so you might want to go with a low load of fuel. I don't know how much a 32 Mac on gas/glow burns, just a thought.
Flaathead4

RE: ultra stick lite engine choice
 

took the plane to the field today, the rudder servo sucks, keeps doing it's own thing, so I need to go with a name brand servo over the hong kong servo... wish I would have put a 6 on that servocity order instead of a 5...

started it up, ran good for a little bit, was too lean, burnt the glow plug (knew I should have bought one more of those too)

one question, those of you running full time glow, are you just using an insulated aligator clip on the terminal or are you using one of the remote glow clips? I think the aligator clip is more of the "conversion" mentality, but wanted to ask

needless to say, it didn't fly today, but the guy holding the plane says he thinks it pulls more than the other stick that's around that has a 26 on it... so I'm looking forward to see it's performance in flight!

RE: ultra stick lite engine choice
 

Ok I finally got this thing maidened a week ago, took it out yesterday to play some...

Pics are finally taken, didn't want to jinks anything... as you can see, Idid a couple things to the engine, it runs pretty good for what it is. Ihad a couple dead sticks due to the clunk line falling off (the hayes line expanded a little and Ineglected to wire it on... the last flight Ilanded to tune a little and it was running for me so Ijust killed it... when tuned decent it has nearly unlimited vertical, will pull out of a hover and flies good, I'm getting more used to it and am sure I'll start liking it more and more, it flies like it's on rails! been a while since I've had anything that did what Iwanted it to when Iwanted it to (was tired of the yank and wait tendencies of my trainer).

I'm more confident and fulfilled by this thing now, not it'll just be nice when the ring finishes breaking in so it'll run more consistantly.

RE: ultra stick lite engine choice
 

Glad you got the beast running(0ops flying). FYI, I continued to have problems with a high end servo, then I figred out that I am fl;ying faster and with more power than intended.  Solution. I remodelded the Rudder so it dosn't have the helper. Now it flies more like  think it should, and I quit burning up servos. However, I got a little radical, and I think I broke the battery lead. anyway, it didn't land to good, so I am in the process pf remodelling it again. Have fun,   Flathead 4</p>

RE: ultra stick lite engine choice
 

I've put about a gallon through the mac 32 now on the stick and I get compliments and people impressed on how the weedie pulls the plane :). It still has some tuning issues but I found some junk in the carb screen so that was most likely the issue, the regulator needle was sticking open too... I'm liking this gas thing, and only having $75 in an engine where most people I fly with have at least $350 in their gas engine (other than the guy with the $140 15cc engine)

RE: ultra stick lite engine choice
 

I wouldn't mind having a Ultra Stick Lite. I have the original Ultra Stick 120 still new in box.

I have two Mac 32's with CH ignition looking for a home. Many more Mac 32 weedies in the corner of the barn

RE: ultra stick lite engine choice
 

I just wish I hadn't broken both of the APC props I had for this thing... they pulled much better and more efficiently than the dynathrust or whatever I have on there now (square tipped black) but when it runs good I can go straight up for a long time... I really need to sort out some programming issues so I can use crow and flaps and so forth