I received my new ultimate from tower today and got some bad news. All the talk of lazer cut and fiberglass parts is all talk. Kit came with die-cut parts and abs cowl and pants. Are these plastic parts even worth spending the time putting together or does someone make a reasonable priced fiberglass alternative?
Thanks
Jeff

Jeff,

There are 2 kits that Goldberg offered. I never heard of any of them with lazer cut parts but one of the kits does have fiberglass cowl and pants and costs about $250.00. The other kit has the flimsy cowl and pants. I just finished mine, the same one you have. I couldnt find anything cheaper than the stan's fibertech cowl at approx $37.00. The kit was fine to build, even without being lazer cut. If you would like to know of any "mods" let me know.

Did you call Tower on it?? They are false advertizing if its not what they said or is this what they all are going to be?? I assume its got 54" wings instead of the 60+ promised?
Jeff

What engines are you guys putting into the plane?

I just bought an old kit here on RCU. I don't have mine in yet but I will be ordering a fiberglass cowl.
I remember reading a post about a fiberglass cowl from Canada for this kit. I'll look for it again.

Bipeflyer tell us about the mods

tonyc

Tower didnt have really anything about this kit on there web site. I had just read several posts on rcu about maybe it being lazer cut. No big deal maybe just alittle bit of sanding. So I take it that you guys wouldnt even mess with the abs stuff? I would like to get any mods for this kit that I can. I would like to go with two wing servos, any help with that would be great. My kit is a christmas present so I dont get to play till christmas. Oh I have a 90 enya 4c to put in mine. I am wondering if that is enough motor?
Thanks
Jeff

Stan's treated me great when I smashed the cowling on my Bucker Jungmann. He was happy to take my AMEX card and I had it about a week and a half later.

Fibertech wouldn't take my card and told me they wouldn't get it out to me for 3 weeks!
I ran to Stan's
SIDE NOTE- I was flying in the middle of nowher (300 acre sod farm). Right after we realized the plane was ok but the cowl was trashed the guy next to me says, "You should call Stan's. They do good work and ship fast." Now that's some grass roots promotion for you right there!

Mods for the ultimate:
Definatly 2 servos in the bottom wing, standard servo's are fine.

A 90 4C will work fine, I used a 91FX, I've heard that alot of people use a 120 4C.

Toss the lite ply ribs that have the mounting for the end-plane struts and make new ones out of 1/8 5 ply.

Make a doubler from 1/8 5 ply to strengthen the area where the Cabanes bolt into the fuse.

The steel wire that secures the top wing to the Cabanes is a clever set up and holds well but mine made a horrible rattle from engine vibration, had to do surgery to convert it to bolt onto the cabane.

Use 5 ply 1/4 inch for landing gear mount and reinforce with epoxy and tri-stock. Use aftermarket landing gear, I got mine from Moose Carbon-fiber for about $25.00. I also glued balsa to the landing gear, shaped it to an airfoil contour and covered it.

Use 1/4x20 nylon bolts for bottom wing mounting, I used 3, 2 in front and 1 in the rear. Use basswood in the wing in this area so bolts wont smash the wing when you tighten them.
The stock metal bolt set up is known to loosen in flight.

Use 4-40 rods from top to bottom ailerons.

Try not to add weight, I used 3/32 balsa to fill the large holes in the fuse, and basswood for leading edge of rudder and lower part of rudder, this contributed to having to add 6 oz of lead to the nose.

reinforce area where tailwheel bracket bolts to fuse and dont use the stock tailwheel, it can tear out or the rudder, I used a sullivan tailwheel bracket.

I heard of a book by Hayes called "building bipes" that has some mods just for this plane, wish I would have looked at it.

My plane came out at 8.5 lbs. Flies great, good power. With the recomended elevator throw for first flight, the plane barely made it off the ground, using the higher rate would be best to start with, aileron throws for begining worked ok.
If I think of anything else I did I'll let you know.

I emailed tower about there ad in tower talk stating that the kit came with fiberglass parts. There reply was that goldberg use to use fiberglass and have gone to the abs, but will probably offer the fiberglass in the future as an add on.
Jeff

I would be a little ticked off if they told me that after I ordered my Goldberg.

Remember, Goldberg is long gone and the kits now available with that name are being made by Lanier.

RCPAUL

I have an OS 120 pumped version on mine - -super engine, and replaced the stock landing gear with one from TNT - works the nuts plus cowl and wheel pants from Stans. This is one plane that is on rails - - but I can't find them.

I have read the above metions modsto the plane and am wondering if any onthers are needed. I want to start it right. I am thinking of leaving the knockouts in the rear of the fuse and putting servos back there for the elevators. I am thinking 2 standard BBs should be enough for the eles and I will putt a pull-pull in for rudder with 100+ oz servo and 2 servos in the wing. Will standards be enough for the ailorons?? I hope to power it with either a 1.08 2 stroke or a 120+ 4 stroke (still undecided on that). Sounds like is should come in around 8.5 lbs and I want to make it 3D capible. Is there anything I am missing for mods or ideas you guys may have?? I want to start it right and not have to change something later on.
Thanks for your help
Jeff

Maineflyer;
I will start building mine soon, I think you have one too many servos for the elevator. This is a small plane, one servo would be plenty, IMO.

tony

I was thinking about using 2 servos for the tail so that I can use short tight linkages. one for each side of the elevator. I plan on flying 3d with the plane. What does everyone else think??
Thanks
Jeff

OK
Before you start on this plane get Harry Higleys Book on Bipes> I read it about 4 times before I started it, And I did almost every modification that he called for. I have a 120 OS in mine and a smoke system, You can see this plane in the Members Pictures. Higleys book really tells you alot of special add on for this planes Such as replacement of the lite ply fire wall w 1/4" aircraft ply. how to make the hatches for the wing servos.
( much better approach than Golbergs plan show) make sure you replace the landing gear. if you replace anything make sure of this. Fiberglass Specialties has the cowl. wheel pants and the replacement landing gear. If you have any questions let me know.

The Dibo

Dibo,
where can you get the book?? I am very interested in it. I want to look everything over before building the plane. will the 1.20 give you unlimited verticle?? I am still deciding on a motor. Let me know what you think on that?? thanks for the help!!
Jeff

Well, I have a 90 4 stroke that I had planned on putting in this plane but the more posts that I read it seems that most guys are running a 120 size. what do you all think about the 90 size? I hate to have to spend another 200-300 for a 120.
Thanks
Jeff

I have heard of others that thought that this plane didn't fly that well. Everyone of them said they had put a smaller engine in it.
I highly recommend the 120. I put and OS 120 with a slimmline smoke muffler. Is a great plane with that combo. the difference in the price between the 91 and the 120 is about 100 give or take. Higley's book can be bought through Tower I am sure. You have to build up the firewall and the stringers as he suggest for the 120. Also this engine helps to balance the plane, it needs nose weight so stick it out as far as you can get it. Without making it look lousy. Why add weight latter when you can do it w the engine. I did almost all the changes Higley talks about.

DiBo

Dibo, you talkin about a 2 or 4 stroke 1.20?? I assume its a four stroke but want to make sure. I am thinking about a 1.08 2 stroke. I would like to go with a four stroke but don't know about the extra money. Does your bipe have unlimited verticle? I will look through tower or have the LHS get one for me. so you lengthened the nose to balance the plane?
thanks for the help
Jeff

No I didn't lengthen the nose. I just made sure the engine was out on the mounts as far as practical, I am talking about a 120 4 stroke. And yes has unlimited vertical. I covered mine with super shrink and paint so is a bit heavy. So I assume yours will even be lighter.
The DiBo

I am on my second GB Ultimate. The first had an OS 1.20 Surpass 2 that flew awesome right off the board. It had amazing unlimited vertical and would lamchavac (spelling?) easily from a 45 degree knife edge entry.

The mods I made at the time were some as those already stated above and as recommended to my by someone who talked to Dave Patrick about it. I don't know if that was all true or not but I followed the advise given to me and it all came out good. I replaced the firewall with 5ply birch. Left in all the lightening holes around the firewall, behind the aft end of the wing on the bottom, and around the tail. I believe I also left in some/alot/all of the lightening holes in the wing ribs too. The cabanes come with a balsa vertical stiffiner and replaced it with some spruce of the same size. All of the 2-56 rods were replaced with 4-40 rods. I also strengthened areas requiring it by installing tristock balsa like the firewall and the landing gear plate and the wing bolt plate.

My second one I just purchased the ARF kit about 6 weeks ago and am fighting more than I remember on my first. I just assembled it and didn't replace the 2-56 rods. It has a YS .91AC for power and while strong and offering unlimited vertical (no other .91 besides the new YS .91's will do this I believe) it is a real slow vertical climb to out of site - not quite the power of the 1.20 in the first one. I cannot get this one to lamchivac for me. I have moved the CG back to somewhere around 1/4 - 1/2 inch behind the ARF's plans called for aft CG range. The tail kicks around 1/2 way then stops and will not complete the tumble. I am afraid of moving the CG aft further. I think I will next try replacing the tail's 2-56 rods with 4-40 ones first as maybe they are bending under that load and flattening out the elevators. I do have one repair to make to the kit. I found out after flying the last weekend that one side of the wing hold-down plate in the fuse has come free - thank god it was a bipe and the other wing helped hold the lower wing on. I need to reglue it and put some tri-stock there.

Oh, I forgot to mention. The ARF version of this kit has fiberglass cowling and wheel pants so they should be availible unless they were dropped when Lanier bought GB. Looking at the parts list here is the info:

P/N Description Price
------------------------------------------------------
6101 Fiberglass wheel pant - left $22.00
6102 Fiberglass wheel pant - right $22.00
6103 Fiberglass cowl $50.00

Quite steep in price but they are pre-painted in the ARF version with the stripes applied so that might be the case in the replacement parts and why the price is so high.

I am still looking for an engine for the plane. I have an option on a Saito 150 for the plane for $250.00 the gentleman who owned it passed away and only ran a couple of tanks through it on the bench. I am concerned that this is too much for that size plane and prop clearance could be an issue. What do you guys think?? does a standard 1.20 give you good verticle acceleration out of a hover?? Waht will the plane come in at for weight ?? I think it should be under 9 lbs.
thanks for all the help
Jeff

I think it would be too much. I have the Saito 180 which is the same size and a little more power than the 150. I also have the OS 120. On the Ultimate I am building I will put in the 120. The Saito 180 and the Saito 150 are both great motors but way too much viberation for this size frame. I have had the 120 in the Cermark Pitts and that was just a great combination.

tonyc

I bought one N.I.B. from a "retired" flyer for a measly 90 bucks! And he even threw in a built and covered Sky Tiger for my 7 year old son! (who is flying a 4 star on his own.) It's my x-mas vacation project. CAN'T WAIT!!!