Great Planes Ultimate?

[Eury]

Is anyone flying one of the new Great Planes Ultimates? I just got the first flight on mine today, DA50 on the front, Hitec digitals, and Fromeco batteries, and it's a great flying plane. I haven't weighed it yet, but I'm betting it's right about 15 pounds. It's slightly larger than the WildHare, and the construction is excellent. I especially like the captured thumbscrews in the interplane struts. This is one biplane that goes together as fast as a monoplane. I got it put together just as fast as the QQ Yak it replaced. I'm very pleased with it, everyone at the field commented that it looks much nicer and larger than it does in pics.

[Eury]

Here's a couple of pics of the maiden. The pilot is a cow.
Moo.

[Flyinrazrback]

Sweet! I love ultimates

[Dizzane]

Hey those are some nice photos! And a cool Plane!

[Eury]

Ya like that? I know a guy who's got a really big expensive camera. I wonder who that could be? We forgot to take the pic of the Ulti and your Yak on the runway today. Have to get that done later.

[SleepyC]

Nice plane... I like the scheme it looks great! I just wish they offered a few choices!

Is the field set up hard? Like making sure the top wing is aligned?

[bodywerks]

I have one, but haven't finished it yet. It is definitely a nice ARF. I origionally planned on putting a BME 55 on it but got tired of waiting, so I have the DA now. I am going to use the stock muffler, CF spinner, and did a dual aileron servo mod to it instead of using four servos to save even more weight. I am hoping for 14 pounds or less. There have really been no complaints on this plane in other forums, except some people having problems with the CA hinges, but I think it is a case-by-case basis. I still used the CA hinges but did them a little differently. Enjoy!

[SleepyC]

	Quote:
	and did a dual aileron servo mod to it instead of using four servos to save even more weight.

I think with the BIG torque servos available now, that seems like a good idea.
I mean if you use 2 of the 5995MG (#? I have them and never get it right...LOL)
thats 333oz per Ail set... which I would think is MORE than enough!

Good idea bodywerks!

[Eury]

Setup is dead simple. That's what made me get it, I'm a huge fan of Biplanes, but I hate all the time it takes to put them together. This is 2 nylon bolts on the bottom wing, 2 4-40s on the cabanes, then 4 thumbscrews on the interplanes. Everything aligns itself, and I can have it going in 5 minutes or so. I set it up with 5945s on the ailerons, 5985s on the elevators, and 5955 on the rudder. I did the CA hinges everywhere except the elevators, those got large scale Dubro pinned hinges, put in with gorilla glue. They are tough, I think I could swing the airplane around by the elevators and they wouldn't give out.

It certainly flies with authority. I have my 2 2400 Fromeco packs back behind the cockpit where I made a tray, and one 2400 and regulator up front behind the engine box, and it balances out dead center where GP says (although I didn't use the kit spinner, I used a lightened one I already had). The CG needs to go back, I've found with my previous Ultimates that they balance perfectly when you can go upright or inverted with no trim changes, and they don't get twitchy. This one still has a fair amount of pull inverted, but the range in the manual is about an inch and a half, so I still have 3/4" range back.

I'm having a friend cut some vinyl for me to liven it up a bit and personalize it. One thing is for sure, those stupid stars it comes with will never see the airplane. They make a classy looking scheme look cheesy. No thanks.

[bodywerks]

	Quote: Originally Posted by SleepyC
	I think with the BIG torque servos available now, that seems like a good idea. I mean if you use 2 of the 5995MG (#? I have them and never get it right...LOL) thats 333oz per Ail set... which I would think is MORE than enough! Good idea bodywerks!

Well, the manual calls for 75 ounces each for 3D aerobatics, so I just went with two 5945's at 180 ounces of torque. If I had the 5955's I would have used them but I am confident this will be enough.
I posted pics of the mod several months back, but here's the jest of it:
Basically, I found a rib near the center of the length of the aileron by shining a bright light throught the structure. Then cut a little access hatch to get to it. Drilled a hole through the center of the LE and TE, inline with the side if the rib, and slid a 4-40 rod through and epoxied it to the rib and hardened the LE and TE with thin CA. It's plenty strong. The reason for doing it this way and not just bolting some control horns to the ailerons and connecting them is because the geometry would be off and the ailerons wouldn't have the same travel. This way, both fulcrums are at the center of the hingeline and they both travel the same. I probably saved about 5-6 ounces with this mod.

[SleepyC]

Yea thats cool.
Nice one.

[Fishdeth]

I have one that I only have 2 flights on.
Hope to get some more time on her this weekend.
Mine sports a BME-50 with 5645s on the ailerons and 5945s on the rudder & elevators.
Even have a choke servo.
The Ultimate has ALWAYS been my favorite plane... be it full scale, models or R/C.

Jim