Hangar 9 46% Ultimate

[Edge_Pilot]

Well I got to the field yesterday and put mine in the air for the first time. Now I understand why so many people like these planes. I balanced it dead on the manufactures specs for CG, I think it is a little nose heavy for my liking. I moved the battery back when I got home for next time out. I have never had a plane that would do vertical snaps so well while maintaining the vertical up line. Knife edge flight was a breeze, even extremely slow high alpha knife edge. Harriers were as solid as it could get, no wing walk what so ever. Rolling harriers were easy to get use to immediately, no bad tendencies what so ever. I believe these will even slow down even further with the CG adjusted. I know I only have a couple flights on it but I can see this plane being my new baby of anything I fly. It was well worth all the work recovering it, and if (when) I buy another one, I plan to strip it from the get go and redo the whole plane from brand new.

[hbutler]

Guys...

It's decision time for me. One of my choices is the ultimate. Really would like to go this route as the price is right and the plane is great. My primary concern is transporting the plane.

The pictures that I've seen( including the manual) leave me with the impression that the tail feathers can be removed. Can someone confirm? Secondly if the can be removed how much additional setup time will that add?

[cliff600]

They can definitely be removed. I don't remove mine, but I am gonna guess about 15 extra minutes. Gotta un hook the rudder and elevators from the servos. That is where the time is.

[Edge_Pilot]

My tail is glued on, I have a trailer so transporting is not an issue. Personally I wouldn't like unhooking the linkages and hooking them back up every time I went flying.

[hbutler]

	Quote: Originally Posted by Edge_Pilot
	My tail is glued on, I have a trailer so transporting is not an issue. Personally I wouldn't like unhooking the linkages and hooking them back up every time I went flying.

Do you think glueing is required? I've had planes in the past where the fit of the tail was sloppy unless it was glued

[Edge_Pilot]

I doubt you would have to glue it. If you leave it attached it will not get a chance to get a sloppy fit. I recovered mine, so it would be impossible to remove the tail anyways, I monokoted it with the tail attached so there is no seems. If you leave it stock just bolt it on and don't remove it unless really needed.

[dubd]

This photo makes removing the elevator look like a major PITA:

[cliff600]

The question asked was can it be removed and how much additional assembly time would it require if you do remove it?

Yes it can be removed
It will add assembly time........dunno how much, I leave mine on

[mradcliff]

Guys,
I haul my Ultimate in a Caravan without removing the tail. If you have a removable console between the front seats take it out and the rudder fits in between the front seats. Also you make sure elevators are down and that will gain you a little more room. You have to remove the spinner also. People can't believe I haul it in my van. It really fits well. I use clothes rods to haul two of the wing panels and stand the other two panels on their leading edges and use some foam to keep things from getting damaged. It is a great airplane. Flys like a baby but will do any precision or 3d maneuver in the book.
Mark

[hbutler]

Anyone actually removing the tail have an opinion?

[dubd]

Mradcliff, a minivan is perfect for 40%ers.

Howard, worse case scenario is you'll have to spend more time assembling the plane. Now that I know that the h-stab and rudder is removable, I am certain it will fit in your SUV.

To get a ballpark estimate on set-up time, take the time it takes to set-up your monoplane and quadruple that since the Ultimate has additional wings, elevator, rudder, servo linkages, and cables to install. Only you can answer whether you can tolerate that.

[terickson]

Somewhere back in this thread, I think it was Adrian said it took him 15 minutes to remove or install the tail. It fits in my long-bed PU, so I don't fool with it. I find the extra wings and cabanes only take a couple minutes more than a monoplane. Thor.

[cliff600]

If people leave me alone, it takes me 22 minutes to get mine all together and fuel it up. But I do not have to put the tail section on. That is from the time the trailer doos open to the time it is ready to go up in the air. Only me putting it together, no one helping, so it really isn't that bad at all.

[Edge_Pilot]

If your going to fly biplanes, especially big ones, than time to assemble can not be a factor in the equation. I fly biplanes because I love the looks of them in the air, and on the ground.

[dubd]

This will be my 5th giant scale bipe, so the additional setup over a monoplane is not an issue for me. I think hbutler is trying to decide if assembling the rudder and elevator will take a lot of time.