| The secret to any great sport aerobatic model
is reducing the amount of weight the engine has to lug around, thus
providing excess power for vertical and other extreme maneuvers. It is here
that the Ultra Stick .60 succeeds admirably. It comes 90% prebuilt, using
the same open-structure construction of the Ultra Stick .40 that minimizes
weight without sacrificing structural strength.
All necessary hardware needed for finishing assembly is included, and
it's covered in a dazzling transparent yellow UltraCote(r) trim scheme that
shows off the structure's fine workmanship. Completely built with a Saito
100 four-stroke bolted onto the nose, our model came in at a fit-and-trim 6
3/4 pounds.
Like the other Ultra Sticks, the 60's flight performance is a thrilling
blend of wild aerobatic maneuverability and, when equipped with the optional
quad-flaps, unbelievable short field capability.
The Ultra Stick 60 is designed to accept most any .60 to .78 two-stroke
or .72 to 1.00 four-stroke engine. The Saito 100 our test model was equipped
with worked more like an anti-gravity device than an engine. It handled
vertical uplines with ease and would pull the plane through just about any
wild maneuver we dreamed up. We could literally feel how light the airframe
was by how quickly it responded to power changes when hanging on the prop.
This "airy" feeling naturally made other slow flight maneuvers a piece of
cake too. The Ultra Stick .60 will float and "harrier" with the best of
them. Stalls at low rates occur as a gentle forward "mushing" motion, with
zero tip stall tendencies. Landings are equally satisfying. With low rates
and the engine at idle, we had full roll and yaw control all the way to
touchdown. In high-speed level flight, the generously proportioned ailerons
yielded blazing roll rates. The big elevator effects the plane with equal
authority, yanking the plane from level to the vertical in a split second or
keeping perfect track during consecutive tight-diameter loops-inside or out.
Naturally, we had to give the quad-flap option a whirl and were not
disappointed. Entering a dive from speck-in-the-sky high, we tried the
trademark Ultra Stick vertical approach to landing. It's quite a
showstopper! Switching flaps to the "crow" position (outboard up, inboard
down) was like popping a drag chute. The Ultra Stick 60's super lightweight
airframe really responds to the extra drag, allowing it to come straight
down, level out, and land in less distance than the very capable Ultra Stick
1.20.
In sum, the Ultra Stick .60 stays true to the Ultra Stick tradition of
excellent high-speed maneuverability and rock solid slow-speed stability.
Its striking blue-and-yellow transparent UltraCote trim looks brilliant in
flight. Sure, looks aren't everything, but considering the Ultra Stick 60
has just about all the performance any sport pilot can handle, it's just
|
