Ultra Stick Hangar 9, Instruction Manual

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The quad flap option allows your Ultra Stick ™ 40 to perform in
ways that are just not possible with the conventional ailerons-
only setup. With the quad flaps and a computer radio, different
wing configurations can be programmed to extend the flight
performance envelope. Plus, it’s a great way to learn more about
your computer radio. Some of these configurations include:
Crow
What is Crow?
Ailerons up, flaps down, elevator down.
What does Crow do?
Crow is a very high drag configuration that is commonly used
as dive brakes to prevent the airplane from building up speed
during steep descents/dives. Crow is great for bleeding off
excess airspeed and/or altitude, making short landings from
high altitudes possible. With a little practice, it’s easy to shoot
landings in front of yourself from 500 feet or more of altitude and
just 100 feet downwind from where you’re standing. Just deploy
crow, push the nose straight down, and then pull elevator to
level at about 10 feet and land right in front of yourself at a slow
walking speed. The drag caused from Crow will prevent the Ultra
Stick from gaining speed on the down line and, when the airplane
is pulled to level, it will slow to a crawl within a short distance.
Another favorite maneuver that Crow allows is to fly nose high at
very slow speeds with a high angle of attack (nearly 45°). Use
full up elevator and jockey the throttle position to maintain level
flight. This maneuver is sometimes called a Harrier. With crow
activated, the Ultra Stick 40 has reduced tendency to tip stall.
This is because the up ailerons at the tips of the wings
(washout) help to keep the wing tips from stalling. Use the rud-
der only to steer the Ultra Stick during this maneuver and be
careful if you turn off the Crow at these slow, high-angle-of-
attack speeds, as there may not be enough airspeed to fly in the
conventional mode.
Anytime Crow is activated, the nose pitches up slightly, so it’s
recommended to mix some down elevator (about
5
/
8
") whenever
Crow is used.
First flight profile with Crow
On the first test flights, deploy the Crow at fairly high altitudes at
various throttle settings to get a feel for what effects Crow has.
You’ll likely notice some reduction in roll control (ailerons) and
the extra drag will drastically slow the airplane, no matter what
throttle position or maneuver you’re doing. Check to see if the
nose pitches up or down and adjust the elevator mixing value
after landing if necessary. Try some steep descents with Crow
and notice that the Ultra Stick 40 builds up very little speed on
the way down. Now go ahead and shoot some landings with
Crow activated. You’ll likely come up way short on your first few
full Crow landings, so don’t be surprised if you’ve got to add
throttle. With a little practice, you’ll confidently be able to do
full-up elevator, tail-first landings.
On your first attempts to do the Harrier, start high. Deploy Crow
and throttle back to idle; then, start adding up elevator smoothly.
As full-up elevator is reached, increase the throttle just enough
to maintain altitude. You can fly around in the nose high attitude
using rudder only to steer and, with some practice, you’ll be
doing Harrier landings with ease.
What to watch out for
In Crow, the wing tips are effectively washed out due to the fact
that the up ailerons reduce the tendency to tip stall, making for
very stable slow flight when the airplane is upright. When
in-verted or when doing outside maneuvers, this wash-out
effectively becomes wash-in (ailerons are down) and, if you’re
not careful, a tip stall can occur. Be careful when flying inverted
or doing outside maneuvers with Crow deployed as an
unexpected tip stall could occur.
Also, when doing high angle-of-attack flight or the Harrier at very
slow speeds, it’s recommended that you keep the crow turned on.
Crow allows the Ultra Stick 40 to actually fly slower and at higher
angles of attack than in the conventional configuration.
Elevator-to-Flaps
What is elevator-to-flaps?
An up elevator command causes the flaps to go down, while a
down elevator command causes the flaps to go up.
Section 18: Quad Flaps
Dive Brakes to Landing
Crow
Ailerons up
Elevator
down
slightly
Flaps
down
Couple elevator to flaps
Tight Loops
Elevator up
Flaps down