Section 18: Quad Flaps - Hangar 9 Ultra Stick 60 Instruction Manual

Section 18:
Quad Flaps
The quad flap option allows your Ultra Stick™ 60 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. It's also a great way to learn more
about your computer radio. Some of these configurations include
the following:
Crow
Dive Brakes to Landing
Ailerons up
Elevator
down
slightly
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 60 has reduced tendency to tip stall.
44
Flaps
down
This is because the up ailerons at the tips of the wings
(washout) help to keep the wing tips from stalling. Use the
rudder 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 1/4") wheneverCrow 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 60 builds up very little speed on
the way down. 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 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 doing outside maneuvers, this washout 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 60 to actually fly slower and at
higher angles of attack than in the conventional configuration.
CONTINUED