rinoldi

Well, I had to wait for 3 weeks after I received my "Thrilljunkies" (a Shun-Da copy or clone) J3 piper Cub for the snow to melt, then 2 weeks for a calm day. Itwas yesterday. I've been practicing with a flight simulator until now. Yes, I know that always is recommended to have an instructor, but none is available in my town. I went to a very big grassy area, did my best to correct the trims (elevator and rudder), started the motor in full throttle, launched the plane as indicated, and the "flight" lasted about 15 seconds, plane collapsed and broke propeller. Put the other propeller that came with the plane, launched it again and managed to climb a bit more, plane crashed this time breaking completely the nose. (and breaking propeller). Bought more propellers in Hobbytown USA, epoxied the nose, filled the empty space in nose with foam to add strenght (as I read in this forum). Plane seemed OK after repairs. Today, I went again full of hopes. I must confess that flight was better...about 25 seconds. Crash it again, nose broke (in a different place). But this time one of the wings broke too...(and, of course, the propeller). Brought the remains home and fixed everything. I'm becoming an expert CUB mechanic, but I CAN'T FLIGHT THIS THING. I am not giving up yet. Please if you can share any tips I would appreciate them so much. I love this hobby but I don't want to waste more money before I can correct what Am I doing wrong. Simulator is nice, but it can't teach seriously. I never crash my airplanes with the sim...but in the real life...[&o][&o][&o]

jcblough

I'd suggest getting a parkzone level 1 plane or a challenger and shelfing the cub for awhile - from what I've read here it seems to be a good 2nd plane but maybe not a first. a aerobird will defintely break less.

gigelus2k3

You did not say why the plane crashed. Did it stall?

About the simulator, its limit stands in the accuracy of its model. Maybe the Piper CUB you practiced on is not behaving the same as the real thing. Who knows, maybe your real plane is underpowered or something.

Serban

Leo L

I'm assuming that your Cub flies similarly to the ParkZone Cub. If you check with ParkZone, you will notice that they list the Cub as an INTERMEDIATE plane. For good reason. The Cub is very responsive to the controls and as most new flyers tend to overcontrol, the Cub will tend to crash over and over again. You can learn to fly with a Cub, but you will spend a lot of time, and money, making repairs. As JC commented, get yourself a good BEGINNER plane. Then, when you are ready, the Cub will be an enjoyable second or third plane. If you aren't intimidated by some speed, and have plenty of flying area, get an Aerobird Challenger, or a Firebird Freedom, T-hawk, SkyFly, EasyStar, etc. If you prefer something slower, that will give you more time to figure out what you need to do next, and/or if your flying area is somewhat limited, get a Slow-V. No matter which plane you get, remember NO WIND!

service_dude

I just did my maiden flight last week with the Parkzone J-3 Cub. I think what helped me was fighting the urge to keep it close to the ground.

With calm winds I hand launched the plane and kept it flying in a straight line at full throttle until I reached an altitude of 50 - 75 feet. After I had it at a safe altitude I cut back the throttle for level flight and then made my first turn.

I know in my case, being a newbie I feel safer flying at low altitude, but in reality I don't have the skills to control the plane at low altitudes safely unless I'm coming in straight with no throttle bringing the plane in for a landing.

Being a newbie I have to remember that the higher my altitude is while doing maneuvers, the less chance I will have of the ground jumping up and knocking my plane out of the air before I can correct it's flight Remember, altitude is your friend.

rinoldi

Thanks for all your sugs. Also, I wanted to check the CG, I've read that the battery pack should be moved forward, but I wonder where is exactly the CG of these shun-da Piper Cub J3 ,,,,Thanks!

rmenke

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rinoldi

Theres gotta be another rc guy in your area. Check with your local hobby shop. Buy a buddie cord, or transmitter that will accept a buddie cord and find a guy who is currently flying rc. Don't expect him to provide the gear needed. If you have to drive a few miles for a few weekends, it will be worth finding and providing the gear. Years ago, being a full scale pilot, thought I simply did not need any help. After all, I flew the real thing. After the 4th stuck in the ground, I conceeded a little help was needed. Conversly, my grand son got his wings the first day of flying, at 6. Somethilng to do with the games I think. If nothing is close and all else fails, get a flight simulator. At least you will learn the basics without the cost of building new every try!.