Opened this thread just so I could attache a piccie of my new toy.

What do you guys think? I've got the struts for under the wings, and plan to attache them once I'm past the 'dumb thumbs' stage, as I was told they are cosmetic and it'll fly fine without them. One less thing to break after the inevitable.

Woody,
It doesn't get much easier than the good ol' Cub !! If you are still a little uncomfortable checking out a new plane, have one of your better flyers in the club do it for you. It's always good to have a second set of eyes look at your newest pride and joy and an experienced flyer can often times save it if there is a problem.
We have a few guys who LOVE to see how slow and scale-like they can take off and fly these things. Ever seen a Cub fly BACKWARDS ? :surprised

Enjoy.....

Bipeguy I have see a full scale Super Cub fly back wards down the runway at a local airport. I was about ten and I asked my Dad what his budy John was doing Dad said just watch John would roll forward at about 5 mph pull the tail up and then he save it more throttle and pitched it up the plane stopped then up it came then back wards the first time a bout 10 feet then touch down I could not believe it then he did it again several times each time back wards farther than the time before. Incredible!

Latest Info........

My instructor was at the controls for its second flight, its first flight in dead calm conditions, and, and.......
Complete Loss Of Control.
She nosed over and went to full throttle, with my instructor saying he had no control. From about 40 ft up she nosed in at full power. She buried into the earth and grass about 6", then the fuse bounced about 10' to one siide. Might not have too bad, except a barbed wire fence was lying in wait.
Clieved through the left wing just inside the aeliron. The engine mount snapped, prop disappeared, fire wall, bulkheads imploded. Cowling exploded, and the fuselage came out in sympathy as well by trying to accomodate the new parts that found no room. The fuse expanded as much as it could, then popped open.
10 seconds into her second flight, and she's as good as written off.
I'll post piccies tomorrow.

Sorry to hear it. The first loss is always the hardest. I just lost my 4 star 60 after I got it into a spin....I tried everything I could to save it but later was told if ida just let go of the controls, it prolly woulda recovered. I feel for you... You going to get another?

Yeah, I've already been in touch with my LHS.
Assuming its $1.50 to £1.00, I'm going to be about $180 for parts, against $250 for a new kit. All the servos are ok as is the Rx. I'll have to bench test the motor, but it appears ok.
I'll maybe get this one going again, but it'll take a few hours.......

Look out club trainer, here I come. he he

Hey gang check this trainer out. I had it for sale but no-one wanted it so I am keping it. this plane flies slower then most.....

Woody.....Been there done that. Did you range check it first? With the engine running, antennae down and all that? If you're a little nervous about the cub now, try an LT 40 or Tower trainer or even a Sig Kadet Sr. They all are VERY gentle and easy to learn on. And they don't hurt so bad if they go in. I had several crashes with my Tower 40 and it's still able to fly !!

good luck.....

Now you mention it, we didn't range check it. The plane was flying straight away from us as well. Maybe thats what happened.
Would the cause of that be low battery power?

Thanks for the replies.

Woody.....Cud be low battery in either radio or reciever. Cud also be that your antennae wire was too close to a servo or control rod (if they are the wire type) and caused interference. Make sure your antennae exits the plane behind the canopy or is enclosed in a tube thru the rear of the plane. Always test your batteries before you fly. I check them every 2-flights. I also make sure no one else is on my channel !!

mmmmmmmm

The Rx battery was fully charged after we left the field the day before. I can't see my instructor not having his Rx and buddy box low charged, as he's been in the hobby 30ish years.
No one else was at the field, so interference is unlikely.
The antenna is(was) just a loose wire, coiled inside the fuse and then strung out along the side of the fuse. Maybe thats what it was. Sure wish it hadn't happened, but there you go. At least my 1st crash is out of the way now. Fingers crossed I don'#t have another one for a long time.
I appreciate you taking the time to consider any problems that might have led to this, as sourcing the problem and curing it would certainly go a long way to peace of mind the next time I'm up flying, cos I'm going to re-use all the electrical equipment as it survived the crash ok.

Woody . . .

You stated that "The antenna is(was) just a loose wire, coiled inside the fuse and then strung out along the side of the fuse. "

There's a real good chance that having the antenna "coiled" inside the fuse might have been the problem. It is not a good idea to coil the antenna wire in any shape or form. It is a pretty good idea to just run it straight wherever suits you as long as it is not near servo's or anything that moves (eventually it will wear thru the insulation on the antenna wire).

Sorry for your loss, but its never a question of IF you will crash, but WHEN.

Hope this helps,

Woody,

In general, you want to isolate the receivers antenna from everything else, including itself. Avoid looping it, tying it in knots, etc. It is best to stretch out the antenna (don't put it under any tension, however) and exit the fuselage as soon as possible. If you run it through the fuselage, run it through a plastic guide tube (this will provide added insulation from interference and also provide protection from moving parts). Finally, most radio manufacturers recommend attaching the antenna high up on the vertical stabilizer for best performance. Hope this helps.

Crashmaster......I see your local to me here. Wanted to know what field you fly out of?

I had a Hangar 9 J3 Cub that a fellow club member gave to me. He had crashed it and said he didn't like it. I fixed it up and put a Saito 80 on the front of it. On the first night out with it, it took me 5 attempts to get it airborne. I kept spinning it around trying to take off. Finally, I got it airborne and was immediately all over the place with it. I managed to fly it around for a couple circuits and brought it in and landed it. When I got back to the shop, I discovered I was about 1/2" behind the recommended CG. I moved the battery pack way up front, as far forward as I could get it and I placed about 4 to 6 ounces of lead on the motor mount/firewall. The next time I took it out, it was dead on the recommended CG. I got it airborne fine and it climbed out real nice, but I didn't like the way it turned at all. I didn't like the way it flew at all, it flew "heavy". I was using full rudder in my turns and it felt as though it was gonna' stall everytime I turned it. I did several low passes with it and several more landings and take-offs with it. I brought it down for it's last pass to set up for a landing. I was about 50-75' up in the air. I was gonna' make a left turn and bring her in on final. As soon as I made the left turn, the Cub turned in on it's self and proceeded to fly straight down into the ground at about 1/2 throttle. It didn't spiral, it didn't waver, straight down it went. It appeared as though I had "no control" of it. I was carefully feeding in a little elevator, but it wouldn't come out of it's dive. I picked up the wreckage and tested the battery. It was well over 5 volts. The battery was unhooked from the extension I used to hook it to the switch harness. I am still not sure if I got into a stall and couldn't get it out or if the battery came loose and I lost contact with it. I will rebuild it and give it another try, MAYBE, but I didn't like the way it flew when I had control of it.

Good luck with your next Cub Woody.

Jon

Yellow planes = Evil

Woody,
Crashmaster is correct in stateing 'no coiled wire' inside the fuse. Always have as much outside the fuse as possible unless you use a tube to run it thru. Also, your instructor probably knows this (but 2-sets of eyes are better than one) on the 'buddy box' system, I always make sure the radio YOU are using (the buddy box) has NO BATTERY and/or the POWER IS TURNED OFF. The radio the instructor is using should be the only one with a battery. This prevents accidental interference from the two fighting each other.

Fly high......in the air, that is.....

Thanks again guys for your replies, and I now think that the antenna was the fault as it was knotted in the fuse to hold back the extra slack. I would post pics, but ;
I don't know how to, other than to open a new thread,
and, after collecting all the bits and sorting everyhting out, its not as bad as 1st thought.

After approx. 5 hrs, I've got the wing spars repaired, I just have to re-form the leading edge and brace up the glued up busted bits, and I've got the fuse all fixed, apart from the blitzed bulkhead/firewall. Been down to my LHS today and bought all the balsa etc. that I think I'll need, so the rebuild begins in earnest tonight. Can't wait to get stuck in.

The reason I bought this kit already made (2nd hand) was, cos I was worried about my building skills. After 20yrs of plastic kits, and being thrown in at the deep end, its not nearly as bad as I thought. In fact, compaired to tiny scale parts and brass etch kits, its a piece of cake. Provided you've got the room to work. Being thrown in the deep end has been an advantage, as I had no option but to give it a go. So all in all, I'm pretty pleased wiht myself.
It just remains to be seen how well it flys once I've got it back together.

After my latest detective work, it seams that the Rx antenna might be to blame.
The antenna had a fairly serious kink in it as it comes out of the Rx. It is kinked enough that I really think the antenna core might have broken. Definetly would explain the loss of signal........

That would have defiantly do it.