I am trying to fly a 1/10 scale j-3 piper cub electric plane with a 380 motor i have practiced on a simulator set up like this plane and can fly on it great but i can not get this plane to stay in the air can any one help me figure this out

go to a local club and talk to people there

As SEEME said it would probably be your best bet to ask some flyers at a local club for help. There can often be a world of difference between a simulator and actual flying. Someone in person can better explain the process of learning to fly RC.

Maybe if you explained in a little more detail what the plane is doing when you fly it. Does it turn and dive immediately, or does it zoom upward out of control, or what? This site is a great source of information!

you're doing 3 things wrong:
1. flying without an instructor
2. flying a cub as a first airplane
3. assuming the sim is the same as the real deal
as everyone has said go to the local field, seek help. You'll find great folks there, that'll jump at the chance to help you
this is a great hobby full of personal rewards if entered into correctly. Or can be the most discouraging thing in the world
Good Luck

i agree with jetmech05 100% a cub is the right first plan it isnt imposibel to learn on a cub but not like a good trainer
and the simutar is as close as it can but still not the real thing

when i taxi to take off it will start to lift and then get about a foot off the ground and crash when i hand launch it will dive upward and then crash

is something in the way of your elovator servo
that seems akward i havent herd of anything like that

sounds like you are stalling it

How's the CG?

Just as a rough guess it sounds like you're giving too much up elevator, the plane climbs briefly, then stalls and drops to the ground. As Acarter indicated. Try using a very lite touch on the controls. Let the plane build up plenty of speed when you launch/take off. Then move the controls in small amounts and only for a moment of time. I tell new students to move the stick in small pulses or 'bumps', letting the stick return to center after each bump. This can help prevent over-controlling.

Of course, to fly well it has to be balanced at the correct CG (Center of Gravity) as Jetmech said.

whats the best way to check the cg ?

When you say can't get it to stay in the air how far are you getting and hand launching of off the ground ?????

I missed the bit whwre you replied with the symptoms, are you sure you haven't got too much up elevator trim which is causing it to take off too early and stall without enouh speed, when you say you're getting it off the ground a foot, try and keep it on the ground for another 10 yards or so rather than heading skyward and let it just build up some speed but also check that trim before you try again and if you dial in more down elevator I wouldn't try hand launching it first off !!!!! On the simulator the planes probably a more popwerful one and you may have got used to cranking in full throttle and taking off steeply almost instantly, the plane yo're flying probably can't do that !!!!!!!
Best advice as most of them have said if you can is go to a club and get some help !!!!!!!!!

Cantflyyet - If there are some instructions that came with your plane, they will hopefully tell you where the CG of your plane should be. If not, well the CG should be approximately 1/3 of the way back from the leading edge of your wing. Pick up the plane and try to balance it on your fingertips about 1/3 of the way from the leading edge to the trailing edge (front to back). It should balance level or slightly nose-down.

Actually, most of the small electric ARF airplanes that come with all the accessories (batteries, charger, transmitter, etc.) that you can buy these days are already balanced correctly (assuming you haven't modified it a lot). Or they will have you balance it as part of the assembly instructions. I would be surprised if that turns out to be your problem.

i have one more question the motor on my plane doesnt seem like it is excactly pointing straight ahead is this a factor it seems to be pointing a little to the left and downward it almost looks like it is made that way my plane is a single prop j-3 piper cub

It was made that way. the down will help offset a massive amount of climb that would happen under full throttle and the offset is for the torque...