bryris

I am in the home stretch of getting this cub airborne. Its been quite a task to say the least. I've made most mistakes in the book, the quality of the kit was bad, and I lost some hardware over the few years it sat on my bench.

Anyway, I am trying to cross the few remaining T's here.

1. I've foamed wrapped the battery and the receiver and have set them into the fuse. However, as soon as I flip it over to simulate inverted flight, they fall out. So, I've been scratching my head on how to hold these items down low into the fuse without CAing a brace over the top or something. Any ideas? I can include a photo is needed.

2. The tailwheel axle wire goes through a plastic piece that is screwed to the bottom of the fuse and up into a notch in the rudder, that then applies the torque required to turn the tail wheel. The plastic piece prevents lateral and longitudinal movement of the axle wire, but I fail to see how the up and down forces are curtailed as this tailwheel bumps over the grass. The rudder is just held on by 3 CA hinges. I am afraid the bouncing over the grass will push up on the torque rod and eventually dislodge the rudder CA hinges from the stab. What is the best way to handle this, if it is indeed a problem?

3. Yes, I attempted to dremel the cowling to accommodate the motor. No, it didn't work very well. Actually, it is so bad, that I'd rather not even include the cowling now. So, I am thinking of just flying this thing sans cowling. Furthermore, the manufacturer has discontinued the cowling, so if I ever want one again, I am going to have to fabricate something. I've thought about just cutting sides out of scratch wood and epoxying them in such that the top and bottom of the motor are exposed like on a trainer. It'd look better from the side anyhow. Will the lack of cowling really be a problem? Also, I have definite plans to convert this to electric in the future (I should have thought of that before I messed up the cowling).

BTW, this is a ModelTech .25 size Cub.

Thanks!

G.Barber

My Feedback: (1)

1. Glue a stick or tray to the fuse sides under the receiver and battery and use a velcro strap. Run the strap under the stick/ tray you glued in and over/around the batt and rx.
DON'T forget to check your CG before flight!

2. If you are concerned about the hinges, install a small wheel collar on the tail wheel wire on the bottom side of the tail wheel brackett and tighten it in place so that it takes the pressure off the rudder and puts it on the tail wheel bracket.

3. No cowling? No problem! Lots of different plane designs have no cowl at all and they fly just fine.

Good luck! I hope this helps.

CGRetired

My Feedback: (1)

As gabarber suggested, I do something similar. I just use servo screws and put a light ply "table" screwed to a cross brace. It's light and secure. I then velcro the RX to that "table" and it's not going to move on you. I make it large enough to accomodate both the battery pack and the RX.

As far as the tail wheel is concerned, well, I don't connect any of mine to the rudder. Mine all "free float". My ground steering just needs a little bit of care when moving around, but, normally, the steering is done just to keep the plane straight during take off and landing, which, with this method, works fine. Ground steering is a bit less easy, but it still works.

No cowl? Well, you can always fabricate one or fly without one. If you are any good with your hands, well, fabricating one should not be a problem. Or, if you know someone that may be able to fabricate one for you, then you are in business. Otherwise, well, fly without one.

CGr.

Bonified Wingnut

How about a soda bottle bottom for a cowl, just a thought but it would be an original looking cub.-BW

gunneredwards

My Feedback: (4)

I would just fill the extra space with foam. its light and would take care of the shifting. Would not worry about the tail wheel, and the cowl, the astetics are just for those looking at it. If it flys good, forget about the cowl or see if you can find one from a different manufacturer.
dan

Wonder

My Feedback: (7)

I like to use the Sullivan tail wheel.
It connects to the rudder with a spring in the wire to take the shock of the bumps out.

TW

Spitfire222

I wouldn't worry about the tail wheel. The Great Planes .40 Cub kit is setup this way also and I never had a problem with it for the few years I had that Cub.

You might be able to find replacement cowls made by other companies or for other similar sized Cubs from different manufacturers.

And Velcro is a great method of installing receivers, but I'm pretty sure it's not uncommon to glue a cross brace over to keep things in place. I've done this a few times and it works fine. Sure, it's more permanent, but I'd rather put in more effort in removing it than have it too easy to come out and risk it falling out in flight.

bryris

Also, what about wing struts. Can I maiden this thing without the wing struts? They are flimsy little wood pieces held on my 3 3mm machine screws each. I am unsure how much structural integrity they lend, if any.

This airplane is a .25 size and is small enough to likely carry around in the car fully assembled. However, if I need to pull the wing off, those struts are going to add work and complexity.

Insanemoondoggie

You did'nt say what Cub you have , but it sounds like a Goldberg Anns.. These guys have several different cowls for this plane http://www.fiberglassspecialtiesinc.com/default.htm
As far as the tailwheel , I use a Sullivan on mine ., I'm just covering my second GB Cub . The first one I used the stock tailwheel with no problems.
The receiver is mounted in the windsheild area on a balsa 1/4 x 1 inch balsa . Up high enough I can see the receiver and remote lite up when turned on. I made a floor for the fuel tank and mounted the 2700mha 6v battery under the tank floor.. Using a Saito .72 , balances just a smuge tail heavy, just the way I like it. I have it stripped down right now , covering it, or could take a few pics for you. Going to finish it in the next few days and could post picks then.

bryris

Mine is a Modeltech .25 sized ARF. Its just a cheap plane I bought several years ago. The build quality looks fairly good and the covering job is nice. However, the hardware included was horrible! I had to deviate from the instructions on several occasions to make this work. During the process, I lost some of the hardware, so had to chase down replacements, etc.

After working on this thing for several years - well, not actively of course - it sat uncompleted and untouched for over two years - I decided to try to finish it up. During the process, I was about to just cut my losses and pitch the thing and start over with a different airplane. I had a .25 OS motor and was just looking for something cheap to bolt it to. In the end, I just finished it up tonight and am going to try to maiden it on Sunday without a cowl.

I'll give a report.

If I like the way it flies and it survives the first several flights, I might just research getting a cowl for it and converting it to electric.