Hi,

I'm getting ready to fly my first RC plane, Horizon Zone's Super Cub S.

After assembling it, I noticed that when the TX elevator trim is centered, the elevator is in a slight up position. My first instinct was to trim it to a level position, which takes all the trim adjustment available in that direction.

But then I thought that maybe the slight up elevator is a safety feature, since the plane probably will nose dive when there is no up elevator.

Any thoughts or suggestions are welcomed.

Thanks,
Bill

That looks, to me, like part of their "SAFE" system. If you look at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwUiTYSV8jc at about the 3:20 point they get into the Super Cub S. All the video shows a very slight up elevator. Probably correct as-is.

I'm no kind of ARF/RTF guy (have never owned/flown one) but this looks like a rather nice plane.

Good luck with her.

Thanks. I'll go with that.

Bill

Bill run don't walk to your nearest club. Do this before you attempt to fly your cub. There will be folks there to teach you how to fly and set up your aircraft.

If you installed the pushrods part of the installation is adjusting the length so that you have a neutral trim setting without using the radio trim. You will want to have as much trim as possible to use in your first flight to get the plane flying level.

I'll second jetmech05's advice to get with a club or at least an experienced RC pilot who is willing to help you. These planes are a lot of fun, but even a beginner bird like your Super Cub requires skill to fly. You don't have skill yet, and you also don't have a properly trimmed plane yet either. That's a bad combination. I'm sure there are a good number of RC pilots around Minneapolis who would take an hour out of their day to get your plane trimmed and throws set appropriately and show you how to do the most basic piloting properly. But if you absolutely must go it alone, take off with some tall grass in front of the plane maybe 80-100 feet away. That will give you a nice soft place to dump it if it turns out the controls are too out of whack for you to compensate.

Hi,

I really appreciate your feedback. However, let me make a case for flying without the preparations suggested.

I realize that "get three to a flying club" is a standard recommendation for new flyers, and it makes sense. I also realize that the fact that I'm a licensed pilot doesn't cut any ice with RC flyers who claim that the experiences are completely different. I would say, however, that full-sized and model planes do share the same aerodynamic principles, such as "the sharper the bank, the higher the stall speed" and "use throttle to control altitude and elevators to control speed," which one learns in ground school and from their instructor. And taking full-sized-plane flying lessons teaches discipline, such as creating a check list and making sure the plane's CG is correct. With over 70 years under my belt, an older and wiser person am I (I hope).

A lot has changed in the past few years to make maiden flights easier. For example, HorizonZone's Super Cub is designed for beginners. It can be flown with a very docile configuration to begin with, gradually raising the performance characteristics as one gains confidence and skill level.

Also, flight simulators are a great aid. Using the Phoenix simulator with my TX connected to the computer, I've spent hours practicing a standard left-hand takeoff, cross-wind leg, down-wind leg, base-leg, final-approach-to-landing pattern using the same Super Cub model I'll be flying. That's the pattern I plan to begin with and practice until I have it down pat. I realize that my plane won't behave exactly like the flight-sim one, but the simulated practice should help.

In addition, YouTube provides excellent tutorials to help learn the pre-flight and flight process, as well as examples of what NOT to do from folks who took off without any preparation whatsoever. Looking at some of the beginner videos, it seems clear that the Super Cub is very forgiving and tough. (I've followed some YouTubers' advice concerning ways to improve the plane's performance and survival, such as replacing the wheels with larger ones and reinforcing certain parts of the plane.)

Someone mentioned Minneapolis, where I live. Obviously, there's no RC flying going on there right now, unless it's gliders or planes with skids. And electric motors don't work too well at below-freezing temperatures. The reason I'm eager to try the plane alone is that right now we're in southern Arizona. Unfortunately, by the time we found a flat area large enough for the flight, conditions started getting a bit too breezy. So, unless that changes, I'll be packing the plane up, taking it home, and waiting for the snow to melt.

Finally, if the worst were to happen, I won't get killed as I would if flying a full-sized plane. I didn't spend a hundred hours building the plane, and the cost of the plane is acceptable. But I doubt if the worst will happen, because based on what I've seen people who haven't a clue do with that plane, it takes a lot to crash it. That's not to say I won't join an RC club down the line, if I decide to get serious about this hobby.

I'll check back after the first flight to report the results and, hopefully, provide a video link. We'll see if my hunches are correct or if I'm blowin' in the wind.

Thanks again for your responses,
Bill

Good luck Bill. You seem to have all the technical stuff down pat. However, when it comes to having your visual inputs transferred to those thumbs on those first flights, you may find a little lag in your response. I've taught several full scale pilots to fly RC and all but one of them were quite amazed at how confusing things can be, especially with the plane coming back at them. It is possible to teach yourself but it just might turn out to be a bit expensive. A buddy cord on those first few flights might be worth while. Do let us know how you make out.

Re: "one of them were quite amazed at how confusing things can be, especially with the plane coming back at them."

Yes, I went through that phase. I've been flying a couple RC helicopters and the same issue arises. But after several hours on the flight simulator flying the Super Cub my brain has rewired itself to see the difference. I started by saying to myself, "Point the stick toward the wing you want to raise," when the plane is coming toward me.

One never knows, however, how one will act when doing the real thing versus using a simulator. In the former case, the consequences are real.

Bill

Sounds like you got it under control there Bill. That little Cub is one of the most docile RTF(ready-to-fly) planes... and fortunately there's plenty of replacement parts available... cheap. You'll find out what you need to know, regardless of what anyone else is telling you... Theres alot of experience here sharing with you, and at some point you'll gain your own experience... we can only hope your experience is decent... as it should be according to you either way.. so its all good.. just remember again.. the Cub is VERY docile.

If you have some heli experience other then the smallish coaxial (dual-rotor) copters,. you might stand a better chance...

In my experience flying an RC plane is like playing a musical intrument(pick one..say guitar)... If you have a chord chart in front of you, you can see the chord(s), and each and every finger position.. right in front of you on a peice of paper.. now... transition from one chord to the other.. If you've done it for long time its second nature to go from a G to a D.. if you're just starting out, you'll have to think, look, and then position your fingers... until they develop muscle memory... which for some can come fast, and some slow, and some can't play at all..

Be aware, even though you know the theory, history, evolution, engineering, and maybe even wrote a book on flight... that doesn't get anywhere near having first hand experience with an RC model, nor does it teach your fingers/thumbs where to go with the sticks.... even though its all in the mind of what the plane should do and why it should do it.

Great trainer plane there... I'm curious to see how you do with it. I've recomended this plane to several people... and all have done well with a tad of help... and you'll do fine too.. its really not hard at all once you get some experience... Good luck.

What will it hurt to go to a club and seek some help?

Thanks for the replies.

Concerning fingers on the controls, that's where using the Phoenix flight sim helps, because I can attach to my computer the same TX I'll be using to fly. I expect the actual plane, set to beginner level, will be more docile than the simulator version. I'll simply have to sort that out during the first flights. The trick, I think, is to get to a high enough altitude so that any adjustments aren't fatal.

Concerning whether it will "hurt" to not go to a club, as I mention in a previous post to this thread, we are in Arizona now (no club near us), and if I don't fly before we leave, it'll be quite a while before any flying will be possible in the snow country back home.

I'll let you know how it goes. Unless I aim the plane at my or someone else's head and freeze up, no personal harm should be involved.

Bill,
(a calculated risk-taker)

Bill, my advice is to turn off the "Safe" crash avoidance system or whatever they call it now. (used to be called "ACT" on the Hobbyzone Cub) If you already fly rc helicopters and/or doing fine on the simulator, the crash avoidance system will cause you more problems than it solves because it overrides your inputs. This is fine if you are 50 feet high and don't know how to recover from a stall or a dive. But if you are making abrupt inputs to avoid trees or other issues like wind gusts, the crash avoidance system can actually make things worse. Just my opinion, but I've got a lot of hours teaching kids with this plane.

UPDATE: The plane and I had our maiden flights this past Wednesday. Everything went great. The hours I spent practicing on the RC flight simulator made all the difference, I think. If you'd like to see a video I put together of the experience, go to:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwlo...ature=youtu.be

Jerry, my understanding is that ACT and SAFE are completely different systems. What I've read is, avoid ACT, which is not longer used by the manufacturer, but SAFE works fine. ACT did actually cause crashes, but I didn't find anything that indicated that SAFE, which is completely different, did. It didn't seem to be a problem during my flights. Because my plane is a recent build, it had SAFE, not ACT.

Thanks everyone for your input. I can see how this hobby, with the new technology, can be very addictive. Let's see ... maybe add a camera to the plane ... . Maybe skis for landing on frozen Minnesota lakes during the winter ... . Maybe floats for those same lakes in the summer ... . The possibilities are endless.

Bill

Congratulations Bill!!! Very cool man. You're in for alot of fun now. Best of luck to you with your new flying skills.

Great job! You seem to have the plane trimmed well and your take offs were pretty smooth and not too steep.
As far as the cheap battery, did you make sure you had the same "C" rating on the spare pack you bought? There are only three lipo manufacturers in the world, so the chances are good that you can find a "good" battery online that is as good or better than the OEM. I've had great results from the Zippy "Rhino" series of batteries. Regular Zippy's are ok too, but the "Rhino's seem to perform a little better. Turnigy is good too, but the Turnigy packs also seem to have a little less burst power compared to a Rhino of identical size, capacity, and "C" rating.

Keep having fun!