RC Cub (46cm span)

[planecrazy]

I honestly think Parkzone's Ultra Micro Cub would make a great beginners first scale plane,
so light so if you crash next to no damage and not to many $s!


The Eight year old Boarder Collie "Fly" is not fussed on my RC toys!

[planecrazy]

Been thinking about converting my Parkzone Cub into a Military L4 Cub and adding some detail.
So cruising the net found out about this American Charles Carpenter who fitted infantry bazookas
to the struts of his L4 Cub. See below a couple of links the second one, his daughter talking about
her fathers exploits, he managed to knock out six tanks including two Tiger Tanks with a Cub!

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Carpenter_(Lt._Col.)

www.warbirdsforum.com/topic/1450-rosie-the-rocketeer/

Haven't modeled on Carpenter's Cub just used some spare 1/48th scale decals I had lying around.


An L4 Cub with bite!




From this little yellow bird to a green meany!

Needs a bit of weathering and will try and get some flying shots as well.

[planecrazy]

Maidened the L4 Cub in her new scheme the pic's aren't fake must be the flash that created the shadow!

[komata]

planecrazy

Many thanks for the update. The 'Cub with teeth' is an interesting concept - it's a shame that none of the original 'fanged' versions seem to have been preserved.

I'm interested in your statement that 'Parkzone's Ultra Micro Cub would make a great beginners first scale plane,so light so if you crash next to no damage and not to many $s!'. As it seems to fit my requirements, where did you purchase your example and what did it cost?

I note too that you have added struts. What are these made from, are they an airfoil in cross-section and do they alter the performance in any way?

Sorry about the questions, but hopefully you are able to answer them.

Thanks.

[planecrazy]

I am far from an rc master pilot, still crash a bit and you need to realise crashing is learning,
you will crash get frustrated and annoyed! I don't mean to sound negative, unless you are a
natural this game takes a bit to master.

First tip would be go to a flying field have a lesson, these days most rc clubs have instructors
who use a buddy system with two radios linked together, this would be a great start and get
you along way down the track than if you try and teach yourself! An old guy once told me if
you can't afford to lose her don't fly her!

One of the hardest things I found early in the piece, if flying towards yourself you push the
stick to the right she goes left, you turn right and she goes left, as you can imagine if you are
coming into land she's all over red rover! Getting the hand eye coordination thing takes a little
while. I believe the best planes to learn on do not have ailerons, this Cub has rudder elevator
and throttle, if it is trimmed correctly you let go of the sticks and will fly straight and level
which is a great thing for people who are learning to fly.

Here is a link to Parkzones ultra Micro cub, not sure who would carry them in New Zealand,
many shops in Australia stock them, ready to fly Ultra Micro and park flyers have become very
popular in the rc aeroplane world.

www.parkzone.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=PKZ3900

As for my statement a great learners plane, as with anything that flies weight is your enemy,
you have to lug it into the air and when you come down you have to get that weight at the right
angle and speed. Because this Cub is so light and you stuff up not much happens, I have crashed
this thing too many times to count, I serious believe the only way you could do major damage is
fly her from a height vertically into a road or similar hard surface. Your other enemy is wind,
being so light wind can ground you, sadly wind and turbulence are not to scale! I don't fly my
Ultra Micros in anything over 5 knots, I refer to wind as flak, it will shot you down!

Wow I am getting long winded here, so I have added weight to my Cub with paint, struts and
my bazookas however not much and she still flys nice. If anything having struts has made her a
little stronger, the wings used to flex during loops, now nice and solid. The struts are 1mm carbon
fibre rods with some 1.5mm Evergeen half round glue to it. I also glued a plastic strip under the
wings and where they meet the fuselage, used fuse wire to hold it all together.

Sorry for my long winded answer, hope it helps out.

[komata]

Planecrazy

Many thanks for you reply. Not 'long-winded', just very detailed, helpful and encouraging; 'My' sort of answer.

A further question (which Parkzone themselves don't answer BTW): What is the aircraft made from? The 'Lightness' you have mentioned would suggest expanded polystyrene. Is this in fact the case, or is it made from some other material?

Based on your reply, it looks as if I'm going to be going 'Cubbing' over the next few weeks. . .

Thanks again.

[lumpy]

May 20, 2014 7:04:35 GMT 12 komata said:

A further question (which Parkzone themselves don't answer BTW): What is the aircraft made from? The 'Lightness' you have mentioned would suggest expanded polystyrene. Is this in fact the case, or is it made from some other material?

Thanks again.

They will be EPO - a material almost exactly like expanded polystyrene ( which I think is EPP ) , but its a bit more chemical resistant . It means that you dont have to be so fussy about what glue you use , or what paint ( because most thinners eat polystyrene .

Planecrazy has some very good advise regards to going to a club for advise , it will help a lot . Also consider getting a bigger " first plane " as bigger is easier to learn on ( the cub may be a little on the small side )

I also highly recommend getting a decent simulator for your computer , it will save a lot of crashes and will give you something to do on those frustrating windy/rainy days when you cant fly .

[komata]

Lumpy

Many thanks for the reply. Chemical-resistant polystyrene! At last, no more 'dissolving' ('instant toffee')when using the wrong glue or paint; progress indeed.

A 'bigger' aircraft? As is probably very obvious, for a variety of reasons it's been many years since I was anywhere near flying-scale (I'm more familiar with gliders and control line than R/C, BTW), so I was looking for something that was simple, low-cost and fun. Entry-level if you will. The Cub seemed to fit the bill. However, as I hadn't hadn't thought of the need for a larger aircraft as an 'intro' to R/C, what would you suggest?

Thanks.

[lumpy]

Have a look at this site ( its a very popular site for buying stuff from , and pretty cheap , but based in china so you will probably pay $35 - $40 freight on most models ( prices are all US dollars too )

www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__433__191__Planes_Parts-Beginner_Trainer.html

Check out the " Bixler " and " Warlrus " . At around the 1.5 meter wingspan they make very good trainers and are very docile fliers .
Be aware that you would need acceseries to go with this type of model - such as batteries , charger , radio but they are also listed on the site and cheaper than you probably think .( you would likely be looking at around NZ $300 for a full set up )
It does depend a bit also on wether you are looking to take up RC flying as a hobby ( be it scale , 3D etc ) or just looking for something to have a bit of fun with at the local park .( in which case the Parkzone will probabaly be as good as most , but a lot of people get disheartened by crashing more than flying - still fun though
Also check out
www.nzmaa.org.nz/
its the " RC National Body " and will have a list of clubs so you can check out whats near you ( but there may also be " unofficial " clubs too )

[komata]

Lumpy.

Many thanks for your reply; its given me a lot to consider and research. At the moment I'd be in the 'weekend flyer / fun' category, just 'testing the waters' to see if I want to get into the whole R/C 'committed to the hobby' thing. Decisions, decisions...

Again, thanks.

[lesterpk]

What part of the country you in Komata? Many unofficial park flying groups exist that would welcome a newby and show them the ropes.
www.parkflyers.org.nz is another good place to check out for advice.

[komata]

lesterpk

Thanks

My nearest club is the Cambridge one, so I'll be paying them a visit in due course.