Going forward to the past.

[fossil1]

Just thought I would put a few words in here.     

 

It's been at least two or maybe even three decades since I last dabbled around with balsa wood .   My last creation was a Cambrian glider which was stored under a bed until the cat shredded it with it's claws.    There ended my journey into rc until this week when I bought a copy of  RCM&E and a set of plans for a Piper Cub.   Last night I spent some time trying to estimate how much wood I would need and tonight I will give it another go just to make sure I have not over or under estimated.   There are three flying clubs near by but all are around thirty miles away,   Dallachy, Cairngorm and Ross-shire.     Not sure if anything around Inverness, the last I heard was that the flyers there lost their site down by the canal.

 

Anyway,   I'm looking forward to the build as I find it a very rewarding way to spend time.    There's a lot for me to learn especially the dark art of brushless and lipo but I'll get there in the end.   Might even revert back to nice noisy ic engines.   Time will tell.   That's enough of my ramblings for now but as Arnie said, I'll be back.

[kc]

If you state which plan you have bought someone may have the original article if you didn't get that with the plans.

 

It's better to over estimate the balsa as postage is so expensive - better to spend the money on balsa rather than extra postage.    Buy the piano wire at same time and also any fittings needed.   I suggest Balsa Cabin or SLEC as a balsa supplier with all the fititngs available too.

Look at the 4Max website for info on what motor and Lipo to use or ask on this forum.

Good luck with the model.   

Edited August 12, 2022 by kc

[kevin b]

Hi Fossil1.

 

Welcome back to the fold.

kc is right and if you have bashed balsa in the past you know that if you buy too much it will not go to waste (or probably down in price either).

A true scale Piper Cub is not necessarily the easiest plane to fly, but most plans are generally semi-scale with allowances to make them easier.

[fossil1]

Didn't get round to revising my list as I ended up watching,    How I spent my summer vacation.

The plans I bought are Svenson Piper Cub and after a bit of searching the web I found more info on it, hopefully the images attach.    Might even make a stronger fuselage along with another couple of 'adjustments'.   The 4 Max site has a lot of good info and products too.

 

 

 

[kc]

Well that Svenson plan is just the plan from a kit and won't have all the parts shown.   In particular the wing fixing and cabin area doesn't have enough details to enable the average aeromodeller to build one.   I couldn't build one from just those plans!     The person selling these plans says you need experience......

I suggest you consider the much simpler and slightly smaller (52 inch )  Cub by Jack Headley - plan is free on outerzone for you to have a copy shop print off for you and the instructions are there too..    Of course this version dosn't have a glazed cabin which makes it much easier to build and a bit more robust.   In addition it makes putting a hatch for the Lipo much simpler ( no glazing in the way! )   Or there are plenty of other Cub plans availble notably by David Boddington or those by Phillip Kent.   Also lots of others on Outerzone.

[fossil1]

Thanks for that link KC, I'll have a right good look at the plan tomorrow when i'm more alert..   Just as well I didn't order the wood.

[kc]

The Jack Headly Cub is semi scale and has no ailerons or glazing.   You might also consider the Bill Bowne   Fun Scale 56 inch Cub plan from Sarik Hobbies which is already designed for electric and has ailerons.   Both these are J3 Cub which has much less glazed area than the Grasshopper style Cub.   Much easier to build a J3 Cub than the one with large glazed area - simple construction in the critical wing area!   Order a copy of the original magazine article when ordering from Sarik - sometimes extra cost but worth it.

For a really good scale Cub consider the Phillip Kent Clipped Wing Cub also from Sarik ( or direct from Phillip himself I think ) and this is designed for a glow engine but could be electric.   This one has laser cut parts available too

Edited August 14, 2022 by kc

[fossil1]

Over the weekend a lot of time was spent on the web and discovered that the plan is very similar to a Sig piper cub so I've decided to stick with the original plan and this morning I traced the outline of the fuselage onto some A4 paper and then onto a sheet of 2mm lite ply that was gathering dust.   Still got quite a bit of cutting to do and will post a pic later.

 

 

[kc]

Balsa wood is so expensive now that starting with an incomplete plan that results in an unfinished model might be false economy!    The wing support from the Svenson kit might well have been pre bent piano wire and unless you have the pattern it might be very difficult to build.   Far better to start with a plan that is complete.  

  

The Great Planes J3 Cub plan is available online and shows the crucial fuselage to wing dowel section in detail  and also shows the formers so might be a better bet,  but generally trying to build from a kit plan where lots of tricky parts are ready cut  in the kit is not really a good idea.  Much better to search for an all balsa plan that suits your purpose or buy a kit.