The Adrian Page 1/5-scale Super Cub is a Canadian manufactured laser-cut balsa and plywood wood model airplane kit. The kit was in production about a dozen years ago, and then production stopped about 10 years ago. Adrian recently started manufacturing these kits again recently, and I very eagerly acquired one. Glenn and Gordon (both TEMAC members) both built one of these years ago, and they fly really nicely. Another TEMAC member, Pat, recently acquired a kit as well. Glenn still flies his at TEMAC very often in the summers.
The kit is intended for modellers who have built kits before, and so the lack of detailed instructions can be challenging for beginners. I'll be keeping a building log/thread so other members can reference it if they want.
A Piper Super Cub differs from a Piper J3 Cub in that it has a cowl that fully encloses the engine, slightly different outlines on the fuselage and tail, and they have flaps.
I will be building a model of a 50 to 60 year old full scale military version I saw in a museum in Israel a few years ago, so I will be customizing some parts. I once modified a Hangar 9 ARF to make one of these models, but crashed it doing sloppy aerobatics.
The main change from the kit will be the rear-most and fuselage top windows.
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The following is a list of additional wood and parts I purchase as I build the kit. I will add to the list as parts are used.
- 4 pcs 1/4" x 3/8" x 36" hardwood for wing spars.
- 2 pcs 1/16" x 3" x 36" sheet of balsa wood.
- 1 pc 1/4" hardwood for rear wing spar and braces.
- 1 pc 1/4" diameter dowel for wing hold-down.
- 2 pcs 36" length aileron and flap balsa tapered stock, approx. 2" x 3/8"
- 5 pcs 1/4" square balsa for fuselage longerons (inner edges) and stabilizer/elevator
- 4 pcs 1/8" dowels, 48" long
- 2 pcs 1/4" x 1/2" for the stabilizer
- Sullivan Gold-n-rod nylon control rods
The kit was mailed to me in 2 boxes; one with the wood, and one with plastic parts. I will still need to buy some balsa sheet, and all the hardware. The instruction manual was emailed to me so I simply printed it out. There are full size plans in the kit.
I do have a proper size functioning bungee landing gear (Robart brand) which I bought years ago. I will use these, and I also have proper shaped collapsible wing struts, which I may use instead of what come in the kit. I'll decide as I build.
Glenn uses a 6-cell lipo system with a '60'-size electric motor, which he says works very well and balances the plane. I'm using a 5-cell system with a '46' size motor in a Hangar 9 1/5 scale cub with floats, and I fly that off water easily, so I'll be using a similar power system in this plane. Actually, the construction is so light, I'm sure a 3-cell 04 4-cell system would fly this model well.
Leading and trailing edges.
I sand all balsa tabs off the parts just before assembling them.
These are not heavy sticks that will need shaping and sanding. These are laser cut parts that are constructed. I haven't seen this before, but even though this kit was designed more than a dozen years ago, it is very innovative as compared with most kits I've built.
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If I don't explain something clearly, or if anyone has any questions, feel free to ask, or comment.
Hi Michael,
Looks good. How much was the kit?
I'm not really sure.
Contact Adrian Page.
[email protected]TEMAC is considering this kit as a group building project for winter 2015/2016.
Nice, I like the L4 Grasshopper conversion idea :)
More wing construction.
I took all wing parts out of the laser-cut sheets, sanded the little tabs, and placed them on the plans. Additional wood and parts, that are not included in the kit, are now necessary for construction. I will be keeping a complete list of purchased parts in the opening thread, as I acquire and use them. In one of the photos below, there is about $100 of newly purchased wood and hardware, although that may be more than needed.
The assembled trailing edges have been pinned to the plans, and the main ribs, leading edge and spars are put together, with slot and tab type construction. The wings as in the photo, are simply assembled and not yet glued. It took about 10 minutes per wing to line everything up.
The instructions do say that the balsa parts may not match the plans exactly. This is the case with my model, as you can see in one of the photos. The instructions suggest using the plans as a guide in this case, as long as the parts are built square. I lined up the inner wing parts (where it will be close to the fuselage) and assembled/built everything square, out from there.
Wing lights area construction was easy.
All ribs and and small ribs glued to leading and trailing edges.
Next is leading edge sheeting and shear webs. I'm not in the mood for that, so I'll see if there's anything good on TV. ;D
Nothing I liked on TV, so I did the shear webs.
This was actually easier than I thought, as it was simply a matter of cutting webs measuring 1" x 1 5/16" x 1/16", grain running up and down (the longer measurement), and glued on either side of each full rib. I haven't done this before, and I'm not sure how strong this will be, but the reputation of the kit/model is excellent, and I won't argue with success.
I used Lepage Express wood glue for the shear webs, and then added a drop of medium CA to each rib where it touches the spars. I've been using CA on everything else so far. I used more than 1/2 of a 1/16" x 3" x36" sheet of balsa wood, so I'm adding that to the list of wood in the opening post.
Looking very smart.
Did you clamp the shear webs or just rely on contact?
I would suggest that clamping might be best.
Jack.
I did not clamp.
Once attached, I did wiggle and squeeze each pair surrounding each rib.
Don't get excited guys; nothing sexy there.
Front sheeting glued down and wing tips started.
Another 36" sheet of 1/16" balsa was used for the front sheeting.
(http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviation-photos/middle/8/5/6/2546658.jpg)
Interesting photo.
Same number (099), same colour spinner and wheel hubs.
I wonder if it's the same plane, and whether or not it has been repainted, before or after I saw it.
I still plan on finishing the model in white and orange.
When you compare the photos, it looks like the same building behind both aircraft at the time the photo was taken.
A tiny bit of progress.
Wing tips assembled, then the edges are sanded round/smooth, and then they are glued to the wings, rear part flush with the bottom of the wing, front part centered on the leading edge.
One of the upright supports isn't vertically straight (see the photo), but it doesn't matter and it won't affect the model adversely.
Small scrap balsa is installed near the leading edge; I'll add another piece on the bottom once the wing is lifted from the table.
I'll wait before installing servo supports and the struts attachment pieces, because I haven't decided on what size servos I'll be using, and I haven't decided what struts I'll use.
Micheal ... Good memories of working on this kit a few years ago. Mine is still in great shape but I will admit that it has been a hangar queen recently. I want to get it back in the air ... Let's fly together I when the field opens.
I look forward to it, Gordon. :)
Hey Michael,
Are you finished yet?
Glenn
Still working on the wings.
Servo 'boxes' constructed out of laser cut parts. I needed to cut the opening a little bit to fit my servos (I bought mini - not micro - servos).
Wire tubes made of paper, glued in and cut to fit.
One of 2 large plywood dihedral braces glued in place onto the hardwood main spars.
There is a 1/4" square hardwood spar at the rear, but there is no slot in the appropriate ribs. I cut slots where needed.
Smaller pieces of that 1/4" hardwood serves as braces for the leading plywood face of the wing.
1/4" dowels are glued in place to secure the wing to the fuselage.
These 2 pieces of wood are added to the list in the opening post.
Some 1/8" sheet is put in between ribs near the fuselage. I used scrap from the kit, so this is not added to the list of wood to buy.
I still need to add thin sheeting in specific parts of the top wing, and I still have to put plywood surfaces to which to attach the wing struts. I'll do this later when I decide which struts I'll be using.
That looks like a fun kit to build. I'm tempted! ;D
Oi, Piker! What were we talking about last night!? Finish your other models first! ;)
I just said I was tempted... after I finish all my other projects.
I made a mistake on the wing.
I have 1/2" dihedral on one side; 1" on the other. There's supposed to be 3/8" on each side.
I probably won't do anything about it, and it probably won't have any effect on the flying, and it won't be very noticeable.
I may slightly sand the center-bottom of the wing so that the wing sits on the fuselage in a way that the dihedral looks even.
Washers glued done on rear wing plywood hold-down plate, and rear top trailing edge glued down on right side of the wing. I used the 'Express' glue here, because it gives more time when gluing down a larger surface. After a couple hours, I'll pin the left wing flat and glue the left side on.
That dihedral, was it 3/8" or 3/4"?
You should be able to fudge the Fuselage on one side to straighten it out.
Jack.
3/4" total, or 3/8" each side.
Yeah, I'll fudge it one way or another. ;D
Ailerons and flaps.
I was able to purchase the right length, width and nearly the right depth tapered balsa to make the ailerons and flaps, except the leading edge was rounded. I'll add a simple description of this balsa to the list of wood to buy, but I don't necessarily suggest the size that I bought since it had to be modified somewhat.
I cut the aileron and flap pieces to length, and then trimmed the aileron outer tips to match the round curves of the wing. I planed and sanded the ailerons to have a centered-beveled leading edge. These were not quite tall (depth) enough to match the rear part of the wing, so I mounted the aileron flush with the top of the wing (the hinge line is not at the top of the wing; it's at the center line of the aileron, but about 40% down from the top of the rear edge of the wing). It's about a mm short on the bottom, but overall, it looks fine, and will function fine. I used CA hinges here (not glued until much later, after covering).
I cut about 3/16" off the rounded leading edge of the flaps, and glued on an appropriate thickness piece of balsa, so I could cut and sand the flap to have a top-hinged beveled leading edge of the flap. The flaps are hinged from the top edge because they move from level to down positions only; they never travel up. See the photos. I used plastic and pin-type hinges here, also not glued yet.
Other than sanding (to smooth out all my errors ;D ) and servo and linkage installation, the wing is finished. Once the fuselage is constructed, I'll bring the wing back to complete its attachment.
Fuselage.
First step is to cut the small tabs to free the laser-cut plywood parts from the scrap plywood.
I'm doing this slowly and carefully to make sure I don't break or damage anything. It's a bit slow, but there's a lot of really nice scrap plywood left over for other projects.
The instructions are not overly clear as how to assemble a right and left side of the fuselage (the right side has a two-part door, which functions as a hatch-opening for the battery), and which side is inside or outside, but by carefully looking at the parts, everything becomes apparent. I'll carefully show each step as I proceed.
Once cut out, I carefully sand what's left of the small plywood tabs.
This took more than a half-hour, and I'm getting a bit tired. I don't like to build when I get tired, as I'll be more likely to make a mistake, or even hurt myself. That's it for today.
I'll be busy at work the next few days, and I don't expect to get much done on this model during this time, but I'll be back at it soon.
Covered by Tuesday then?
If covered by Tuesday, the maiden must be next Saturday :D
looking good!
Frank
Fuselage modification
The following is not part of the construction; I am changing the fuselage frame as mentioned in the first post of this thread, to look more like the airplane I am modelling.
I'm sharing these steps in case anyone is interested.
The first step in the fuselage construction is to glue the fuselage doublers to the front right and left frames, and then to the rear fuselage sections, however, I did not glue the doublers on first. I glued the rear and front sections together, and then sketched out what I would be cutting away, and what scrap wood I'd be adding.
Take a look at the photos; they tell the story.
Once the first side dries, I'll build the second side directly on top (with wax paper in between, to make sure they don't get glued together. Then I'll add the doublers to the outside of the frames (the door side is on the right).
Modification continued - not standard as per instructions
Left fuselage side has been modified same as the right, and now the outer plywood doublers have been cut to fit. Later on, I will have to use some additional 1/8" sheet to blend the outer plywood doublers at the rear and rear-top, and around the rear windows. I illustrate that when I get there.
Also later, I will add some additional doublers for strength inside the fuselage sides where the front and rear fuselage parts butt against each other. This is because my modifications eliminated parts of that glue joint, and the extra strength of doublers will make up for that.
The plywood outer doublers have carefully been glued in place, and the plywood bits on top, for the part that sits inside the wing, have been glued on. There are 2 parts per side, the inner part with a slot. They are seen in the top left of two of the photos in this post.
It looks very open, although as you say it's ply and will be strong when it is all joined up.
Jack.
The Plywood frame is strong but brittle. My Cub had that bad crash and shattered like glass. But I gathered up all the parts and put it back together reinforced with balsa. Lesson here is Don't Crash!
lol
Glenn
Next step is to glue 1/4" square balsa sticks (longerons) to the inside edges of the fuselage frames. That would be the opposite side from each cabin doubler.
I cut small scratches into the plywood where the sticks would be glued to give the glue something to seep into.
I cut small alternating grooves into the top and bottom of the balsa sticks so they would bend easier, where needed.
The other images show where the balsa sticks end to fit the formers.
This step required 4 sticks of 1/4" square balsa, and took less than a half-hour.
Next I cut out (and sanded the edges of) the fuselage formers and other parts.
The small part in the bottom right of the photo would certainly have to be Robert's favorite piece; it's the rear floats attachment brace. ;D
Fuselage assembled (sides, formers, trays, tail supports) by tab-and-slot alignment, and held together with rubber bands.
I'll verify that the structure is straight and then I'll glue all the joints with CA.
Looks very good.
Jack.
Thanks, Jack.
I've added 1/4" square balsa sticks where shown for strength, as per the plans.
The wood under the battery tray is hardwood.
I have not added any of this strip wood to the list in the opening post since is left-overs from pieces already listed.
Kit modification
I'm installing 1/5 scale Piper Cub articulated bungee landing gear from Robart, and (Sig or DuBro?) 1/5 scale Cub wheels (wheel collar inside the hub cap, the hub cap painted orange).
These were installed in an older model that had crashed and I modified the fuselage to accept the old hardwood mounts with blind nuts. I used a fair amount of scrap balsa and plywood, and cut and sanded where needed, but everything now fits nicely.
The aluminum wing strut attachments were installed on these pieces of hardwood, and since I have the old aluminum struts, I left these on.
The kit calls for a landing gear block to be made or purchased (not included with the kit), but I would recommend that builders search for a similar type of working landing gear, as the installation is easy, and the functionality really helps with landings (and touch-n-go's).
1/8" dowels are added to each fuselage side to simulate (under the covering) the steel tube frame of the full scale plane. There are guides for this laser etched into the fuselage sides.
I've added this to the list of wood to be purchased, in the opening post.
A little more progress:
Sullivan Gold-n-rod nylon control rod sleeve in place with guides glued on, and with scrap balsa sheet near the rear 'outlet' so the covering will be smooth. The rods need to be trimmed, and the dowels from the previous post need to be sanded to a taper.
Dash and 3 (laser cut) stringers glued on. This will be sheeted.
Scrap balsa glued around the modified/added rear side windows, which will be sanded/tapered near the top of the fuselage, also so the covering will look nice. This should have been done earlier, but it seems OK now; I glued on the plywood wing-hold-down platform with doublers underneath.
Hi Michael,
The build is coming along very nicely I see. I have one suggestion, lose the Nyrods and go pull/pull on the rudder and possibly old school square balsa with wire attached at either end for the elevator control.
I had trouble with vague control on those two control surfaces. I switch the rudder to the pull/pull and gained a lot of rudder authority. The plastic flex issue means that pushing away will ultimately result in bending which reduces the control of the surface.
Crap, this means I've got another item for my things to do list. ::)
Thanks, Glenn.
The instructions do call for the stiffest 'nyrods', but those weren't at the hobby store when I went there.
Since I've already started with this, I'll continue to use it. If I detect any flex, I might install a stiff wire inside the inner-flex-rod.
If it becomes a serious problem, I'll change it later.
You are just motoring along on this ... looking really good so far!
Colin.
P.S. What's this ... your fourth build this winter? :)
Quote from: wollins on March 31, 2015, 07:18:04 PM
You are just motoring along on this ... looking really good so far!
Colin.
P.S. What's this ... your fourth build this winter? :)
Lost count! ;D
Imagine how much faster it would go if I wouldn't be posting photos and descriptions!
Photos:
61. Balsa doubler tapered to top edge. This was because of my modified/added window. If built as per the plans, this would be unnecessary.
62. Pushrod sleeves trimmed and dowels sanded at fuselage rear.
63. Although not on the plans nor in the instructions, I added corner braces behind the firewall.
64 and 65. The instructions ask for square hardwood sticks under the wing-hold-down-plate and the fuselage sides, and then the rounded doublers. I measured and found that the blind nuts wouldn't fit, so I glued the sticks on the sides of the doublers. See the photos for my solution.
66. A balsa doubler behind the plywood for the wing mount.
67. Front fuselage top sheeted.
Braces (some plywood, some 3/16" square hardwood) glued on the inside of the window-doors, and then sitting in place. These braces are cut and positioned so as to avoid inner frames and former edges. I still have to hinge the window and door, but I'll think about how to do it (the instructions are not as simple as I would prefer), and I'll get to it in a day or so.
There is a small overlap of plywood on the inside lower edge of the folding window, so the lower folding door can hold it shut when closed. I still have to build a door-locking/opening lever.
This a reminder for myself; I still have to make window frames for the top of the fuselage just behind the wing.
Don't forget to make window frames. Just a reminder.
Thanks Simon, I'm working on it now. ;D
My wing was built with too much dihedral on one side. Before committing to a fixed position on the fuselage, I test fit it. I can see a little unevenness in the photo, but in person, it's basically not visible, so I'm leaving it as it is.
First I drilled the holes for the wing-hold-down screws using the holes in the wing as guides (the wing was on the fuselage in the right position, so these holes were where they should be). I then enlarged the holes so the blind nuts would fit, pushed those in place, and then pulled them in by screwing the wing on tightly. I added a little water-based 'Express' glue on the edges of the blind nuts to keep them attached.
I built the structure behind the wing on the fuselage as per the instructions with scrap balsa, and used additional scrap to frame my added/modified top window frames.
Still to do:
- stabilizer/elevator
- fin/rudder
- sanding
- more door installation
- wing struts
- cowl
then:
- radio installation
- power system installation
- covering
- assembly
- decoration
Stabilizer and elevator.
The plans and instructions are straight forward, and the work as seen here took less than an hour.
The parts of the front of the stabilizer are sanded to fit a dowel as a leading edge, by using sand-paper wrapped around a dowel. It worked well.
Horizontal tail construction finished.
The first photo shows the parts pinned together so the whole thing (especially the where the curved edges meet) can be sanded evenly. A good idea.
The second shows the completed structure, with elevator balances (the curved tips which overlap the edges of the stabilizer) cut off and glued to the elevators, hinges installed (not glued until later), elevator wire connector installed, and unusually, the trailing edge of the stabilizer beveled (probably easier than beveling the leading edge of the elevator between the elevator balances).
One of the reasons I'm posting about this model construction, is so that this can be a guide to anyone who may build the same kit in the future. (Jack is considering, among other kits, this as a group build for next season).
If anyone has any questions, or if I'm not clear on any steps in the construction, please feel free to ask in this thread.
Vertical tail (fin and rudder) was easier to construct than the horizontal tail; much of it fit together like a puzzle.
The tail is simply pinned in place in the photo; it won't be glued until after covering.
I'll have to make tapered fairings for the top of the stabilizer at both sides of the fin. There is a laser cut base and front part that ensures everything fits straight.
I used the dowel with sandpaper to make clearance for the elevator connecting wire.
The instructions and plans have a simpler tail wheel suggestion, but the instructions also say a commercial tail wheel can be used. It's easier and looks more scale, so that's what I did. It is not installed permanently yet.
Wing struts - modification
The instructions/plans have a different method of making struts, but since I already have these 1/5 scale struts from another (crashed) model, I'll be making changes to the wings to support these struts. (That was a pun. ;D )
The main work will be to construct secure areas in the wing to hold the older hardwood mounts.
Nice!
Masterful construction.................. 8)
Thanks for the compliments, but my work is nowhere as fine nor as accurate as Colin's or Roberts, but, there is an important point I am trying to make.
My construction is not all that accurate, my sanding is not all that smooth, and the model is not as accurately aligned as it could be if I were building slower and more carefully.
The point is, that the construction of a balsa wood kit does not have to be prefect. None of the errors I am making will adversely affect its flight characteristics, and the model will still end up looking pretty good. Not prefect, but pretty good.
As well, I'm still enjoying building it, and I will enjoy flying it.
Modified wingstruts completed.
I cut re-enforcement saddles to hold the hardwood pieces that attach to the struts at the outer ends of wings, and balsa sticks to hold the hardwood pieces that attach to the mid-range strut supports.
The photos tell the story.
These fit well, and I'll get some smooth bolts with drilled holes and cotter pins (I'll show these after I buy them at the hobby store) to make fast work of attaching the wing at the field.
Opening doors/windows were constructed as instructions/plans, but the hinges were 'ad-libbed' a bit. This was quite a bit of tedious work, and I`m sure alternatives could be found, but I essentially cut hinge slots at each locations to suit that part/area, and used scrap balsa as added support for the hinges. The top hinges are to be glued to the window frame and to the outside fuselage. I screwed these on for now.
The cowl in the kit comes with both sides molded together on one fairly thick sheet of plastic. I cut these out carefully, and sanded them carefully, but one is still longer than the other. I trim them to match once securely joined. Scale-shaped holes for the motor shaft and engine cooling need to be cut out, and scale details will be fabricated from balsa and glued on before painting.
Once I got the two halves sanded and trimmed to fit together nicely (except for the length), I taped these together on the outside, and glued them together on the inside by soaking CA into strips of fiberglass along the seam.
Very neat hinging. Looks great.
Jack.
Still to do:
- sanding
- door latch
- wing lights?
- finish cowl
- radio installation
- power system installation
- covering and painting
- assembly
- decoration
- balancing, programming and throws
Complete airframe sanded and ready for covering.
Lights installed in wings. This is an inexpensive LED set with chrome-painted plastic frames simply glued in place. There are no switches; it simply plugs into the revciever for power.
Is your LED plugged into a separate channel that you can control (ie. turn off and on) with a separate switch?
I know flyers who have used a y-harness to provide power from one of the channels (if, for example, it was a 4 or 6 channel receiver)
The LEDs are simply plugged into an unused channel.
I may check out the hobby store for a simple electronic on/off switch that can be controlled by the radio, but it's not essential.
The motor is mounted, with a little guesswork as to right-thrust and down-thrust.
Spacers, bolts and blind-nuts were purchased at the Lowes Hardware.
The cowl is cut to shape and, holes cut, and mounted on scrap blocks.
The underside of the front fuselage was simply to be covered with plastic covering film, but I made a balsa hatch for the ESC instead. That will keep the battery compartment a little less busy.
Covering is started.
When covered, the 1/8" dowels on the sides of the fuselage really help bring out the scale look of the tubular construction of the full scale plane.
Before covering more, I decided to brush-paint highly-visible interior sections (near window areas) with white paint.
Covering continues.
OH GAWD, this will make TWO major builds you'll finish before I finish mine! ;D She's really looking good ... it's small details like this (painting the visible internal areas) that make a huge difference imho.
Colin
Thanks Colin, but these are not as 'major' as yours.
Yours is probably the most complicated 'build' ever documented on this website, and you are progressing way faster than anyone else in our club who ever built anything like it, ....
... but thanks anyway! ;D I am having fun!
I got a little bit done tonight.
I decided to make another hatch on the bottom, behind the landing gear.
This is where I'll put the receiver and bunch up loose wires, so that the cabin will be less messy and it'll be easier to place the battery inside.
I also built a simple fuselage floor to hide the receiver.
looks great Mike. Looking forward to seeing it fly.
A little more progress.
Fuselage white paint and covering completed. The work around the windows was not difficult; it just took time and patience.
I printed a Super Cub dash (sized to fit my model) that I found through a Google search, and glued it to a piece of balsa, which will be glued in place after covering, but before windows are installed.
Looks like you have the course laid out to fly from Portland to Vancouver :)
Quote from: pmackenzie on April 25, 2015, 09:20:04 AM
Looks like you have the course laid out to fly from Portland to Vancouver :)
That's an astute observation, Pat.
The history of the subject of my model is based on a Super Cub that was purchased by the Israeli Air Force from a British Columbia collector of vintage planes, for training purposes. Once the plane had been converted to Israeli colours (white and orange?), the GPS had been updated to reflect training exercises between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. ;D
(I make it up as I go along! ;D )
Well, at least it's an effort at being more scale.
The fin was one of the most challenging model parts I ever covered.
Most of the covering is done, so I took a break to appreciate the model for a moment.
Nice clean job.
jack.
I started looking around my 'shop' for parts to finish the cowl, and I found the cowl from my old model. The colours don't look so good in the photo, but it's actually quite nice in person. This is a foam, balsa and fiberglass cowl that I built from scratch.
No it's not, you can do better.
"Why spoil the ship for hap'worth of tar"
Jack.
I saw the real thing; the cowl is more scale than the rest of the plane. ;D
Anyway, I will finish the new cowl, but this 'temp' may allow me to fly it next weekend.
Quote from: Michael on April 26, 2015, 07:08:13 PM
Most of the covering is done, so I took a break to appreciate the model for a moment.
Ahhh ... orange. Excellent! :)
Moving along nicely!
Tail wheel and tail horns, etc.
Generally, using screwed on clevises on this type of pushrod is not a good idea, as they can rotate. I used locktite to prevent this.
The model is built, and ready for a maiden flight.
I didn't take any photos of the radio or power system installation, as this is similar to assembling an ARF. If anybody wants to see a photo of any part of the model, let me know.
Instead of ordering decals, I cut my own graphics out of sticky-back Monocote trim. I drew the images needed on the backing paper (numbers backwards, of course), and carefully cut them out, carefully applied them, and it's done!
The last photo looks like the graphics are skewed; it's the photo - not the model.
Those graphics came out really clean and sharp ... makes the model pop!
Colin
Maidened today.
Flew great! ;D
Here's a couple shots after the flight.
I think Bobby took some in-flight photos. Maybe they'll pop up soon.
Photos from Bobby.
Very nice, but you have the pilot in the wrong seat. ;D
A Cub is usually flown solo from the back seat for CG reasons.
I was aware of that, but ...., ...
most photos of a Super Cub with one pilot seem to show him in the front seat.
(J3 Cub in the back seat.)
BTW, the pilot stays in place with small magnets so it can be removed for battery installation.
Actually, so few modelers put 2 pilots in their Cubs, I think that's what I'll do.
Great job Mike! I really liked the flight shots.
Adrian
Thanks, Adrian.
It means a lot coming from the designer.
I believe the Super Cub pilot flew from the front seat. Given that fuel tanks were moved from the front cowl area in the J3 to the wings in the Super Cub.
Nice flying shots Bobby!
I think you are correct.
Jack.
(http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviation-photos/photos/1/7/6/1492671.jpg)
I stand corrected :-[ :-[
Just picked up an 80" Cub kit from Adrian last week...a fathers day gift from my two grown kids, and Adrian gave my a demo of his new laser. The entire fuselage cut in about three minutes from lite-ply. Impressive.
When I asked him about splitting the wing into two halves he suggested leaving the center section attached to one wing half.
After talking to your member, David, who had split the wing in a build a while back, he gave me the reason for doing it the way Adrian mentioned. It is much easier to make the aileron/flap connections to the fuselage (receiver) if you can gain access through the top before bolting the wing on.
So, now my question. I'm looking for a source to obtain a 5/8" diameter by 30" length, carbon fibre or aluminum wing-rod and sleeve within Canada.
Any suggestions..?
thanks,
Bill
I built my Super Cub five or six years ago. I built a two piece wing with the center portion fixed to the cabin. I bought my brass and carbon rods from A&J Hobbies. The two piece wing with the center section mounted to one half is an interesting way of splitting the wing, I would suggest that the 30cm wing tube would not be required, instead a strong hard wood stub spar sliding in to a reinforced box and a anti rotation pin would probably accomplish what is required
That's right. You don't need fancy carbon wing tubes because the plane has functional struts.
Adrian
Ok Adrian, no "fancy cf tubes"...now about that small amount of dihedral....is it primarily to eliminate the sagging look that can result with a flat wing, because it would be easier to do a split wing with the entire thing flat on the bench.
thanks,
Bill
Well... the real one has some dihedral. It seems to be a variable thing that can be adjusted to suit the owner of the plane. I think the wing looks drooped if you make it flat. I doubt you could tell any difference either way as far as flying goes.
Adrian
Yes, drooped is the correct word, not sagged. Appreciate you replying so quickly, Adrian.
I think I will go with a flat wing, and maybe drop a rib or so on each side. Maybe use the extra ribs as doublers around the wing joint.
Bill
Well, as some of you know, my Super Cub was destroyed (at the Kingston electric fun fly) when it decided to stall when I did a very slow flat turn.
The power and radio components all survived, but the model structure almost disintegrated.
Today, I ordered a new kit, and I'll start building again soon.
That's the spirit, Michael!
Quote from: retiredVTT on July 02, 2015, 10:59:02 PM
Yes, drooped is the correct word, not sagged. Appreciate you replying so quickly, Adrian.
I think I will go with a flat wing, and maybe drop a rib or so on each side. Maybe use the extra ribs as doublers around the wing joint.
Bill
Here's a clipped wing one Bill. I think my friend had an OS 90 4 stroke in it. It did some crazy aerobatics.
Adrian
Great news, Michael. So you'll be done by August? ;D
I really like that picture Adrian...I call it "two ole farts and a youngin" ...you gotta get that shot back on the website, that one sells kits..!
Great news Michael, I bet the second one will be a joy to build, we generally make all our mistakes on the first one..!
Bill
I took a look at this picture, and put "dihedral' on the back burner.
Bill
The plane in the picture looks to have about 5" dihedral measured at the centre. I think the wings look drooped if they are built straight. A kind of optical illusion.
Adrian
OK!
I've cleaned up all my planes from the garage, stored most of them away for the winter, and neatened up my work shop.
I'll be busy most of the next few weeks, but I'll start imagining/planning how to repair/rebuild my Cub, and hope to actually get started by the middle of November.
One photo shows the damaged plane, the other photos show my workshop. (Pay no special attention to all those awards on the wall!) ;D
Here are the surviving parts of the fuselage. The rear part is in excellent shape. I purchased a complete new kit. Perfectly suitable for this repair job, the kit has fuselage laser cut parts for the front of the fuselage, and for the back, so I can simply rebuild the front, and then splice it onto the rear. This is my plan, and I've just started the work.
(I'll worry about the wing later.)
Looking good.
Basic framing done, and the rear windows cut to match the military version.
You are a machine my friend. That's a week's worth of work for me right there! lol!
Colin
That will be a perfect repair, grafting the front section to the rear.
Nice work!
Glenn
Fuselage front and rear cut and trimmed to match. Later on I'll carefully graft/glue them together with braces.
Braces for the custom landing gear and wing struts glued in.
The fuselage is going together pretty well. There is still a lot to do, but the basic frame is done.
Eventually, I'll get to the wing. Hopefully, I can use some of the parts; I hope I don't have to build a complete new wing.
The fuselage is done, except for the cowl, painting, covering, windows and doors. Servos are in, motor and ECS installed, pilot figure held in by magnets on a platform, and a battery tray with velcro has been installed. I'll leave it like this for now so I can bring it to the build/repair classes.
I did a bit of work on one wing, and it took barely 5 minutes to repair. The other wing is badly damaged, and I'll probably rebuild that from the new kit I have. I'll think about it for a day or so.
Looking really great Michael. I'm happy for you.
Great job... as always!
Question for Adrian...
How far apart are the wheels..?
I'm making up the wire landing gear from 5/32" wire.
thanks,
Bill
Approx. 14" center of wheel to center of wheel.
For the badly damaged side of the wing, I've decided to take a similar but not quite the same approach as I did for the fuselage.
I'll rebuild the badly damaged or missing wing parts as needed, but instead of building new sections and gluing them together, I'll build those parts directly onto the broken wing.
Quote from: Michael on November 30, 2015, 07:18:06 PM
Approx. 14" center of wheel to center of wheel.
..thanks Michael,
Bill
Outer wing tip repaired. Basically I glued parts of new ribs onto broken ribs, added a few braces here and there, and it's done.
The inner part of the wing will be more challenging. Some thought will need to go into that.
Slow and steady progress.
Inner wing; all new parts.
More progress on the repairs.
Wing halves joined and fitted to the fuselage.
Wing struts attached and adjusted.
Servos and wing wiring installed.
Repair/construction is almost finished, but details seem to take a lot of time.
More than an hour was spent covering the upper window frame, and another hour covering the inner-upper part of the front of the fuselage.
The devil is in the details! Looking good! :)
Done!
I'll check the radio, but the repair is complete, and it's ready to fly!
Compare the model to the full size in the second photo.
Beautiful Michael, beautiful!
Colin
Excellent repair work. And it looks just like the real plane.
I know there isn't a lot of snow in Israel, but your Super Cub would look SOOOO good on skis! And I could loan you a pair of snow pants (or bathing suit!). Then you wouldn't have to wait SO long to flight it again. ;D
Snowballs
Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CaouXYMbW0&feature=youtu.be
Great little video!
And great afternoon of fun! Helped my blood pressure enormously!
Hi Guys'
Greetings from Sunny Australia.
I have an Adrian Page Super Cub short kit which I am contemplating starting to build soon.
Is this thread finally dead or is there a chance of an update from previous contributors or posts from recent builders of the Super Cub?
Regards
Tony
You're welcome to ask questions and/or contribute, but there is no one currently building one of these.
There are a couple being flown from time to time.
Quote from: Michael on July 14, 2017, 08:53:56 AM
You're welcome to ask questions and/or contribute, but there is no one currently building one of these.
There are a couple being flown from time to time.
Thanks Michael. It is great to know that there is an alternative source of advice in addition to consulting Adrian Page.
The 2nd Resurrection (no, this has nothing to do with Christmas nor religion).
****
As some of you know, my stupidity took hold and I used this plane in a skills contest, and nearly destroyed it. (The first crash a couple years ago was due to a faulty radio. Spektrum took responsibility for it and compensated me.) This merited me winning Crash-of-the-Year award at our December annual general meeting.
The damage was extensive, but after several months, I'm happy to say that it's ready to fly again!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nT3TYzSFxiE
Great work Michael!
I was there for the first one that you stalled and flattened into the field. To see all the work on this one and then crash it again almost broke my heart! It's nice to see that this model is back in action. Next time just grab a foam model for these type of events... lol!
I am so glad to see this aircraft airworthy again. Great repair job....
It's already for another Cub Fun Day!
:)
Great repair job. Look forward to seeing it fly again, but not at the skills competition.
No more fun flys for this plane. "Foam man! Foam!"