HobbyZone Super Cub - Tell Me About It

[AEAJR]

I have been reading great things about this plane. Tell me your experience. Should I be recommending this plane to new flyers?
Anyone have links to video?

[Panel guy]

super cub, 1st plane , first flights

The above is currently on pg 2 of beginners. There are a couple of pics, and a link to a video. I have crashed the living daylights out of this plane. It now looks like a grade school art project, as there is sooo.....much tape and glue holding it together. I like the way I can get replacement parts.
Wind seems to be my biggest problem. (not willing to wait a day or 2)
This is my first and only plane so far. So I can't be a good judge if something else is better, but..........
I have learned to take off, land, attach a video camera and fly around, even do loops and fly upside down towards me . Of course I have learned how to glue and tape foam back together too. I really like it and am amazed at how well it flies.
I'm going to make another vid right now as the sun is high and there is little wind.

[Grasshopper]

My neighbor bought one of these after I got him hooked on RC. He had never flown before and bought an Aero Ace to start. He was going to have me help him maiden the Super Cub but I was out of town for a couple of days and like all newbies he couldn't wait. When I got home, he came over and told me he had already been out and flown it 3 times. He had some minor mishaps with the ground but nothing broke. I did get to fly it a couple of times and I was very impressed. For the same price as the PZ J3 cub (the one I started into electrics with) the Super Cub is way better than my J3. Some of the things I like about the Super Cub is its larger size, it has a 480 motor, it flys great and I really like that it has a steerable tail wheel. I would highly recommend this plane for a first. Although he had very good luck without an instructor, I would still recommend having someone help you get started if you have someone available.

[gsk11740]

I have the HZ Supercub. Love it! The only thing I would change is to add ailerons. Oh, and a better radio. Can't stand those cheapie radios the RTF's all seem to come with. The battery cover keeps falling off mine.

[AEAJR]

Originally Posted by gsk11740

I have the HZ Supercub. Love it! The only thing I would change is to add ailerons. Oh, and a better radio. Can't stand those cheapie radios the RTF's all seem to come with. The battery cover keeps falling off mine.

So how much more do you want to pay for a better radio? $30 sound good for a good quality 3 channel radio? Get an Easy Star. That comes with a goo d quality 3 channel radio.

[gsk11740]

Granted, if it came with a better radio, I'm sure the whole thing would cost a lot more than it does. For the battery cover, duct tape is cheap.

[aircruiser]

Take off from river bend

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSY2THtxSsk



Local park flying

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YluFcWMQMi8




Another video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZglo2kt4GE





More

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3VLSkGVmJw






More

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMOymUcCSqQ



Maiden when I first got it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdZphyf6QbM




I highly recomend this pane, very durable, scale, powerful and you learn very fast with it.

[AEAJR]

Thanks for posting the videos.

Based on input here and in other threads, I have added this plane to my recommended list of RTF planes for new flyers.

To everyone, have you had to do any repairs? Replace a wing? What tends to get broken and how are you repairing it? If you were advising a new flyer, what spare parts would you suggest they get right away.

For example, for Aerobird Challengers, I recommend they get a spare wing and a second battery pack when they buy the plane. What would you recommend for a new Super Cub owner?

For people who do not have a runway or other hard surface for landing how does it do in grass? Can you take off the landing gear and belly land it? That is what is frequently required for people who have grass fields, like me. We pull the landing gear and belly land the planes. The gear tends to get stuck in teh grass, and cause the plane to nose in or to completely flip over, damaging the tail.

I have seen that you can use the bomb/chute drop wtih it. how about the combat module or the night fly module?

[Tinlid]

Seeing how i land on grass all the time and as luck would have it i had a spare set of landing gear from a PZ Typhoon (destroyed by me on first flight) i put the wheels on the Super cub they work great so far no nose overs on landing iv'e also had some very nice roll on after landing which really puts a smile on my face and iv'e also been use to walking to my planes to retrieve them after landing the Super cub i have taxied the Super cub several times back to me with no problems a nice step up would be a Mk2 version from the company one with ailerons

[zoott]

Great first teach yourself to fly plane. I proved this

[aircruiser]

Originally Posted by AEAJR

To everyone, have you had to do any repairs? Replace a wing? What tends to get broken and how are you repairing it? If you were advising a new flyer, what spare parts would you suggest they get right away.



or the night fly module?

I had a dead battery that I took off with and the wind blew me to a hard right and into the warming house at the park. I cut the throttle before I hit but the plane went from a 5ft drop right onto it's rudder and that snapped. Nothing a little packaging tape didn't fix.


The night module doesn't work with the wheel gaurds it comes with, but without the gaurds it might work.

[PerlAddict]

Like Tom, I started out with the J3 Cub, and I bought my Dad a Super Cub for his birthday. I ended up getting one later on, as well, and we both love them. I can't advocate it enough, I've had so much fun.

As far as comparing it to the PZ J3 Cub, here are the pros (I'm not going to list cons, because frankly, I find none to list in comparison):

Tougher plane (wing and fuse are much thicker than the J3's), larger and thicker wingspan, easier assembly if replacement parts needed (I HATE having to glue new tails on when a J3 Cub's fuse needs to be replaced), bigger motor and 8-cell battery option, steerable tail wheel, X-Port compatibility for some added fun, and actually able to fly comfortable in a light breeze for a beginner.

For spare parts, I would recommend getting the 8-cell NiMH (the one that goes in the Stryker B) for a second battery. The rest (aside from some spare props) we've never had to replace since we got the.

So far our Cubs have survived my wife taking in into the ground from a 100' WOT nose dive (taped the cowl back up and it was good to go), Dad running his up a light pole on a botched landing and taking it straight into the ground, and most recently, a mid-air collision two days ago while using the sonic combat modules.

We hit each other at about 50 feet up ... Dad's wiggled a bit and kept on flying, and mine spun like a top. It stayed in a flat spin for about 3 revolutions, and then I pulled it back up about 15 - 20 feet off the ground, raced back up after him, and shot his sorry little butt.

Still haven't needed to replace a wing, but the foam tends to come out in chunks if you knick it, so we put packing tape completely across the leading edge of the wing and around its tips, and it's worked great ... especially on those crosswind landings where we end up scraping the gravel with the wing tip.

Can't say enough good things about this plane if someone's looking for an inexpensive way to start and wants a great flying scale airplane that's easy (and forgiving) enough to learn on their own.

[Grasshopper]

Originally Posted by AEAJR

Thanks for posting the videos.

Based on input here and in other threads, I have added this plane to my recommended list of RTF planes for new flyers.

To everyone, have you had to do any repairs? Replace a wing? What tends to get broken and how are you repairing it? If you were advising a new flyer, what spare parts would you suggest they get right away.

For example, for Aerobird Challengers, I recommend they get a spare wing and a second battery pack when they buy the plane. What would you recommend for a new Super Cub owner?

For people who do not have a runway or other hard surface for landing how does it do in grass? Can you take off the landing gear and belly land it? [B]That is what is frequently required for people who have grass fields, like me. We pull the landing gear and belly land the planes. The gear tends to get stuck in teh grass, and cause the plane to nose in or to completely flip over, damaging the tail.[/B]I have seen that you can use the bomb/chute drop wtih it. how about the combat module or the night fly module?

My neighbor flys his off grass all the time. If the grass is short (2" or less) it does just OK. He replaced the stock wheels with a set of Dubro 2 1/2" Super Lites and it made a huge difference. Much better on grass now.

[Panel guy]

Now over 40 flights (+ about 15 that I would refer to as abruptly halted, my kids refer to them as crashes, what do they know :-)
1) I would suggest putting clear packing tape wrapped around the center of the wing (in between the plastic pieces) I have had 2 wings break right in the middle.
2) Put tape across the leading edge of the wing
3) Undo the 3 screws that hold the cowling, and put an elastic band around it holding the cowling onto the front of the fusalage.
4) Put a very small drop of hotmelt glue on the wing strut "c" clip that connects to the wing, to close off the loop of the "c"making it an "o"
5) Take 1 of the 2 props that come with the plane (after you break it), file off the rest of the prop, so you are only left with a cylinder. Put 2 small screws into the cylinder perperndicular to the core. Slightly round off the nut that holds the prop on. Get an elastic and you now have a prop saver
6) Get a roll of clear packing tape, and some foam safe super glue (aka CA)
7) Get 2 more batteries (I like the 1 9.6 I have, but the 8.4 is a lot less $ and still lasts about 15 mins)
8) smile, smile , smile,.... and tell people watching that " Hey I was trying to get it to do that!!!"

[PerlAddict]

What I find funny is that at my LHS, the 9.6v battery is only $19.99, while the 8.4v is the normal retail price of $25.99.

Not sure why, but definitely convinced me to get the 9.6v ones instead!

Just curious, Panel Guy, but what made you decide to hotglue the wing struts into place? I suppose it probably pulls off easy enough if you need to pick it back off, but seems like it has the potential to be a pain if you need to remove the wing for some reason.

[Panel guy]

Originally Posted by PerlAddict

What I find funny is that at my LHS, the 9.6v battery is only $19.99, while the 8.4v is the normal retail price of $25.99.

Not sure why, but definitely convinced me to get the 9.6v ones instead!

Just curious, Panel Guy, but what made you decide to hotglue the wing struts into place? I suppose it probably pulls off easy enough if you need to pick it back off, but seems like it has the potential to be a pain if you need to remove the wing for some reason.

On my first wing, one of the c clips broke during my misunderstanding of "high is good, low is bad when you don't know how to fly" I think there is still a chunk of styrofoam in my Willow tree.
On the next wing I bought the wing struts didn't seem to stay tight enough, and the clips would undo during loops, or flying upside down and then flap around.
Re battery price. Wow !! Not sure of the current $US--> $Cdn exchange rate but the LHS 8.4 = 24.99 9.6 = 34.99 ($Cdn) where I live

[cbatters]

Originally Posted by Panel guy

Now over 40 flights (+ about 15 that I would refer to as abruptly halted, my kids refer to them as crashes, what do they know :-)
1) I would suggest putting clear packing tape wrapped around the center of the wing (in between the plastic pieces) I have had 2 wings break right in the middle.
2) Put tape across the leading edge of the wing
3) Undo the 3 screws that hold the cowling, and put an elastic band around it holding the cowling onto the front of the fusalage.
4) Put a very small drop of hotmelt glue on the wing strut "c" clip that connects to the wing, to close off the loop of the "c"making it an "o"
5) Take 1 of the 2 props that come with the plane (after you break it), file off the rest of the prop, so you are only left with a cylinder. Put 2 small screws into the cylinder perperndicular to the core. Slightly round off the nut that holds the prop on. Get an elastic and you now have a prop saver
6) Get a roll of clear packing tape, and some foam safe super glue (aka CA)
7) Get 2 more batteries (I like the 1 9.6 I have, but the 8.4 is a lot less $ and still lasts about 15 mins)
8) smile, smile , smile,.... and tell people watching that " Hey I was trying to get it to do that!!!"

Great list of tips/mods.

Any damage to the motor / gearbox in any of your "abruptly halted" flights. (I didn't see anyone mention motor or gear box shaft damage.)



Clint

PS: When I crash, my 7 year old son jeers, "Dad - Give it up before you hurt another tree!"

[cbatters]

Interesting SuperCub post...

Despite 2 broken props and some obvious rough landings, no mention of bent shaft/damaged gearbox.

http://thesmithfam.org/blog/2006/10/...the-super-cub/

http://thesmithfam.org/blog/2006/10/...eo-over-provo/

[Panel guy]

NO damage to the motor or gear box, but the plastic firewall did split in 2.($1.49) Tried glue and tape, but for $1.49 ...........
I have flown straight into the ground full throttle ( umm a couple of times at the very start)
I did just change the motor, but not because of damage. 40+ flights ? When should you change???

[cbatters]

Originally Posted by Panel guy

NO damage to the motor or gear box, but the plastic firewall did split in 2.($1.49) Tried glue and tape, but for $1.49 ...........
I have flown straight into the ground full throttle ( umm a couple of times at the very start)
I did just change the motor, but not because of damage. 40+ flights ? When should you change???

Motor Replacement
When you notice it is not revving as high or it smells really hot due to high resistance of brushes/commutator. If motors are broken in correctly (20-30% throttle for 2 battery packs) they can last a long time when running on 8.4V packs - especially if you spend a lot of time at partial throttle. Extended WOT on 9.6V packs will reduce motor life.

REPLACEMENT PARTS
Just checked and found that you can buy a new bare fuse for $20. I think I am going to sell my NIB SuperStar EP ARF and join the SuperCub club. (Similar size plane but it looks like the SuperCub is much more durable and I will spend more time flying and less time repairing.)




Clint

[PerlAddict]

Originally Posted by Panel guy

Re battery price. Wow !! Not sure of the current $US--> $Cdn exchange rate but the LHS 8.4 = 24.99 9.6 = 34.99 ($Cdn) where I live

That would be about $30.90 U.S. dollars. In Canadian dollars, my LHS sells the 9.6v for about $22.60 if Google's current conversions are decently up to date.

I've run at least fourty 9.6v packs through my Cub now and my motor still seems to be doing good, even though I usually run WOT 90% of the flight or more. I did, however, do a water break-in on it and put in a couple of drops of sewing machine oil. But I definitely recommend using the bigger packs as an upgrade, especially if you can get them for a good price. They don't reduce flight time all that much, and the extra power they provide is extremely obvious when I fly with Dad, who has mostly 8.4v packs.

[cbatters]

Good motor break in reduces brush/armature arcing and allows motor to handle larger currents without damage. Unfortunately, RTF manuals rarely say anything about breaking in the motor.


Clint

[njndale]

I've had my Supercub for about 6 weeks now, and love to fly it. It's my first plane, I'm a beginner, but I was able to control it successfully on first flight with someone coaching me. My only available venue is a cow pasture, so I have to hand launch and subsequently "land" in pasture grass that is 2" to 6" high. Amazingly, nothing has broken so far. Because of the grass it always tips up on its nose when "landing". The only damage has been when my French Bulldog bit a divot out of the wing that now looks like a surfboard after a shark attack. Still flies fine though.

Like I say, I love flying it, and am now building a Magpie with ailerons for my next step up.

[AEAJR]

Originally Posted by Panel guy

NO damage to the motor or gear box, but the plastic firewall did split in 2.($1.49) Tried glue and tape, but for $1.49 ...........
I have flown straight into the ground full throttle ( umm a couple of times at the very start)
I did just change the motor, but not because of damage. 40+ flights ? When should you change???

When to change the motor? Well I have about 300-400 flights on my Challenger and the motor is going strong. Probably the same motor but without the gearbox.

[supercub21]

awesome!!!