Houston, we have a problem - R/C woes....

[Ragtopjohnny]

Well, need to order some replacement parts - good thing I didn't go for the more expensive model I was considering in the beginning....

Wing Scrape caused this...:eek:
http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o176/ragtopjohnny/0516001216.jpg

Rough nose landing caused this! :eek: :eek: You can't overly see it in the cell phone pick, but a nice big crack runs along the cowling...:(
http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o176/ragtopjohnny/0516001216a.jpg

Landing gear now sits like this:
http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o176/ragtopjohnny/0516001238.jpg

Good thing the parts AREN'T Expensive. Would have been a solid plastic fuselage that had working led lights, etc. The part that broke off in this model had a led NAV light in that model, so glad I didn't get that one. Gonna order those this week, next week order another battery, and then join a club and get some instruction with it. Also gonna upgrade the wheels to better wheels. Those foam ones are horrible.

In the mean time, back to the simulator for flying :)

John Thuot II
A+/Network+

[RRN1988]

sorry to see that, john. hope you get it fixed soon.

[Ragtopjohnny]

Thanks Rohan.

Ordered the parts today for it. Only 31 us dollars for everything. Can't complain about that. Even upgraded to better wheels for grass and dirt take offs and landings.


John Thuot II
A+/Network+

[angels355]

It doesn't look too bad, while you are still learning, why don't you just bend the landing gear back in place and use the old parts to practice on. If you have a hard landing that's OK those parts are already toast.

Google r/c simulator, I know I have seen them on the internet. Perhaps there's a way to use MS FS to simulate r/c.

All in all I think you did well, I saw much worse when I was a kid.

[aircav1970]

Oh my....crunched it on the maiden flight!Welcome to the wonderful world of R/C Amigo!The first time I flew...er,tried to fly my 172 it crashed but it was made out of balsa with fabric covering.....not a pretty sight with all the splintered wood and pieces of airframe,servos and the motor all going in different directions!:eek::p:p Ah well,what price can ya put on the fun when it all goes right!Chin up,stiff upper-lip and all that stuff! The Cub shall rise again!:D:D:cool:

[Ragtopjohnny]

Thanks Angels - I ordered all the replacement parts all ready, with the big crack in front, she's really not flyable right now. :( Good thing is, the parts weren't too bad....under $45 for everything. Will be here by Friday. :)

Thanks Gary Amigo! I've contacted a club near by to get some proper instruction on how to fly her now. Good thing I didn't fly originally where I was going to. There were runners on the track around the field, and my luck, I would have crashed into one of them :eek: I think I would have cried had I been you with the Balsa model....

Well, the parts are on the way, with better tires, so I'll be able to get better performance.

Gonna go fly my DA42 a while. At least I know what I'm doing there.....:)

John Thuot II
A+/Network+

[ViperPilot2]

Hey there, John!

Quite a few years ago, I got into RC off road racing, and had both a 2WD and 4WD dirt buggy that I'd race at the local track on Fridays & Saturdays. With the amount of crashes and broken parts I would suffer in a night of racing it was nice that there was a parts department there! They sure got a lot of my hard earned cash!
I wanted to get into RC flying, but was too scared of cracking up the plane or losing control of it to the point that I would hurt someone! :eek:

I suspect though that you will be up and running in no time.

Have fun!

Alan :D

[Ragtopjohnny]

Thanks Alan, appreciated man - I'll have her up and running by next Tuesday night. Being shown properly by an Instructor....:)

John Thuot II
A+/Network+

[NMLW]

Bad luck John.:( At least you didn't need a big box for the pieces. :):)

[Ragtopjohnny]

Very true Larry - though it was sad, it was somewhat humorous at the same time - I remember it vividly - cub started to rise off the ground, then immediately of course, turned towards TREES :eek:! I panicked, so I tried to lower the power quickly, but guess it was a little to quick...:(

Oh well, she'll be as good as new on next Saturday, ready to get some proper instruction on flight...:)

John Thuot II
A+/Network+

[thindog]

John I said something to you on facebook so I wont repeat it here just to say dont give up, nobody ever got good at anything that way, Remember its a rough ride in the beggining but you will start enjoying the ride soon:D

[Ragtopjohnny]

Thanks Rory, and I hear yah.....time to pick up the pieces, and restart the flying once she's reconstructed.

I'll be more careful though this time.....:)

John Thuot II
A+/Network+

[analog999]

John,

For $100 I bought a bunch of crashed Cubs off craigslist from a guy - just like yours - except they're red stickers. There were enough parts to build 3 working planes all with servos etc and a bunch of parts left over. I sold one of them on craigslist for $100 and was left with two. I have had many RC planes over the years (started with gas back when I was a kid). First off, let me say this - this plane is nice, but it is somewhat hard to fly, IMO. Without ailerons, it just don't give you much in the way of control like a 4ch plane would have. Plus the plane is just underpowered. You can get a higher voltage battery that will put out a little more umpf with that engine and you might be more pleased with that. Its good to have a spare battery anyway so if you're thinking about buying one, try going up. With that said, with dead calm, its fine, but throw in any kind of breeze and you are going to have trouble. Try to take off from hard packed surfaces or by hand launching - even medium length grass or dirt at a ball field will make take offs very difficult and wear down your battery much faster.

So aside from that, with your crash, it looks totally repairable. That's the one GREAT thing about this Cub is that you can just buy some FOAM SAFE super glue from the hobby store, some activator (you spray it on to cement the glue instantly) - add the glue to the pieces put them together, spray the activator and you're back in business. Honestly though I don't know if you even really need to order repair parts at all. Bend the LG back into place and I bet the wing will fly as is unless there is other damage than to the tip. I know you already did order some and that's fine, but honestly it looks flyable as is, considering I have owned three of them built from previously crashed and repaired parts!

If you want to practice and have an Xbox 360, there is a free trial simulator available for download on Xbox live which is fabulous, I highly recommend buying it - its like $5? And you can use your controller just like a real RC controller. Its the most inexpensive investment I know of that will get you safely off the ground the next time you go out. I think my Dad bought a USB setup for his PC that was about $30 and if you go that route its totally worth it as well, but the Xbox is good enough, IMO.

Honestly, reading back over your emails, I would advise you not to spend any more money on that plane, batteries, wheels or otherwise. Save your money for a 4CH and you'll be very happy you did. I did see a post somewhere where someone modded the plane for a 4ch setup and added ailerons (by cutting them out of the wing). If your radio equipment could handle it (I don't know if you have the same ones I do, they look a little different), then that's an option for you.

Oh, and lose those struts! They look cool but they just get in the way when you need to take off the wings :) They don't actually do anything necessary as far as structural integrity of the plane so don't worry about it. But if you like how it looks and you're willing to deal with the pain of them (maybe you don't take the wing off when you store the plane), then keep them...

[Paxx]

Hang in there Ragtop, crashing and re-building is all part of the hobby. As you continue along you will find packing tape, super glue, foam safe CA glue, rubber bands, and tiny screw drivers all handy for flying RC. Having plenty of spare props, tools, a crash kit, along with extra batteries can help maximize your field time.

I have become pretty good lately with a Blade 400 helo, but have also recently slammed it into ground upside down at full throttle (oops). Go to an RC meet, most of them (us) sit under a yard awning and fix/build things. :)

Oh yeah, hang onto your old parts. As others have mentioned they can come in handy. You will also get better at fixing stuff. That will help you salvage damaged parts, saving you some cash down the line. You can also use parts (or parts of parts) on other aircraft sometimes, and you will have other aircraft if you stay in the hobby. Without landing gear you can hand toss quite a few experimental flying contraptions into the air.
:)

[angels355]

Hang in there Ragtop, crashing and re-building is all part of the hobby. As you continue along you will find packing tape, super glue, foam safe CA glue, rubber bands, and tiny screw drivers all handy for flying RC. Having plenty of spare props, tools, a crash kit, along with extra batteries can help maximize your field time.

Don't tell me YOU crash???



I have become pretty good lately with a Blade 400 helo, but have also recently slammed it into ground upside down at full throttle (oops).

I ASKED you not to tell me that!!! (from tv show "Get Smart")

Now hold on a minute, when you guys talk about batteries you're talking about the transmitter batteries right? You guys still use the blood and guts gas powered engines right? The ones that are so powerful a Piper Cub flies like an F16??

I saw one gas powered Piper Cub crash, a small one. It was so fast it was just a streak as it powered into the ground and suddenly became silent, while it broke into many little pieces that flew everywhere. Ahh good times!

When I was a kid I myself only flew kites, and balsa gliders and rubber band powered balsa planes. But I used after market rubber bands that were very mean. One time the rubber band was so strong it collapsed the balsa "fuselage". Believe me i mixed and matched parts routinely.

[Ragtopjohnny]

Thanks Paxx and everyone - I appreciate the words of encouragement and have a first real flying lesson on Saturday....:D.

I will surely soon master the art of R/C flying and go up as many times as needed with the instructor.

I'm getting another battery too tomorrow at a local hobby shop near by - they should have them in stock, That way, I don't drive a half hour and have to use my car to recharge the one that I have.

Well, have a good one all, I'll keep you posted what happens. Maybe in a few times after going up I can get pictures of all successfull stages of flight...:)

I'm never giving up - I'm sticking with this one for quite a while before moving onto my next plane - which will be a bigger prop job.

John Thuot II
A+/Network+

[RyanbATC]

Hey man you gotta tape the leading edges and wingtips with packing tape...

Some people even do the fuselage. It helps it stay together after a crash. Also I fly in a parking lot but I recommend a grass field without obstacles if you have one.

[aircav1970]

Hi John,I joined an R/C site that has a ton of valuable tips,reviews and video "training" aids available and I just read Ryan's post on "taping the wing tips etc. and that was one of the first "tips" I read about on this site.
www.rcpowers.com (http://www.rcpowers.com)
They use "cricket bat" repair tape on the birds and I guess it is super strong and reduces foam flex,which is one cause of cracking.check it out if you get a minute,I use the "aircav1970" screen name over there also.Gary:D:cool:

[RRN1988]

This R/C thing's some pretty serious stuff...

[Ragtopjohnny]

Thanks Ryan - I am doing that when my new parts arrive tomorrow. I'll have to make sure that I line it up evenly, so it doesn't look like Garbage. How's yours making out?

Thanks For that site info Gary! I'll be checking it out and seeing how much is on there. It's good to finally have free time to myself now that I am back to work.

Rohan, it is serious stuff indeed, a whole new breed of aviator, just not virtual like we do here...:)

John Thuot II
A+/Network+