OK guys- time for a new FC thread. The 1100 page one was getting a little wordy.

I know there has been some good discussion on the other thread regarding build up options and modifications- so I'd like to have a thread on just that- lets see what everyone is doin to the Cub; it's such a versatile do-it-all airplane I'm sure the possibilities are endless.

Why "performance zone"? I figure everything we're doing is performance related- not like 0-60, but airplane performance- like take off roll, slow speed handling. Even lights, paint, etc are all perfomance adders- you can fly later- see the plane better- all so the airplane "performs" better.

Let 'er rip!

Myself- I'm still in the process of finishing my FC. I was waiting on components for my light kit. Crafted my own landing light lens out of a water bottle last night. LOL

I'm planning on the Himax 3516-0840. I was really considering the 1130- but decided that if the wattage is the same- I'd rather keep the power down low where it's useful.

Curious on landing gear mods......paint schemes...etc......

Phantom, I hope you will take a little time in the coming months and use the first post in this thread to create an index with links to different special interest subjects. This has been employed with good results in the super cub threads. Check it out if you have not seen it.

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1338787

Good idea- nice way to keep track of different threads! Will keep that in mind.

I've had one airframe shake itself to bits - and now I'm on my second one which has no issues. What I did to ensure that the common cowl (or engine mount / bay) doesn't shake itself to bits). First and probably best mod I did was to install the metal engine mount and toss the crappy plastic one that comes with the kit. This is the one provided as an upgrade from Multiplex (now Hitec I think...). Next I used epoxy on all motor mounts instead of the CA as it tends to reduce the vibration slightly.

Another helpful starter mod I consider being essential was to reinforce the landing gear with a piece of hobby ply and a bolt on the inside of the fuse... I think I put all the specific info on my original blog found here http://www.rcsparks.com/forum/airpla...ing-pilot.html. seems to work fine and have probably 100+ landings on the setup...This translates the forces and corresponding moment to the wood plate and spreads it better over the area than just the back of the plastic stock mount...I have also added a small piece of bass wood to the underside of the plastic landging gear plate to reduce any excessive flexing on the occassional real hard landing. In addition, I have recently added some thin piano wire between the wheel wires to reduce the spring of the stock landing gear as it tends to allow for prop strikes on hard landings with the 13x4 prop...if anyone's interested I could take some pics of that 2 buck fix...just my .02

Did you think the vibration was due to the rpm of the motor or just the design/construction?
My kit came with the metal mount- wish I'd known that as I ordered one as an accessory too. LOL

Originally Posted by Phantom5.0

Did you think the vibration was due to the rpm of the motor or just the design/construction?
My kit came with the metal mount- wish I'd known that as I ordered one as an accessory too. LOL

I think it's actually a design issue - seems to resonate at a natural frequency that is common with the larger motors that most of us end up running. I balanced both the motor and prop repreatedly and it was as smooth as butter so the only real change I made was the stronger motor mount and that cleared it right up. Note though that a slight mis balance of my prop and the vibrations tend to come back (just not nearly as bad as with the plastic motor mount). I'm running a 3542 (if memory serves - and I've tried both the 1100kv and the 800kv version and I like the lower kv as this plane is better suited towards it - at least for my use - you know dropping bombs, cameras, towing, pretty much everything except 60 mph passes....but I have other planes for that

Thats kinda my thought too- I want the power availble quicker- without having to spin up a bunch of rpms. Kind of makes me think of watching a C-206 on floats vs a Beaver. The Beaver makes it look effortless.
I'll watch/listen for vibration issues though.

My funcub is going to be delivered tommorow, I want to paint it. I am going to use he duplicator adhesion promoter. And their. Yellow.
Should I assemble then paint or paint the individual parts them assemble.

I would think paint after- I think the glue and the paint may not get along well. I could be wrong though.
When I painted my Stryker I actually used spray adhesive as my primer- then painted while it was tacky. What was very surprising was that the foam behaved like a nerf football- when the nose hit the ground a little too hard it just rumpled- no paint chipped.

My FunCub is still a work in progress.... I've beefed up the gear, mounted 5" Kavan tires, added wing struts, stall fences, VG's (vortex generators) on the wing and under the horizontal stab, and the ailerons come down with the flaps. The plane is a rocket, but I'm still working on slats/leading edge devices, and droop wing tips. Did I mention it flies very slow...?

Where did you source the tires? Everything I've found locally has been too heavy. I like the VG and stall fences too! Did you make them or rob another kits parts?
Whose wing struts did you use- I've been thinkin about that.
I'm pretty sure my stock gear won't be lasting long- I'll probably have to upgrade- just not sure to what yet.

No time workin on mine last night. Had other stuff goin on. It's getting closer though.

Well lemme see... the 5" Kavan tires came from Sig: http://www.sigmfg.com/cgi-bin/dpsmar...tsF.html?E+Sig ... a little spendy, but worth it.
..the struts are from a J3: http://www.horizonhobby.com/products...cub-25-EFL4010 ...no jury struts, but I like the way they look and easy to install.
The stall fences were made from .040" sheet Styrene and the VG's were made from 3/16" "L" strip Styrene that I got from Evergreen Scale Models: http://www.evergreenscalemodels.com/Sheets.htm (although most LHS should have it in stock) The VG's are 3/8" long, the front cut at a 45 /, and CA'd at 20 degrees to the cord.
This "Performance zone" on the Fun Cub is a good idea, and hope every one includes the source (if there is one) on their mods. (I spend way too much time searching for stuff!)
Steve

Sweet!! I'll take a few pics of my cub tonight....its progress anyway. And get links up to the light kit I bought and put together. Its turned into a hybrid system. LOL

Well, my camera battery is dead- so no pics. BUT- the light kit I am using is made by Night RC: http://www.nightrc.com. As soon as I have it programmed and running, I'll try to give some feedback on it.