Newbie - Pleae HelpMe !! Trying To Fly My New Pico-Cub

[Clive Henry Jones]

JerrySimon,
Shome confushion shurely?
It is the Battery packs for the Twinstar/Twinjet that I was refering to in the Overland post, not the actual planes.
As the battery pack is one of the most expensive components of these foam models, a cheap pack goes a long way to cutting down the overall cost of purchasing a new model with a battery size different to what you are using now.
You are right in stating that £49.99 is the cheapest that the TS has ever been - good value in my book, what with two motors thrown in an' all!
Clive.

[jerrysimon]

Sorry I will put my brain in gear now!

Jerry

[sav]

jerry

I see you are hooked, I would get lots of stick time on the cub first before you go for the twinstar.

[jerrysimon]

Too windy in Swindon, UK this weekend

At work anyway. Still the overtime can be used to pay for my next plane

Jerry

[tic]

New prop adapter showed up exactly one hour before I had to leave on a 4 day work trip.. figures... got home today w/ about an hour of daylight left. quicly installed new adapter and huge slowflyer prop.. went to my field.. launched and didn't get much of a climb.. it was too windy also.. I was struggling to get it turned around, did, but then started losing it.. chopped the throttle and crashed, breaking the new propeller.. the reason?.. prop slippage.. went home added a washer and the spare prop I had ordered (phew). got just 5min. of flight time before dark.. but a sucessful flight.. hmm, maybe I should eat dinner and unpack now..... still embarrasingly hooked on this hobby....

[jerrysimon]

Propbreaker! That's my middle name

Weather looks good here today in Swindon UK Looks like it's flying tonight.

I am then away with work for two days

Jerry

[Hessu]

Hi Dudes,

Just registered...Have to admit that I have followed this P/C discussion from the very beginning. My case looks sooooooo similar than Jerry's. I'm now 39 and refreshing my hobby from the teen years. Did quite a lot free flying (-disappearing) stuff, HLG's (that time no one knew that they are HLG's) with some success and control line combats which never flew.... Started again last winter with a e-glider, I enjoy building with balsa but that one was simply too difficult (fast) to start R/C flying...Multiple crashes, desperate fixings and now it's waiting better days in a basement. Next project was a VERY low wing loading glider, still under construction. THEN I decided to try and bought a Pico Cub couple a weeks ago (actually I have never liked these styro thingys). Put that together as a quite standard and had the first trials last Sunday morning with my younger son... I CAN NOT BELIEVE, I can fly that thing. Had four (4) great sorties with no panics, feather smooth three point landings, nice take offs from a gravel pathway, everything I have only dreamed about. This plane is simply unbeliveable, it does not stall and you can fly around with a 1/3 throttle with a very relaxing pace. Have to be the best possible trainer for elderly rookies :-). Now looking for next calm days to continue my career...Ski holiday will make a break. I'm presently living in Switzerland and model hobby is really popular here. Lots of good shops in every village, club flying fields (I'm not a member of any, language problems you know) lots of nice free fields to fly and slopes of course.
Thanks to all of you, you made me believe that also I can do this.

Originally posted by jerrysimon:
Propbreaker! That's my middle name

Weather looks good here today in Swindon UK Looks like it's flying tonight.

I am then away with work for two days

Jerry

[jerrysimon]

Hi Hessu,

Glad you are getting so much out of your PC. As you say it's a good trainer although you obvioulsy have more experience than me.

Well I took mine out tonight after work. Convinced my 14 year old daughter to come with me. She thinks it's all a bit sad and not cool to be seen with her dad out flying model planes.

However that changed after a while. What made it worse was there were some young lads playing football where I usually take off ROG from the cricket astro turf. She would not go near them. So we headed for another field further away which necesitated a hand launch panic

Well the first two went straight into the mud! (it's been very wet here lately) That was good though as it protected her. The third launch she went round and round in circles but climbed well. The trick as someone has said here before is to gain lots of height. My trim settings were obvioulsy off.

Anyway got them right and continued to climb about 200ft

Then the fun started I realised I could be far more aventureous. Into a steep dive and hey, there I was doing my first loop the loop (laymans term )

My daughters face was picture she now thought this was a bit more fun. Up to now she has never seen it fly more than 30seconds before crashing.

Anyway 3-4 minutes later the motor cut out (battery run out) at about 2-300ft. It took a while for me to realise this. Up to now I have always cut out 20ft or so above the ground. I noticed she had gone quiet. But hey she was still flying like some wicked glider

Very little stick movement just rudder really bought her back round and coming down, oh so smoothly toward me. Goes past me at about 10ft and then little up elevator and she lands right in front of my daughter.

Wow. This is some hobby!

Anyway I had not realised but there was some damage from my earlier attempts but she is sitting behind me now all glued up.

Have you noticed that when ever the PC crashes it breaks in a differnet place. Well mine does anyway. I guess eventually the white glue will be all over her and she will be indistructable Either that or I will become a better pilot.

Well off now for a couple of days away with work. What a buz to send me on the way.

Take care all you lecy fliers.

Jerry

[sav]

hessu

welcome to the e-zone glad you like the cub.

hope to hear more stories of your flights in switzerland.

jerry

how are you hand launching.

I power up and give a firm straight throw into the wind. I let the speed build up
and then make large turn's untill I've got some height.

just over two weeks since I've had the chance to fly went home early and went out flew 4 packs off before it was to dark to see.

I got the cub high and then glided around trying to catch any lift.

looking forward to more of this as the days get longer

The new landing gear worked really well no bent bits even after a rough landing

[Hessu]

Someone was asking about the floats and/or skis for PC.
I found and ad in a German model magazine (-FMT-) from "Conzelmann Modelltechnik" and they are providing floats and skis for their "Wingo". These might be esily modifiable (?) for PC. Don't know if Wingo is available in UK or US and under which brand name. Basically it is about the same size and weight as PC but frankly, looks a bit funny...
Have anyone seen these floats/skis somewhere in live ? If interested, check their homepage: http://www.freescale.de
Only in German presently but you might get the idea..
BTW. Got a hint from here and didn't even try with the originals...made the PC undercarriage out of 1,6 mm steel wire used for heavier model pushrods.
Additional weight balances the CoG right on spot without any ballasts. Soldered them together and voila'...Heavier wire is still flexible enough but doesn't have any probs with permanent shape changes (My "runway" in use is full of stones almost half of the size of PC's tiny wheels)

No flying since last Sunday...Work has seriously interfering my great hobby lately...

[jerrysimon]

"jerry

how are you hand launching."

Sav as you say point it into the wind and chuck it. The problem I had was that is was not trimmed properlt and then veered off to the left. Got that sorted after the second attempt though

I am at work today Sat 08:00am. It's dead still today outside but I still have some repairs to do to the engine mount before I am ready to fly again

Jerry

[jerrysimon]

Oh dear crash report about to follow

Flew it perfectly after first hand launch. But then I lost it over the trees. It took over an hour to find it!

Photo and report to follow. It's bad. It's very very bad

Jerry

[Danny Troy]

Well here's my two cents.....I flew my Pico Cub (3-channel, aileron, elevator, throttle) a few days ago. The field was still snow-covered so off came the LG. Easy enough with the method it's held on. It flew very nicely with practically no dihedral and ailerons instead of rudder control. I only flew one flight since I also had to test fly my new Twin Jet. I wasn't impressed with the gear box and I think it's probably very inefficient, compared to other Speed 400 gear boxes. I'm going to replace it with a Graupner, although someone mentioned the Soarstar GB is available from Hobby People. I have a Soarstar and I like the GB on it very much. Also, it's about $16.00 - $18.00 so it's a great value. I'll switch to my APC slow-fly props which are 9x6. Landing on the snow show a "slide-out" of about 2 feet, since the open battery compartment worked as sort of a "brake", catching snow in the compartment. The added weight of the LG should be no problem and I think it will still fly well. I think I made the ailerons too small, only one inch, but they are full-span. I'm increasing the throws for the next flight. All in all a nice little plane that can be used at the field or at the park.

Update...I just checked the Hobby-People site and I couldn't find the Soarstar gearbox. If anyone knows who has it please post....

[This message has been edited by Danny Troy (edited 02-17-2001).]

[jerrysimon]

Danny, Welcome to the PC club. I would quite like to add ailerons as well. I need to learn how to fly first though

Guys

Well here it is :
http://members.dencity.com/jerrysimo...web_crash1.JPG

This is how it happened :

1. Perfect hand launch
2. Gained plenty of height
3. Came over my head and then I could not turn it properly I think it was the wind.
4. Went iver the trees behind me and out of site
5. Took an hour to find it. In the middle of a farmers field looking pretty sad.

I am trying to fix it but think I may have to buy another one. At least I will have plenty of spare parts

It's amazing the wings always seem to survive.

Ah well

Jerry

Ps Wife and kids where rolling all over the floor laughing their heads off
[This message has been edited by jerrysimon (edited 02-18-2001).]

[This message has been edited by jerrysimon (edited 02-18-2001).]

[tim hooper]

Jerry,

A small field repair then?

tim