HobbyZone Super Cub Aileron Modification

This blog post is under construction.

This is Part 2 of a three-part upgrade to my HobbyZone Super Cub.

Part 1 was a Spektrum radio conversion
Part 3 is a semi-scale LED lighting upgrade (link coming later)


Project Overview

The HobbyZone Super Cub is an excellent 3-channel training airplane, with decent stock power, docile handling, good slow-speed performance, and benign stall characteristics. It also has the benefit of being very durable and easily modifiable, with replacement parts readily available.

After mastering the stock 3-channel configuration, the next logical progression is to move up to a 4-channel plane. And why invest in a new plane when you can turn the Super Cub into an ideal 4-channel trainer? All you need is a radio/ESC upgrade (see my other blog post on this topic), a couple of servos, and no fear of slicing up your Cub's wing.

This project will lay out how I turned my Super Cub into a 4-channel bird. I welcome all questions and comments about my constraints, methods, and/or results!

Benefits/Downsides

• + Much improved responsiveness in turns
• + Allows Super Cub to be used as a low-cost/low-risk 4-channel trainer
• - Slight added weight; offset by the use of a micro receiver such as the AR6100 instead of the big stock Rx/ESC brick

Constraints
These items constrained how I approached this project. If you don't share the same personal preferences you can adjust the project steps accordingly.

• Aileron servos must be flush-mounted
• Only the wing should need to be modified

Parts List

• New HobbyZone Super Cub wing (not required, but I wanted to be able to fly the stock Cub while I worked on the ailerons)
• 2x Hitec HS-55 servos (Note: I used Blue Arrow 6.4g servos, however I can't recommend them; they're pretty noisy and 2 of them I bought had to be disassembled and fixed with some very fine soldering work.)
• 6" servo Y-adapter (this one's kinda thick; ultralight versions are available)
• 2x 6" servo extensions (ultralight versions of this are also available)
• 4x Great Planes nylon clevis (2-56 thread) (Note: there are a bazillion ways to attach servo arms to control horns; I actually think these nylon clevises are too hefty/overengineered for this project, but I list them because it's what I had on hand.)
• A few inches of 2-56 all-thread (Note: this is also too hefty for this project, but it's what I had lying around, and you only need about 1" for each aileron. Here's a lighter option .)
• One pair of Dubro Micro Control Horns

Tools & Materials

• X-Acto or smilar hobby knife, with brand new blade
• Packing tape
• Metal straight-edge
• Medium-grit sandpaper

Step1 - Flatten the wing

The wing of the Super Cub is designed with an amount of dihedral appropriate for a training aircraft. Unfortunately, the roll stability generated by the dihedral tends to counter the effect of ailerons. You can still get a Super Cub with full stock dihedral to roll, but it won't be nearly as responsive.

Most people use one of two methods to flatten the Super Cub wing: insert a carbon fiber tube/rod, or use packing tape on the bottom to absorb the tension of the wing wanting to "spring back into shape". Several people have used a hair dryer to soften the foam prior to either method.

The method I used (packing tape, no hair dryer) is simple and does not permanently alter the wing, however it's difficult to get a completely flat wing this way. In the future I will probably re-flatten the wing using the hair dryer/carbon-fiber method. For now, the packing tape works fine.

Great blog, keep up the good work.

Boidster, This is by far the best blog on modifying the HBZ SC. I have been looking for one like this. The way you layout the blog. project overview, benefits etc.

I cant wait for the continuation of the blog ... will there be any updates soon? I am planning upgrading my SC too.

can some one update this please?