I'm sure a lot of you have seen my thread about getting back into RC planes after a _long_ time... well I've decided on a HZ Super Cub. Anyway, it's been long enough that I expect a learning curve similar to that of a total newbie, and that has me wondering.

Should I cover it or not, and if I do, with what?

It seems like covering will make it stronger, but I'm not sure that it won't also make it harder to repair. Am I better off covering it now, later, not at all? If I do cover it, packing tape? Iron on coating (I was able to do ok 30 years ago as a kid with Monokote, I can't imagine newer coatings and 30years building things wouldn't make this easier)?

Not necessary on the Cub. Adds more weight that cuts down the performance. Easier to repair without it.

Gord.

Don't cover the Cub. It will not help in any way, and it'll add more of that cursed weight that you're so keen on getting rid of....

Perhaps you could chop big circular sections of foam out of the wings and put covering over them, though... That WOULD cut down the weight and you can do it in such a way that you'd lose no appreciable strength. Plus, you'd have the added benefit of adding your own color scheme.

I'd use EconoKote; it's cheap and it works. I am literally in the middle of covering a balsa plane with it right now; the iron is hot

Heh, I've already measured the wing with the thought of building a lighter, stiffer wing for it... I also looked at some of the foamie threads (as well as one of yours TP16) and have all sorts of ideas running around in my head.

Of course, I never intended to get into a building frenzy with this, just something that I could grab after work and blow off some stress with

Which one of mine were you looking at? I don't really recall what ones I've posted and not posted here or other places... I've designed and built a LOT of foamies, though...

Of course, I never intended to get into a building frenzy with this, just something that I could grab after work and blow off some stress with

That's what they all say.... And then we find them at 3:30 a.m. under the workbench in the fetal position, X-Acto in hand, with drool coming out of their mouths and foam bits scattered on the floor covered in hot glue. When confronted, they ask how the weather is because they just got the new mods all set to go....

We've got 50mhp gusts today...


which one? the one named after a fuzzy woodland creature (will have to find it again, was going to ask you a question about it but I didn't want you to think I was stalking you... I was wondering what exactly you were messing with in the wing loading discussion)

The Weasel Jet- "It's fast and agile and it has thick brown fur..."

Ahhhh, yes, the Weasel....... That was one of my first foamie designs, and is still arguably one of my best. I've made a fair number of changes to the original design (the 110mph version being the top of the evolutionary chain) because I've been learning more and more about airplane design, but I'm considering building one exactly like the original. I have been Weasel-less for a long time and my flying skills have improved considerably; it might be fun to see what it's like after all this time.

Man, I could probably build one of them blindfolded; I think I've done 11 or 12 to date. It's my most prolific model so far simply because it's so quick, cheap and easy to make that it would get some little bit of damage and I'd just build a whole new airframe.....

I am notorious for dragging threads off topic

Was it you or did I drag my own thread off topic?

Hey, look! A butterfly!

I'm with TP16,

Covering the Super Cub will do two things; mess up the C/G (since most of the covering will be behind the Center of Gravity... and the second thing it will do is add weight to the plane.

We can build our planes one of two ways. To fly, or to survive crashes. Build it light as you can, to fly.

Chuck

Chuck, I've always been of the mind that building a plane to survive crashes can and should mean building light and soft, like an EPP plane with minimal reinforcements. That could be see as a plane that's built to do both.....

If I had he cash on hand for EPP, I would build this idea that I have for an excellent, truly unbreakable trainer that's also built to fly....

Originally Posted by TP16

Chuck, I've always been of the mind that building a plane to survive crashes can and should mean building light and soft, like an EPP plane with minimal reinforcements. That could be see as a plane that's built to do both.....

If I had he cash on hand for EPP, I would build this idea that I have for an excellent, truly unbreakable trainer that's also built to fly....

Yep, in today's world of new materials, the lightness of foams like EPP plays a big role.

I was speaking more along the lines of traditional techniques, where we can take any given plane and then start reinforcing everything to the point that the plane has to fly at near Mach 1 just to stay in the air, and when it crashes it puts a hole in the ground a foot deep.

Ah, yes. Like those old coroplast and aluminum planes that Tower used to sell. Sure, THEY might not break when they crash, but God help whatever it is they hit

This reminds me.... Have you heard the story of my balsa pylon plane that I planted nose-first 6" in the frozen dirt and only had to glue one little crack in the fuse? It was just a light balsa fuse glassed with 0.75oz cloth and WBPU on the front half for landing strength. It survived an estimated 120mph+ impact.....

Chinchilla Pylon Racer (3 min 47 sec)

I love that video... LOL

Good job!