Piper J-3 Cub construction

[Sky Raider]

Well gang,

With the build of the thunderbolt ever drawing nearer to competion, i have been told by the guys at the flying club that i need to learn to fly and that im spending too much time building and none flying.

With their comments in mind i went off to Mikes Models, had a chat with Paul, who by the way also agreed that they were right and i should be flying by now. Well we had a chat and with much thought... we both settled for the idea of the Piper Club, an excellent trainer im told. This is a ARTF kit, so i have decided to build this while im waiting for the paint to cure on the cowl so that i can wire wool it ready for its 1st wash.

So here is a bonus build for you scale fans, a build that should only take 20 hours according to the box. We shall see.

Hope you will enjoy this one, ill be back to the jug in a few days.

Andy

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[Sky Raider]

piper J-3 Construction

Hi Gang,

Here are some of the Piper pics i promsed. I feel a little cheated on this one as i have only put in around 5 hours work and it seems almost finished/ At least this quick build will get me up in the air and from the feed back i have had from Mark and a few other friends i should have real fun learning with this baby.

First off the wings came in 2 pieces and had to be joined together. Ill just mention at this point that the plane comes already covered so i am taking no credit for the covering. The ailerons and other flaps have to be hinged and fitted, glued into position. Holes had to be drilled through the wings for fixing and the plate glued in place.

More to follow.

Andy

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[Sky Raider]

piper J-3 Construction

This next installment covers the very simple aileron servo assembly. The parts are layed out, its just a matter of a little cutting out for the linkages and trimming of the excess and filing around the horn shields. You would think that i have done this before, the way i am spouting out all of this technical jargon. Its only what i have picked up from building the Jug. lol.

After the Thunderbolt... this does seem to be a walk in the park. Once the servos are assembled the linkages are made and fitted to the wing.

Andy

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[Sky Raider]

piper J-3 Construction

And finally for this session of upload... the tail section assembly.

This comes in several parts, Nothing technical here apart from making sure that everything is in perfect alignment. The fin doesnt have the rudder fitted until the epoxy has dried. It also makes it easier to tape the fin while aligning it.

More to come on this one later guys.

Andy

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[Bluewavestudios]

Hi Andy,

Looking great so far, I think after all the work you have put in on the Jug you are more than qualified for the technical speak now :D

You will definitely enjoy the Cub as a good flyabout, I thoroughly enjoyed mine to the extent that I even bought another copy of the plans for mine long after I sold my original Cub. I still have an engine here too that is perfect for it so it won't be long before I end up with another one !!

At the moment, I am getting back to work on XV270 - a DHC-2 Beaver, my Father flew this very plane, now he has gone, I am finishing this one off in his memory. It's a big model at 8ft wingspan, fuselage is mostly completed. However having seen your work on the Jug I am going to detail this one fully. I have loads of my Father's photos of the real thing.

Regards.....Mark

 

[Sky Raider]

Hi Andy,Looking great so far, I think after all the work you have put in on the Jug you are more than qualified for the technical speak now :D

You will definitely enjoy the Cub as a good flyabout, I thoroughly enjoyed mine to the extent that I even bought another copy of the plans for mine long after I sold my original Cub. I still have an engine here too that is perfect for it so it won't be long before I end up with another one !!

At the moment, I am getting back to work on XV270 - a DHC-2 Beaver, my Father flew this very plane, now he has gone, I am finishing this one off in his memory. It's a big model at 8ft wingspan, fuselage is mostly completed. However having seen your work on the Jug I am going to detail this one fully. I have loads of my Father's photos of the real thing.

Regards.....Mark

Hi Mark,

Thanks for your coments, much appreciated. The XV270 sounds quite a project and im glad that i have inspired you to take it to its max potential. Im sure your father would be proud to know that you are going to make an excellent job of it. Would love to see a thread on this one mate, see if i can learn some more from another fellow builder. Good luck with it and i cant wait to see some pics.

Thanks again

Andy

 

[Sky Raider]

piper J-3 Construction

Hi Gang,

Here is the progress so far on the Cub. The tail section has now been completed and the wheel fitted. The wheel slots into the rear of the fuse and then into the rudder for the steering linkage.

The next step is to fit the engine, as you can see the engine mount looks some what weak, the recomended fix for this is to paint 30 min epoxy all over the fire wall and the mount to provide some added strength. A quick check proved that the O.S 80 4 Stroke was too big for the mount so i had to purchase another engine today that will fit. I will show you the new engine on the next episode guys, cant remember what it is, i know its a 4 stroke. You can tell im still green... got my head round the plane jargon but still know next to nothing regarding engines.

Andy

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[Sky Raider]

piper J-3 Construction

Hi Gang,

Here is the next update on the Cub The engine has been installed and i got to use my new tool, the engine centre tool, this makes it easy to find the centre of the mounting holes. push down on the end and twist, it has a 1/16th drill bit on the end. Next you can see the fuel tank assembley, i wasnt impressed with its capacity of 8oz but thinking about it...a trainer doesnt really rev much so the fuel would probably last as long as a 14oz would.

The landing gear is very sturdy, made out of aluminium and quite thick. The gear came without covering but the covering was supplied in the kit and you had to cover it yourself. This was a first for me but it didnt come out too bad, scale detail was also supplied and looks quite good.

The sevos have been fitted along with the On / Off switch that doubles as a charging point also. I have got into the habit of fitting a battery checker on the models that i build and think it is a good idea to know what charge you have before you get airborne.

And finally for this session, the tail horn layouts.

More soon...

Andy

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[Bluewavestudios]

Hi Andy,

Looking very nice so far, I will certainly try the dural aluminium Undercarriage on my next Cub as this looks to be a far easier method of doing it as your pics show.

Just one question - do you have the little cub logo that goes on the tailfin supplied with your kit..?? If not let me know and I will post it up on here, I have both the left and right side logos, should be easy to print off as decals and would finish off the model nicely.

Regards.......Mark

 

[Sky Raider]

Hi Andy,Looking very nice so far, I will certainly try the dural aluminium Undercarriage on my next Cub as this looks to be a far easier method of doing it as your pics show.

Just one question - do you have the little cub logo that goes on the tailfin supplied with your kit..?? If not let me know and I will post it up on here, I have both the left and right side logos, should be easy to print off as decals and would finish off the model nicely.

Regards.......Mark

Hi Mark,

Thanks for your kind coments as usual, I agree, the landing gear is just the ticket, they must have improved as time has gone on. Looking at it it would be a simple modification to an existing Cub as the material would be easy to cut and bend into shape. Thanks for the offer on the cub decals, they do come with the kit and i have now fitted them to the fin. I will show you this on the next upload. It even comes with scale hub caps for the wheels that have the name cub on them.

Glad you are likeing this one, it does seem favorite for a lot of people.

For anyone interested there is a large scale fair at Cosford this weekend, entrance fee also entitles you to enter the museum for free.

Andy

 

[Bluewavestudios]

Hi Andy,

Glad you have the logos, I forgot to mention the hubcaps as I have them too, nice to see they have been included with your kit as they are very much part of this plane. As for the dural aluminium undercarriage, these are available ready made these days, I have at least 4 of them in my shed at the moment in different sizes. I bought these long after building my first Cub, 2 have been used on other planes that have been scrapped long since but the U/C has survived to go onto other projects.

The Cub is a classic favourite and once you start flying yours you will see why, a nice relaxing flyabout with no nasty vices.

Keep up the good work !!

Regards......Mark

 

[Sky Raider]

piper J-3 Construction

Hi Andy,Glad you have the logos, I forgot to mention the hubcaps as I have them too, nice to see they have been included with your kit as they are very much part of this plane. As for the dural aluminium undercarriage, these are available ready made these days, I have at least 4 of them in my shed at the moment in different sizes. I bought these long after building my first Cub, 2 have been used on other planes that have been scrapped long since but the U/C has survived to go onto other projects.

The Cub is a classic favourite and once you start flying yours you will see why, a nice relaxing flyabout with no nasty vices.

Keep up the good work !!

Regards......Mark

Hi Mark

Thanks for the input. I cant wait to get this one finished and up the flying feild. I have to be close to the 20 hours now.

Andy

 

[Sky Raider]

piper J-3 Construction

Well Gang,

The Piper Cub is born. Just needs setting up and away she goes. I couldn't resist putting some detail into this one either so here goes.

She has fitted as you will see...

Foot steps

Door Handles

Fuel Cap and float

Pinstripe to imitate the doors

Nose cone

Pilot

Well, the box was correct, i anticipate it took around 20 hours give or take, may even have been less but she still has to be trimmed and set up.

Really enjoyed this build, fantastic. Hope you like it.

Andy

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[Bluewavestudios]

Hi Andy,

Very nice work there and she looks like she will be a good flyer too - my only gripe is the spinner as the cubs didn't have them fitted. Apart from that fantastic work and I hope you enjoy flying her as much as I did mine.

Regards......Mark

 

[Sky Raider]

piper J-3 Construction

Hi Andy, Very nice work there and she looks like she will be a good flyer too - my only gripe is the spinner as the cubs didn't have them fitted. Apart from that fantastic work and I hope you enjoy flying her as much as I did mine.

Regards......Mark

Thanks Mark, you are right of course about the spinner. I put it on because being a beginer i dont know how you would start the engine without it and i thought this would be the easier way to start her.

Thanks again

Andy

 

[Bluewavestudios]

Hi Andy,

By all means leave the spinner on until that engine has had a few runs completed, as you rightly say, it will make starting a bit easier till that is sorted. Most starters will still fit over the hub and turn it over nicely without the spinner - it does take a little bit of getting used to getting it to fit central on the hub but it soon becomes second nature.

Go the easiest route first to get you flying and then lose the spinner later...at least you will be getting your airtime in ready for the Jug.

Regards.....Mark.

 

[Sky Raider]

Hi Andy,By all means leave the spinner on until that engine has had a few runs completed, as you rightly say, it will make starting a bit easier till that is sorted. Most starters will still fit over the hub and turn it over nicely without the spinner - it does take a little bit of getting used to getting it to fit central on the hub but it soon becomes second nature.

Go the easiest route first to get you flying and then lose the spinner later...at least you will be getting your airtime in ready for the Jug.

Regards.....Mark.

Hi Mark,

I went to the model shop and got the right part for the prop, i will show you soon when i set the plane up. They told me in the shop that if i remove the rubber from the sarter and turn it around it has a insert for these dome nuts. Will change it mate. Got to be right.

Thanks again.

Andy

 

[Sky Raider]

piper J-3 Construction

Hi Gang,

Just an update on this one. My mate poped round Friday night and we set to getting the Cub ready for its maden flight. It took till 1130, good job i have flood lights. I did encounter a problem... mode 2 radio, my mate who will train me flys mode 1. Had a problem but had to buy a new Spektrum 7, now i have 2, one mode one and one mode two, (bummer). Anyway, she took to the air yesterday and i had my first lesson. Never had so much fun since i was a pup, fantastic cant wait till next weekend.

Andy

 

[grumpy]

hi andy, thank you for your help,much appreciated, your collection of thumbnails explain more than my,so called,construction guide. can now get on with build, again many thanks for your help. yours grumpy.

ps; looking for next model, must be all wood kit (its what i was used to building, just no interest for foam.) if lucky mrs claus may surprise me at xmas.

sam (grumpy)

 

[Sky Raider]

Glad to help. Hope you enjoy it now.

Cheers

Andy