Taping

[flingerwinger]

OK, so I've read how your suppose to tape the wings and the rear of the fuselage, but wouldn't this put on extra weight causing it to not fly as well? Do you have to do something extra to balance it out?

[garvey76]

HI FLINGERWINGER And welcome
the cub has a number of weak spots that with a little help from tape will minimize crash damage.
DO NOT WORRY about adding weight to the cub. if you read around some of the posts, members have added bigger wheels lights, cameras, ski's and other mods to get the best from the cub.
The weight from adding a bit of tape is hardly going to register and performance should not be effected.
i have used a sticky back clear plastic you can buy from DIY stores. it comes in large rolls and is light but strong. i striped down the cub and covered the fuse (extra on tail end) wing and the rudder/elevator section. It makes the feel of the cub so much better than the bare foam and when flying im not so concerned of the odd bad landing and noticing big chunks of foam missing before i added the film.
so in a nut shell get modding, this is a good place tO start followed by big wheels , 8-9 cell batteries then LIPO POWER ;D
Remember the cub is very versatile and can take allot before you need to worry about weight issues and performance issues. Just enjoy it and experiment.

[flydiver]

You can tape it now or you can glue it and tape it later....

[flingerwinger]

Ah, thanks you guys. So I don't need to worry about the added weight. I've already gorilla glued the tail back on so now I guess I'll tape this thing all up.

Thanks again

[admiralev]

the cub is not a finicky plane. it can handle being coated in tape. little things like that wont affect your flight performance. tape it up now and it might save you a fortune in epoxy later

admiral

[flydiver]

Dec 29, 2008 20:04:59 GMT 1 flingerwinger said:

Ah, thanks you guys. So I don't need to worry about the added weight. I've already gorilla glued the tail back on so now I guess I'll tape this thing all up.

Thanks again

Not quite true. The Cub is not very finicky but you are working with a teeter-totter here around the CG. Since the tail is WAY back there a bunch of weight (sloppy job) and excessive glue/tape/reinforcement might drag the tail down. A tail heavy plane is more of a problem than a nose heavy plane.

Simple uncomplicated glue job-likely not a problem.

THAT'S why the recommendation to TAPE FIRST, and AVOID glue is out there that pretty much everyone ignores.

A buddy of mine destroyed a Cub. It had glue and tape ALL over it. It still flew but badly. So he got a brand new one. Didn't do ANY reinforcement and then was surprised when it broke JUST like the old one when he crashed. Ignorance is not knowing-stupid is knowing and not doing anything about it.

[flingerwinger]

Once again thanks for the input guys. I've just finished taping up the main wing with packing tape and also where the tail broke off. They are both way more sturdy now. And, since it's snowing like there's no tommorrow I found an extra pair of RC snowmobile skis and what do you know, they fit and look like they were meant for the thing.

[hipertec]

I just got a new Supercub and its my first plane. So I wanted to take all the precautions before the first flight.
When you guys say tape, are you referring to the clear packing tape? Where are you suppose to use this on the plane and wouldnt it be all messing and uneven?
Its my first time and I want to make sure I do it rite. What else should I do before the first flight?
Thanks for the help@

[Ellis]

I use Gorilla tape on the leading edge. It twice as thick and tough as duct tape, and it black so it looks nice. Under the wing centered, I put a nice tight strip of fiberglass, filament or strapping tape - what ever you want to call it.

Ellis

[flydiver]

Taping (and gluing) are frustrating arts best learned by reading suggestions and doing it.
A few rules
-tape always wrinkles and goes on crooked no matter how careful you are.
-tape won't stick to your wing but it will tear off the decals and any paint carefully applied.
-tape won't come off when you finally have to remove it.
-the longer the strip of tape the more things it will stick to instead of where you want it.

Glue has a similar set of rules but is a far more complex subject best left alone for now lest you decide to give up the hobby before you start.

Yes, clear packing tape. Filament tape can be more sticky and stronger but is less cosmetic. Have not used duct tape or Gorilla tape in RC applications. Heavier but likely tougher.
You can also get colored packing tape-good stuff.
www.fast-pack.com/colored_tape.html

This stuff is plastic. The idea is it does NOT stretch or flex which stiffens and strengthens the foam. So, it doesn't go around corners AT ALL.

Make straight runs, along wing leading edges, fuselage by the tail skinny spot where it breaks off and maybe along the entire bottom of the wing.

For curved areas you lay the longest straight piece you can with the extra hanging over. Then taking small sharp scissors cut small slits up to the edge of where it's stuck on. Fold the small slit over the edge. The slit size changes with the curvature, smaller for tighter corners, larger for bigger corners. Practice on some odd surfaces to get a feel for it.

You can help sticking by cleaning the surface off first. If that is not sufficient you can spray with the aerosol adhesives (3M) first and let it cure a little. This IS NOT SAFE ON ALL FOAMS. TEST FIRST. The Cub foam is pretty solvent resistant.

You'll find that cheap s**t tape is not worth the bother for mission critical stuff like this. Go for 3M, Scotch, or well known brands. It goes a LONG way anyway.

[flingerwinger]

Yep, when I taped my wing up I covered the entire wing just to be safe. There were quite a few wrinkles but I decided to try flying it anyways, I don't think you'll notice any difference with the wrinkles compared to no wrinkles.