Post by Crazy Horse on Mar 27, 2013 14:40:02 GMT 1
Well, having read a lot of this forum many times, I don't think I have seen the mod I am about to share with you. If I am wrong, I am sure one of my superior officers will inform me through the proper channels. There may be serious reasons for not doing this, but I went ahead anyway.
The rudder, where the tail wheel is connected, is a bit of a weak spot IMHO. Lots of stress when taxiing even on “smooth” ground. This gives rise to the inevitable flexing and possible breakage of that area. I bought some second-hand (second-user for those of you that are PC, personally, I am not) Cub parts to repair/restore during the dreary Winter days of England, whilst practising/crashing on the simulator and waiting for the better weather to come. As you might see from the picture, the parts were in need of Crazy Horse's tender loving care, especially the fuselage, front and rear saddle being damaged, foam missing from where the battery box was torn out (why don't people prepare before flying?). Rudder in bits, ah well, nothing that a bit of thought can't put right, utilising my motto that nothing is beyond repair, I set to work. Or is it that I am just a miserly old git? Yes MOG it is then!
Both rudders (only one shown) had problems in this area and needed sorting.
So.....I had the idea of cutting out thin plastic sheet to the contours of the area concerned, then epoxying them to the rudder, one each side, after first removing the small amount of original covering. I found that not only does it work, making that area much stronger, but above all, it does very little to increase the weight on the tail, for those of you that are watching your weight and C of G.
To show this, please look at the photo' above where I have compared a stock rudder weight to that of my modded version. The stock weighed 20gm. (Sorry, lost the stock photo somewhere, but trust me it was 20gm). The modded version, even including the paintwork and decals added only 2 gm in total. Now, I know that there are those of you out there that like to keep everything as light as possible and I respect that, but 2gm, I can accept that any day of the week, even taking into account the physics. Don't forget, that changing the size of the tail wheel will add some weight and taking into account the bits of bamboo and epoxy that might have been employed to mend a broken tail area will also affect things like C of G. All you have to do is check and adjust.
The Super Cub as you all know is a terrific aircraft, easily capable of handling a lot of additional weight, (alright you might have to go brushless later) but just look at how much stuff Dilzio puts on his! Great respect Dilzio and hope it is not long before we receive your next post, I personally have found them most helpful and enjoyable to read, especially as you are a bit of an experimenter type like myself.
BTW, don't buy anything, this thin plastic can be found in all sorts of containers that you have around the house, i.e. the re-sealable tops of your wife's/girlfriend's face fresheners/hand wipes, just make sure that it is thin. You don't need much and it is light, strong and best of all free.
The rudder, where the tail wheel is connected, is a bit of a weak spot IMHO. Lots of stress when taxiing even on “smooth” ground. This gives rise to the inevitable flexing and possible breakage of that area. I bought some second-hand (second-user for those of you that are PC, personally, I am not) Cub parts to repair/restore during the dreary Winter days of England, whilst practising/crashing on the simulator and waiting for the better weather to come. As you might see from the picture, the parts were in need of Crazy Horse's tender loving care, especially the fuselage, front and rear saddle being damaged, foam missing from where the battery box was torn out (why don't people prepare before flying?). Rudder in bits, ah well, nothing that a bit of thought can't put right, utilising my motto that nothing is beyond repair, I set to work. Or is it that I am just a miserly old git? Yes MOG it is then!
Both rudders (only one shown) had problems in this area and needed sorting.
So.....I had the idea of cutting out thin plastic sheet to the contours of the area concerned, then epoxying them to the rudder, one each side, after first removing the small amount of original covering. I found that not only does it work, making that area much stronger, but above all, it does very little to increase the weight on the tail, for those of you that are watching your weight and C of G.
To show this, please look at the photo' above where I have compared a stock rudder weight to that of my modded version. The stock weighed 20gm. (Sorry, lost the stock photo somewhere, but trust me it was 20gm). The modded version, even including the paintwork and decals added only 2 gm in total. Now, I know that there are those of you out there that like to keep everything as light as possible and I respect that, but 2gm, I can accept that any day of the week, even taking into account the physics. Don't forget, that changing the size of the tail wheel will add some weight and taking into account the bits of bamboo and epoxy that might have been employed to mend a broken tail area will also affect things like C of G. All you have to do is check and adjust.
The Super Cub as you all know is a terrific aircraft, easily capable of handling a lot of additional weight, (alright you might have to go brushless later) but just look at how much stuff Dilzio puts on his! Great respect Dilzio and hope it is not long before we receive your next post, I personally have found them most helpful and enjoyable to read, especially as you are a bit of an experimenter type like myself.
BTW, don't buy anything, this thin plastic can be found in all sorts of containers that you have around the house, i.e. the re-sealable tops of your wife's/girlfriend's face fresheners/hand wipes, just make sure that it is thin. You don't need much and it is light, strong and best of all free.
