Super Cub drivers beginner's thread 2013

[Niko]

Hi my name is Niko from England and reading the threads there are some raw begginers like me so as we are taking those first steps may be this thread would be a good place to post our experience's in one place so we can bounce ideas of one another. As far as help is concerned I rely totally on the online community so no one to coach me. So far I have had 7 flights and things are going well, let's see how long that lasts. I hope this thread is OK and I'm sure the administrator will deal with it not. So post your info and happy flying.

Thanks Niko....

[Crazy Horse]

Hi Niko,
It sounds like you are progressing well. It is very hard to sort things out alone, but you will succeed, Never give up. Read as much as you can on this forum, There is so much information on all aspects of flying, I still learn despite reading this for over two years!

Fly well and long,
Regards,
CH

[robert]

niko!!!! this is robert in north carolina. great idea with the new thread. as stated, as of september 7th 2013 the supercub has been together for three days now. i've just rolled in from my 4th flight and we're still in good shape. even though i added the 3 inch wheels she wont roll in grass. it is mowed fresh but still about 2 to 3 inches tall. this time of year the grass, and mosquitoes are in full tilt. so, i decided to hand launch, except for it looks a little sloppy, especially from the pilot in a wheelchair (me), it is effective. i noticed that pretty much full throttle is necessary for a successful hand launch and its all gravy from there. the dx6i timer feature is a must as i can't tell the difference between 10 minutes and ten seconds as the adreneline is pumping while in flight. landing in grass that is too thick for take offs with no surprise is the same. into the wind, a low throttle, and a bit of flare still resultis in shall we say an abrupt stop.

question to crazy horse or anyone else for that matter, are wider 3 inch front wheels more suitable for grass landings, or narrower? i have the narrow and notice that there is plenty of space on the axle for a more robust wheel. i don't mind a hand launch and an abrupt landing, but i definitely would prefer a more realistic bookend to my flights. being a very functional yet certified quadrepelegic it is a touch cumbersome as only one hand really works.

[toff]

This is a standard PA-18. Notice the wheels....



This is an upgraded supercub. Can you see anything BUT the wheels?

Huge wheels for rough landing sites - 100's of Alaskans can't be wrong!

[renard80]

Just my two pennorth on wheels / rough grass.

Three of us fly SC's on roughly mown grass at a local park. My wheels are fairly large, my friend's are even larger as he believes they will help. The third guy is a very experienced flyer, his are just the stock wheels.

We can all do rolling take offs, no problem. Right stick back a little, bags of throttle and up she goes. Then quickly throttle back.

Landings - without bragging, after considerable practice I can now manage a decent rolling landing nearly every time. The guy with the very big wheels simply cannot master the art, he always noses over. But the guy with just the stock wheels always, always performs a perfect, textbook landing. He puts her down precisely where he wants her and she comes to a beautiful rolling stop without ever pitching over.

Remember, his are stock wheels, nothing large, wide or fancy. So perhaps the answer lies in practice and pilot skill? Perhaps size really isn't important . . .

[renard80]

Niko - while I understand your motives in suggesting a Beginner's Thread, my opinion is that it would prove counter-productive.

I reckon it would soon get unwieldy, bogged down with all manner of suggestions and hints that are more properly dealt with under the respective forum headings.

Already, this thread has sidetracked into a discussion - albeit a useful one - on wheel size. Suppose the next 'beginner' pitches in with an observation about his problems with his battery, resulting in a discussion about batteries? And so on. The thread would soon become a mish-mash on all manner of subjects.

People looking for information prefer to go to the particular board, where they stand a chance of finding the answer relatively quickly. If useful info is swallowed up in a general thread, it will be more difficult to access.

Them's my thoughts, for what they're worth.

[coupe1942]

I am still not anywhere near finishing off the reading of 100% of the various topics posted here, but I am steadfastly trying.

I can relate fully to what renard80 is saying, as that is exactly the case at another RC site in the discussion of a particular camera and how it relates to specifically to RC use. Adding such a category thread here here really has the potential to mire the thread into a very difficult and lengthy commentary that is near impossible to sort out for the root info a newbie really wants to check out. I have already started using my Word notepad to cut and past exactly those words of wisdom that really are important to me from the threads at this site. It is amazing just how much can go on the "cutting room floor" when trying to get to the meat and potatoes of a thread.

This board is easy enough to figure out categories and to find pretty much what is important to the individual in quick order. Adding bells and jangles will likely violate the KISS (keep it simple, stupid) principal. Once you do that, you have the potential to change the harmony in life in the universe as we know it. :-) :-) :-)

Still, it is a good idea to suggest and speak of such in tossing out ideas to be bandied about with the pro and con opinions. One never knows where that may lead.

[robert]

thanks for the wheel pics toff, and the pilot vs. gear opinion renard.

now in regard to renard's advice to niko and coupe's as a second... is there really anything wrong with a newbie thread that allows us to ask specific questions about topics we discover as we learn after we've searched the other posts and had a hard time finding the actual specific answer? the newbie thread offers the more experienced flyers to advise us directly or suggest (or even better link) the solutions if they already exist and were just overlooked?
i feel like i was scolded for posting my landing gear question that i based on my experience both from looking through the posts in the specific landing gear section, and nosing over in the field with no forward motion, i still had some unanswered questions.

i gave full up elevator and gradual throttle and there wasn't a millimeter of forward motion. i gave some up elevator and gunned the throttle to the same result, and many different combinations of each mix of throttle and elevator in between with no forward motion. it was as though the wheels were literally glued to the ground. is it possible that the grass is just too dense as it was even difficult for me to push my wheelchair through, and where else might one politely suggest i find answers to such specifics?
gentlemen, if this thread is clearly labled beginner's thread it is like the bunny slope at the ski resort. lots of beginners trying to get their footing and a few experts helping them along their way. the novice skiers aren't on the black diamond expert slopes and are not in anyone's way. the novice skier does not benefit from an expert skier shouting at them to get off the bunny slope right?
the wonderful thing about a thread like this is that it does not effect any other threads, and will be full of varying bits of advice. there's a million and one opinions out there and we have the opportunity to analyze differing perspectives, share our small triumphs, and our inevitable mishaps.
could we please keep this thread open for all novices to pick through, and welcome the experts advice if they so dare to enter a thread full of newbies?
us newbies are perfectly capable of searching this excellent site for what we are interested in finding, but when we presumably all will have similar needs as we progress through the initiation this thread will probably be of tremendous benefit.

thanks for all of the advice so far, and i hope that i just misinterpereted the inflection when i felt that i was scolded.

happy flying, and equally as important, happy posting.

[renard80]

Sept 8, 2013 0:56:42 GMT 1 robert said:

. . . . .i hope that i just misinterpereted the inflection when i felt that i was scolded.

You most definitely have misinterpreted my remarks, Robert, and I would hate you to think otherwise.

I simply quoted your wheels comments as an indication of how this thread could expand quickly into a cornucopia of information, all mixed up and possibly confusing.

It was not intended as any criticism of you for making a perfectly legitimate post.

Dealing with your take-off difficulty - I suggest that your aircraft wheels were stuck in a rut. This does happen from time to time, the answer often being to move it a few feet away to a better piece of grass. And to answer your associated point, a query about such a problem might properly be posted under Troubleshooting, with a suitable subject heading.

I emphasise that my post was simply a contribution to the debate raised by Niko, certainly not a criticism of you or him.

[robert]

Awesome renard80. Thanks for clarifying my misunderstanding. I often times can not tell how someone is saying what they are saying via text media. 

No harm done. 

[Niko]

Thanks for the replies, but I did not put the thread on and expect this type of response. The reason for posting this thread was so that the new pilots on this site could share their early experience as we progress in learning how to fly the cub. I find this hard to believe it would be counter productive in any way. I guess sometimes we post a thread and I have my ideas for the thread the someone else reads it from a different prospective.  I have no one to fly with and that is hard in itself so any info I can give or receive is anything but counter productive
As for threads going off subject I been part of the online rc heli community for three years and they always go off subject.

If in any way this thread has been a problem to this site then I do apolagise as it was not intended to be such. I'm the new guy here and I don't want to stand on any bodies toes.

Think it is time to stop moaning any get back to flying....happy flying everyone...

[renard80]

Sept 8, 2013 8:55:19 GMT 1 Niko said:

If in any way this thread has been a problem to this site then I do apologise as it was not intended to be such. I'm the new guy here and I don't want to stand on any bodies toes.

Hey, Niko, I do hope I haven't inadvertently upset you! And I don't see you have anything to apologise for, neither can I see how your thread has been a problem.

Look, you made a reasonable suggestion and threw it out for debate. Great, that's what forums are for. And new guy or not, your posts are equally as valid as anyone else's.

Three of us contributed our views - me, coupe1942 and robert. Others may wish to add their opinions. Ultimately, it is for Paul the Mod to accept or reject your idea.

So, zilch to get concerned about!

(Incidentally, I can't foresee much 'happy flying' in my part of England - rain and blustery winds have returned down here.   )

[Niko]

Thanks for the reply renard and I am not upset, just a bit surprised by the response, but that is what forum's are all about, anyway time to me on.
Went flying last night but flying is not the problem it is landing. I got 1 good landing and 3 nose over's.
During the second battery the wind started to blow and flying was a challenge, she nearly got away from me on more than one occasion but I just managed to get her down in on piece. Came back a little discouraged last night after the success of my first flights but if the wind drops I'll be trying again tonight.

[Crazy Horse]

Perhaps size really isn't important . . .

Renard, mon ami,

Size is not that important, it is about the skill in using what you have. SMUG MODE ENTERED.

[hghost]

Robert I used some Dave Brown Products Lite Flite Wheels, 2-1/2" on my Cub, they do pretty well...but if the grass is real thick wider or thinner it will still bog the Cub down some. I read where thinner was better in thicker grass but that was something i read not experienced myself.

Those Dave Brown wheels need no modification they go right on the Cub's landing gear as is. Plus on My maiden experience those larger foam wheels made for the hard landing a bit softer and the nose over not as bad as it could have been.

My maiden story here ;http://supercubclub.proboards.com/thread/5213/foggy-morn?page=1&scrollTo=36968

Now as far as beginner threads go a single Newbie thread would be great in my opinion.Why not have one just for newbies sharing their own messes and can be read by the experienced great ones among us....who may even get a chuckle or two out of them .