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Post by bigfoot011 on Oct 6, 2013 9:27:39 GMT 1
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Post by toff on Oct 6, 2013 15:49:08 GMT 1
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Post by renard80 on Oct 6, 2013 18:29:20 GMT 1
Welcome aboard, bigfoot, and best wishes from the UK. Be careful about choosing the Mini Cub as your only aircraft. It's a nice little model and flies well - but does require very calm winds. Being so small and light, she's easily blown away or out of control by gusts of wind. Because of this, you won't get so many flying opportunities as with a bigger aircraft, especially if you live in a windy locality. You won't go wrong with the Super Cub.  |
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Post by robert on Oct 9, 2013 22:18:11 GMT 1
welcome bigfoot,
obviously by seeking advice on this particularly wonderful site you will get a lot of super cub supporters. as a matter of fact you're reading from one of those right now... wierd huh? it's like i'm watching you and know what you're doing...
seriously though, i absolutely love my super cub and am very pleased with my investment, but it wasn't my first plane. i'm a high school science teacher in north carolina so my budget is even tighter than the average college student. what follows is what i did, and it worked for me very well.
i bought a nine eagles mini cessna rtf. its a 3ch little foamie similar to the champ that you'll see advertised and recommended everywhere. they both run around 80 bucks, both are 3 ch, both are considered micro's with winmgspans around 20 inches. they're nimble yet forgiving and minor crashes on grass, hitting electrical wires, or sudden trees (plane magnets) are pretty well tolerated. even if something breaks, the fix often involves clear packing tape and they're as good as new. as renard80 said they are so lightweight that even the slightest breeze can effect their performance, but on the good side of being very light, they have very little inertia and full on crashes (which will happen) often times result in absolutely no damage.
i got me a little one, then added a bind and fly sky 500 mini surfer 3ch to the hangar and got real comfortable real quick. literally a few days and i was at least proficient. i still fly those little ones on occasion when i don't have the time to go to my really big field for my park flyers which i'll get to momentarily.
if you're going to get into this hobby you will eventually want to get a nice transmitter that has computer pragramable capabilities so you can purchase bind and fly or plug and play models as you grow. i faught this advice a few years back when i started out on helicopters. now i have 35 helicopters and like 15 or more bottom of the barrel "included transmitters". when i finally bit the bullet and bought a Spektrum dx6i good transmitter the sky actually finally really became the limit.
there are a few brands that most of us use including Spektrum and Futaba. they run on 2.4ghz dsmx frequencies and can be programmed to remember individual settings for 10 or 20 different models. they start at 120 bucks and go up to numbers i will not share right now. mine was the best 140 dollars i've spent.
so, now that i've got a good transmitter and more helicopters than i can fly in a day, i was in a good position to purchase the hobbyzone super cub bnf version for $169.99. i was comfortable enough with 3ch flight of the fixed wing aircraft and ready to fly a big step up from toy grade micro flyers.
i did the recommended simple strengthening mods upon arrival and have been basically addicted to flying this impressive bird. it is stable and forgiving enough to be flown by true novices, and diverse enough to really allow you to learn and grow to more aggressive and semi-acrobatic maneuvering. i bought it and started flying it about three weeks from the day my first mini cessna arrived. i've flown it regularly (3-4 days a week) for a month before i went ahead and moved up to a bigger, faster, 4ch t28 trojan. i'm enjoying flying both now as i feel that i've basically mastered the super cub (not totally) and have my skill level pushed by the trojan. the cub is a great relaxing experience between white knuckle stress level concentration on the more nimble and much faster trojan.
i also purchased the phoenix 4.0 flight simulator that really helps in constant maneuver practice. its got around 75 planes to choose from and the super cub is one of them. the sim is cool because you can literally fly for hours at a time instead of 7 to 10 minute clips. the physics of it are very close to the real thing, and when you crash what may potentially be a 200 dollar accident is instantaneously erased and you get to take right off again and learn from your previous error without having to pick up the pieces, get back on-line to order parts, wait a week for delivery, repair....
so, after reading this way too long response i wish you luck in your journey and offer you any advice i may give you in future posts.
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Post by bigfoot011 on Oct 23, 2013 12:23:26 GMT 1
Thank you all for your great advice! And Robert, it was not long winded haha, it actually really helped!
I'm hoping to buy in the next month, so I will decide here soon. Again, thank you all and I'll be sure to post more questions, it's been a big help!
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jklong03
Squadron leader
Utah, USA (Yes, it is a state!)
Posts: 226
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Post by jklong03 on Oct 23, 2013 15:10:01 GMT 1
Robert, great advice and a very nice writeup,
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