Supercub balance

[asif]

Hi guys,
My Supercub was acting a bit wierd and since I've been flying in preety windy conditions, it's hard to know if it has always been wierd or not!

Just a quick question I had....I managed to get a quick flight in zero wind this morning at Leons...
I notice that I have to always apply down elevator(up on the stick) and even trimming it doesn't get it to stop from pitching up....
I thought it might be a balance thing and put a quarter on the nose cowl -- but still kept doing it.(maybe a quarter is not enough?)

Questions:

Am I correct that it is "tail heavy" ( maybe with the new (old)J-3 servos from my crashed flyzone cub possibly being a little heavier than the stock servos - or the bigger reciever bringing a bit of imbalance) ?
Could it be too much throttle? Although in order to make it stop climbing I felt it was too little throttle to be safe from stalling....
COuld it be a misaligned tail surface( although it looks aligned to the horizontal stab to me)?

Maybe one of you guys can take her up for a bit on the weekend if it's nice and see what may be up with the little dude!

Thanks in advance for the advice,

Cheers!

asif

[AndrewS]

Asif,
The SC should balance level with the Centre of Gravity/Balance point at 2.25 inches back from the leading edge. You should be able to trim her in level flight at around half throttle with no problems.

I'll have a look at her on the weekend if we get some flying in.

Andrew S

[asif]

Thanks Andrew,

I'll check the CG again -- It seemed correct -- but I'll check,

Thanks!

asif

[Enforcer]

Asif,

You should not have to do anything to this plane to "balance it". If it is climbing in a "no wind" condition, throttle it down and land it. Check the elevator to make sure that when the elevator trim is centered, the elevator is even with the horizontal stabilizer (as close to perfect as possible). IF it is not, release the elevator clevis and then move it in or out (as needed) to make it so.

Now take off at about 3/4 power and let it climb. At a decent height, level it by lowering the throttle to half. If it is still climbing, trim it a few clicks "forward" wait a few seconds to see if it levels out. Repeat this process until it does fly level (remember to turn it back toward you every so often.. ). If you reach the full travel of the trim and it is still climbing, land it.

Now, set the trim back to center on the radio, release the elevator clevis and move it out about 3 full turns. Connect the clevis to the elevator and check the elevator against the horizontal stabilizer. The elevator should be positioned "slightly" below the stabilizer. Try flying it again and trim it as you go to get it to fly level at half throttle.

If this does not work, than do as Andrew suggests and bring it to the field for him/us to check.

If you don't feel comfortable doing the things I suggest, than by all means DON"T. Just bring it to the field. We will remain tolerant of you for now at least... but you had better learn quickly as our patients for this sort of thing will only last for so long!!!!!

One more important thing you should realize... Leon's is NOT the best place for newbies to fly. VERY WEIRD things happen over there in regards to wind! I (and others) for instance have seen days where the flags (2 of them) moving in opposite directions even though they are quite close.

[asif]

Ah!!
Leons!! Well - the scariest thing I encountered thus far was a wierd sense of loneliness - - I'm getting used to Shannon Park!!!

wow - the flag thing is wierd!!! It has been a little creepy actually -- the wind does do wierd things there....It was dead calm and then all of a sudden the flags started going proper -- then it died -- but at altitude, it was switchy.....almost like wind-shear-lite !!

I hope to be at the field on the weekend -- I tried the throttle thing and then also the trim thing -- which is why I reckoned it was imbalanced due to the new inside parts( servos/new receiver/_0)

Thanks for the advice!! I promise I'll get less bothersome as I progress!!

Now - if only I could solder....I'd bring my T-28 this weekend!! Dang!!

Thanks guys, talk soon!

asif

[Enforcer]

Asif... you are smarter than me... I can tell.

So, do a search on YouTube for "soldering deans", as Bill suggested. That is what I did and everything worked out for me. Since we have established that you are smarter than me, you should be ok as well. Just watch the videos several times, and take notes. Then practice with a piece of "junk" wire. It's not that difficult really.

BTW, have you attempted a "loop" with the Cub? It is not for me to tell you how to progress with your flying, but you may want to get used to the Cub and all it can do, before moving on to the next level. Just a thought (for what it's worth)!