J-3 Cub Flight
Test on 9/24/08
The picture below out of Flying Models Magazine
shows Mike Midkiff launching his new P-47 scale rubber powered design. Mike
is a seasoned Flying Aces Club (FAC) model designer, builder, and
competitor. He is a very dynamic person dedicated to promoting FAC
activities here in the north Texas area and serves as a FAC scale judge at
many of the big FAC contests.
The 36" Piper J-3 Cub shown below was built as my
first Flying Aces Club rubber powered scale model. I was most fortunate to
have built this Cub under the advice and direction of Mike Midkiff.
This morning, my friend Jerry Burk and I
arrived at the FAC flying field around 7:30 a. m. just off of Beach street
on the north side of Fort Worth. The morning was crystal clear and wind was
calm. Mike arrived around 8:00 a. m. and we immediately got to the task at
hand, flight testing my never before flown J-3 Cub. Mike hand glided the Cub
a few times in the tall grass. Then he used his stooge, blast tube, wire,
and winder to put turns in the Cub's flight test rubber motor that he had
made up for me some time ago as shown below.
This shows Mike's first launch of the Cub, which
immediately went into a rather steep climb as you can see.
During the next series of 5 to 7 flights, Mike
shimmed in down/right thrust in the nose block, added some more clay weight
to the nose, put in some positive incidence in the stab and as well as
adding a right rudder clear plastic trim tab. This picture shows Mike ready
to make another flight test launch.
This shows the Cub climbing out smoothly under
power.
Here is yet another launch showing the Cub steadily climbing out under
power in a right turn.
Now that Mike had the Cub's power climb and
glide trimmed up pretty good, he took out the flight test rubber motor and
is shown below making up a braided flight motor out of the precious Tan 1
rubber.
This shows the two rubber motor comparisons.
After adding a little more clay weight to the
nose to account for the bigger flight rubber motor and making a couple of
additional test flights, Mike cranked in 500 turns on the flight rubber
motor and launched the Cub, which is shown climbing out into the morning sun
below.
The Cub making a shallow turn to the right
during the climb.
Here the Cub is shown leveling out at altitude
near the end of the rubber motor run.
This shows the Cub high overhead with the prop
free wheeling.
(12X Zoom)
Notice the Cub's flat glide in this
picture with the prop free wheeling as it starts coming down.
After this landing, Mike wanted me to put in a
couple of flights on my own. He had me go through the whole drill of
mounting the Cub on the stooge, inserting the blast tube, Stretching out the
rubber motor and putting 500 turns, removing the blast tube, and hooking the
wound rubber motor to the nose block. I put in two flights and Cub performed
flawlessly both times. I have to tell you, it just doesn't get any better
than this!
The adjustments Mike made during Cub's 15 to 18
flights this morning resulting in a fully trimmed model. Thank you Mike
Midkiff, FAC modeler extraordinare..............................Tandy