Piper J-3 Cub

Homemade RC airplane foam board model

Materials: XPS foam 3, 4, 5mm / (or Depron 3mm, 6mm) + balsa 2 mm(main wing spar), aircraft plywood 2mm, Bamboo Skewers 3mm, UHU Por glue
Wingspan: 1,19m (47")
Length: 0,75m
Flying Weight: 259g (9 oz)
Motor: MF1904 2500KV (16g), if your plane is more than 300g, use MF2405-1300KV, 20A, 1047
Propeller: GWS 7035
Receiver: FlySky FS-iA6 (7g)
Transmitter: FlySky FS-i6X ($45)
ESC: 12A (14g)
Servos: EMAX ES9051 (5g)x2
LiHV battery: 1100mah 2S 7.6V
Wheels 1,5"
Carbon Strips: 0.5mm x 3mm
Carbon Fiber Rods: 1mm
Nylon Control Horn with Clevis (0,52+0,34g):
Control Horn (0,5g)
for Beginner RC Pilots: 3 Axis Gyro Flight Stabilizer and windy days

Free foam plans

Print in actual size (100%) A4 Download PDF

The history of the Piper "Cub" (Puppy) plane dates back to the beginning of the 1930s, when the Taylor brothers started production of the E-2 "Cud" sports plane at their Taylor Aircraft Corporation factory. It was a simple and cheap two-person upper arm that was quickly gaining popularity. By 1935, 157 aircraft had been sold, followed by 211 closed-cabin F-2s. In December 1937, after an outbreak of factories and factories moved from Bradford, Pennsylvania to Lock Haven, same state. The plane was improved, subsequent versions received the designation F-2 "Cub" and J-3 "Cub". Production grew steadily, three versions of the aircraft were offered, including a seaplane. In 1938, 737 aircraft were produced, in 1939 1806, in 1940 3016, and in 1941 the 10,000-year-old Piper "Cub" left the factory.

In 1941, the American army chose the J-3 plane for its needs, out of 12 types of light sport aircraft. After successful testing of the four sample units, the army placed an order for more. After delivering 140 copies, at the request of users complaining of poor rear visibility, of the next 948 aircraft ordered, 649 had already had the glazing enlarged on the rear and above. In 1942, another 981 aircraft were ordered and equipped with radio stations. A total of 5,548 Piper L-4 aircraft were produced for the army. Military planes received the nickname "Grasshopper" (grasshopper). After the war, the "Cub" Pipers were still produced, in the years 1931-1950, when the production ended, a total of 23,512 aircraft were produced. To this day, there are still several thousand of these aircraft in use around the world, which is the best proof of their durability. Piper L-4 planes participated in combat on all fronts of World War II, with the exception of the Eastern Front, and were used for such purposes as communication, observation and reconnaissance, correcting artillery fire, training. The planes did not have any weapons installed, but the crews used personal weapons and grenades, which were dropped manually, as at the beginning of World War I. M-6 Bazooka anti-tank missile launchers were mounted on the wing struts in a few "homemade" airplanes, they were fired electrically and reportedly were successful. During the whole war about 1000 planes were destroyed.

Cartoon Piper Cub

Piper PA-18 Super Cub RC Plane

Materials: XPS foam 5mm (or Depron 3mm, 6mm);UHU Por glue; PVA White Glue; Super Glue 502
Balsa wood 4x4mm;970x100x3mm;970x100x2,5mm; Bamboo Skewers: 3x400 mm
Hot Shrink Covering Film Yellow
Oracover Covering Film 033 Yellow
Aircraft Birch Plywood 1,5 mm
Basswood Plywood 2 mm
Wingspan: 1400mm (55")
Wing area: 28,22 dm²
Wing loading: 11,2 g/dm²
Flying Weight: 315g (foam density is 26kg/m³; covering film 27g/m²)
Motor: X2305 KV1450 (25g)
Propeller: GWS EP 1047 (Slow Fly)
Receiver: FrSky S6R (12g)
ESC: SunnySky X 18A (9g)
Servos:EMAX ES9052MD (5,5g) x 4
LiHV battery: 1100mah 2S 7.6V
Stainless Steel Spring Wire 1,2 mm
Wheels 2,25"
Carbon push rods: 1mm
Hinge Linker Nylon Control Horn with Clevis (0,52+0,34g):
Control Horn (0,5g)
Hinge Linker (24mm):
Nylon screws: 3x10mm
Nylon nuts: M3

total area of foam parts 0,1878 m²

Laser Cut files SVG/DXF

and paper printable PDF A3 (297 × 420mm) Download PDF,SVG/DXF (€7) в pубляx
Download free example

Laser Cutting Machine that I use: NEJE 3 PLUS (A40640)
Diode laser doesn't cut white and blue XPS foam! For other colors (grey, green, orange, purple) no problem. The yellow foam that you saw in the video cuts easily at 5% power (it just needs 2-3 passes to remove the cone)

Full Build Video tutorial & maiden flight

Piper Super Cub history

The Piper J-III-C light sports aircraft is certainly known to all older modelers, as it was flown after the Second World War and in almost all of our aero clubs. The development of the world-famous Piper series of sports high-wing aircraft dates back to 1930. Through gradual improvements, the factory designers reached the PA 18 - Super Cub type in 1954. This aircraft has very good flight characteristics, especially short take-off, low minimum speed and short range. Therefore, it is used for various purposes. It is possible to meet him in the fire patrol and observation forest service, during geological exploration and during work in agriculture, where he is both a quick connecting tool and is used directly for the treatment of agricultural crops. The nozzles for spraying chemicals are on tubes suspended under the wing. For geological survey, the aircraft is equipped with large balloon wheels with a diameter of 920 mm, which enable landing and take-off in very uneven and rocky terrain. For use in the mountain rescue service, the skis are mounted so that the wheels remain mounted on the chassis. The float version has a slightly longer hull.

TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION

The Piper PA 18 "Super Cub" is a two-seat high-altitude aircraft of mixed design. Both the wing and the stabilizer are reinforced, the undercarriage is two-wheel fixed with a steerable spur wheel.

The wing, typically "piper", is semi-self-supporting, equipped with landing flaps. The steel tube struts are double, with auxiliary braces against deflection. The wing has two wooden beams, over which duralumin ribs and half-ribs are strung. The end of the ribs behind the second beam is made of duralumin sheet. The leading part of the wing is covered with duralumin sheet, the entire wing is covered with Duracla-de (canvas reinforced with Butyrate plastic material). The airfoil is US 35b.

The hull of the lattice structure is welded from steel pipes, through which the body rails pass in the longitudinal direction. The whole is also coated with Duraclad, the front part with sheet metal and the covers.

The cabin for two passengers seated aft is accessed from the right side by a split door, the lower half of which swings down along the fuselage wall and the upper half horizontally to the wing. The dashboard is equipped as standard with an altimeter, speedometer, compass, variometer, oil pressure indicator and thermometer. The improved equipment has almost double the number of instruments and a radio in addition.

The tail surfaces, welded from steel tubes, have a straight plate profile. They are also coated with Duraclad and mutually reinforced with profile wires.

The landing gear consists of a swinging landing gear, the central strut of which is sprung with rubber ropes. The suspension is generous and consistent with the rough terrain use of this aircraft. The main undercarriage wheels are low pressure, the spur wheel is made of solid rubber. The spur is rotatable, sprung with leaf and spiral springs.

Engine group. The Lycoming 0-320 flat four-cylinder engine has a starting power of 150 hp at 2700 rpm. Under the engine is a bulky air cleaner enabling preheating. The fuel tanks are in the wing and have a total capacity of about 98 l.

Coloring. The aircraft, designated 1809108, is all yellow with black accessories on the fuselage and rudder. The registration marks are also black. There are various other color combinations to the basic yellow.

Technical data and performance:
Wingspan 10.75 m,
Length 6.86 m,
Height 2.04 m,
Wing area 16.6 m²,
Empty aircraft weight 420 kg, take-off weight 788 kg.
Speeds - maximum 209 km/h, cruising 185 km/h, landing 69 km/h;
Start-up 61 m, finish 107 m, reach 6500 m.

The Piper "Super Cub" aircraft was selected on purpose, as it is one of the few types in the world that generally meet the requirements and needs of scale model aircraft. It is a recommended for building free-flying and radio-controlled models.

One of the legends of the world aviation sky has undoubtedly become the American high-wing aircraft of the Piper Cub series. The basic concept of this highly successful aircraft was created in 1928 in the aircraft factory of the brothers Gordon and Gilbert Taylor - Taylor Airc-raft Corporation. The start-up of the new company was not easy at all and it was marked by tragedy right from the start. Gordon Taylor tragically died on the company's first plane, a two-seater monoplane, which brought bankruptcy even closer. Just before the collapse, however, the company was bought by wealthy oilman William T. Piper, who kept Gilbert Taylor as chief designer. In 1930, Gilbert completed the Taylor F-2 project - the ancestor of all Cubos. Due to engine problems, the Taylor F-2 did not go into series production until 1931, when 200 units were built. It was replaced a year later by the more advanced Taylor E-2 Cub, of which 350 were built between 1932 and 1935 at the factory in Bratford, Pennsylvania.

However, Gilbert Taylor did not abandon the desire to independently manufacture aircraft. In 1936, he therefore left Piper and founded his own Taylorcraft factory. He was replaced by a young, until then unknown, technician, Walter C. Jamonueau, who greatly improved the existing Taylor E-2. The changes mainly concerned the ends of the wing and the tail surfaces, which received the typically rounded shape that became typical of Piper aircraft. The cabin for two crew members also provided greater comfort. The aircraft was designated Piper J-2 Cub and a total of 200 were built.

A further improvement of the successful J-2 resulted in Piper's most famous aircraft, the J-3 Cub. There was great interest in it - by 1937, 727 units were built. However, the successful series production was interrupted by a fire at the Bratford factory, which completely destroyed it. A new factory was built in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, and mass production of the Piper J-3 Cub continued at an even greater pace, reaching an annual production of 3,000 in 1940.

The qualities of the machine did not remain a secret even to the representatives of the American army. At the Camp Forrest military exercise in June 1941, the observation Stinsons 0-49 and Curtiss 0-52 tested by the army for mountainous terrain were not very successful, so the command decided to give a chance to aircraft of other manufacturers. Several Pipers were thus given an olive green paint job, a radio station, and with civilian pilots and mechanics, they participated in other military exercises in Texas and Louisiana. They flew 12 to 14 hours a day to their complete satisfaction, so that by the end of the year 40 purely military Pipers, designated 0-59, were already flying.

After the attack on Pearl Harbor and the entry of the USA into the war, the designation of light aircraft was changed from O (Observation = observation) to L (Liasion = Reconnaissance) and military Pipers were designated L-4. Including the original 0-59, 5569 of them were built in various versions by the end of the war. They have proven themselves in a variety of roles - from reconnaissance tasks to transporting the wounded.

After the end of the war, many airplanes from military surplus ended up in private hands and in many other countries.

Even as successful a design as the Piper J-3 was, it was necessary to further modernize it, especially since the "hunger" for this type of aircraft was still great. The first post-war improved variant of the J-3 was the Piper PA-11 Cub Special of 1946. In 1949, the Cub Special was further improved, forming the basis for the highly successful Piper PA-18 Super Cub. The most significant change was the installation of a more powerful engine, resulting in better performance. PA-18s were also produced for military purposes, in two versions; L.-18 and L-21. The L-18 was a militarized PA-18, the L-21 also received folding flaps between the wings and the fuselage, which improved the characteristics of the aircraft at low speeds. A landing reflector was also placed in the leading edge of the left half of the wing. That is why they also appeared on civilian machines. 6,700 Super Cubs were built by 1962. They appeared in the air forces of most NATO member states, many of them also flew in civil services. Others joined there after the end of their military careers.

The Cubs received their last modernization almost 50 years after their creation - in 1983, when the PA-18-150 variants powered by Av-co Lycoming engines with a power of 111 kW were created.

TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION
The Piper PA-18 Super Cub was a single-engine two-seat high-wing high-wing aircraft of mostly metal construction with a fixed two-wheel landing gear and spur.

The wing with two wooden spars had ribs with a US 35b profile riveted from duralumin profiles. The front part up to the front of the beam was covered with duralumin sheet, the rest with canvas, later with dacron. The ailerons and folding flaps had a metal frame covered with canvas or dacron. Each half of the wing was supported by V-shaped struts made of profiled duralumin tubes. Fuel tanks were located in the roots of both wing halves.

The hull of the lattice construction had a skeleton welded from thin-walled steel tubes supplemented on the sides and upper part with shaped stringers. The cover was canvas, for later produced machines dacron. The front part and the hood of the engine were covered with duralumin sheet. The enclosed, richly glazed cabin with seats behind was accessed by a hinged door on the starboard side.

The flat-plate profile tail surfaces had a frame welded from thin-walled steel tubes. The cover was canvas or dacron.

The landing gear consisted of a two-wheel fixed landing gear and a steerable spur with a wheel. The chassis was sprung with rubber cords hidden in leather cases. The balloon wheels were equipped with hydraulic brakes. A number of aircraft were equipped with floats, and for service in polar regions, then with skis.

The power unit consisted of a flat four-cylinder air-cooled engine. The least powerful variant was the Continental C-90-12F with a power of 67 kW, the most powerful was the Avco Lycoming 0-320 with a power of 111 kW. The propeller was solid, metal 1.88 m, the center of which was often covered by a cone.

Coloring. PA-18 Super Cub Pipers in civil service flew in a wide variety of colors. It was usually a combination of several pastel colors. The entire aircraft is dark red, the number plate on both sides of the fuselage and the lower right half of the wing was chrome yellow as were the decorative stripes on the sides of the fuselage. There is a German flag on the keel-catcher. Wheel discs, propeller and cone are left in the color of the metal. The upper part of the engine cover is matte black against glare.