parkzone cub mods,tricks and tips?

[rcshad]

Hey guys, I'll start by saying I am a die hard r/c nitro car & truck guy from way back but flying is a whole new world. I just bought my first plane after holding off the urge for way too long. I picked up the parkzone cub today and loved it. I crashed it hard the first time because I could not wait for the wind to die down, lesson learned. the few flights I've had since then have been great and more fun than expected. now on to the question. I love trying new things and modifying every r/c car or truck that I get and I wondering how these small and cheap electric planes take modifcation. If anybody has tried anything different and seen more run-time, speed or control response please pass it on.
the big thing I looking for is more run time per battery without going Li-po, I'd like to keep my cheap plane...well, cheap. how does the plane handle extra wieght of bigger cells, like 1100mah 2/3 "a" size. and how did the fit? I would love to hear any stories of wing mods, prop mods, engine swaps etc. or anything else related to the PZ cub. thanks for any info, Shad

[Rat1]

Well I have been told that the Cub is already very heavy for the amount of wing it has so I would not try and add anymore weight to it.

The speed control can not really handle much more motor then what the cub comes with and the stock radio gear is just a small circiut board without changable parts. So cheap mods on a cub are not really an option unless you have a regular three channel radio transmitter. The best thing to do would be to find a way to lighten up the plane without changing the center of gravity,extend the wing out and back to add more wing surface and go from there. Some have talked about using a dif prop from GWS with good results. I would post a link to the thread that talked about changing the prop but it would be from a competitive site so not sure if that is legal here.

I just gutted mine and am mounting everything on an arrow shaft and making the wing larger. Also going to try a prop from ParkZone SlowV on it to see if it works.

I know the stock prop is out of balance on most the parkzone stuff. Loosen up the prop and slide it out on the shaft and set the prop horizontal and you will see that the heavy side will rotate downward. Add some electrical tape to the light side till the prop stays horizontal and you will get less vibration from the prop and a smoother running power train. Also knowing that you are into RC cars then you know that any friction will rob speed and run time. Make sure the prop and gear box spin freely with the motor out. Try and see if you can adjust the gear lash to reduce un needed friction but this will be hard to due when considering the motor and gear box design.

Also you might think about enlarging the control surfaces on the tail and moving the control rods to the holes closer to the control surfaces to increase the throw. After any crash you should check for anything that might be loose such as the tail section. A couple drops of CA or superglue will tighten the tail back up to the fuslage again. I also replaced the wing supports with 20 lb test firewire fishing line as I broke the stock ones off on my second crash. Try and keep from nosing in if you can help it as the plastic inside the Cub will break easily and cause the motor to come out of alignment when under power and the plane will not fly. If you do break it then you can order a new bare fus from parkZone or your hobby shop for about 15 bucks. you must order the decal kit also as it does not come with decals on it. Or if you are good with a brush or air brush you could paint on new decals or customize it to your liking ie flames etc.

[rcshad]

thanks for the reply you have some good ideas. I ended up trying a 7 cell 2/3 "a" 1100 mah pack and it flew ok. I could feel the extra weight on take off but once in the air it was fine at speed but tended to "wallow" on slow turns. the flight time was great though. I think if I move the pack back in the fuse a little it would help I'm sure it made it nose heavy. I also tried moving the push-rods on the control horns and loved the results, much sharper turns and sloppy but fun snap rolls. I've thought of trying an aerobird extreme wing, it would look dumb but may work.It's about the same width but about 8" longer in span. I've also will try to think of a way to put bearings on the prop **** and throw the plastic bushings out but who knows how hard that will be. If I come up with anything I'll post it here. let me know how your home built stick works out, I'd mount the electrics on a old car chassis if I thought it would fly! that sort of thing is what makes r/c fun. Thanks again, Shad