Piper Super Cub
build log
                                                                                                                    By Ray McDougall

     

   go to.....

     HOME
      PAST PROJECTS
     NEW PROJECTS
     TECHNICAL TIPS
     CONTACT ME
     FOR SALE ITEMS
    

 

Here's my Big Cub project....

 
 

A 12-foot Piper Super Cub......
follow along with me   

 

 
 

The Super Cub;
This "greenhouse" military version is called the L-21B.....[PA18-135] .   F-GSCB is owned by the  French air force. The model is 146" wingspan and is being scratchbuilt from Balsa USA drawings.
It is expected to weigh close to thirty pounds and will be powered with a Saito 300 Twin on spark ignition and with dual carburetion. Most of the frame construction is Sitka spruce and balsa.

 
 

Jan 2006.....here we go.....


Waiting for wood and parts and have only completed the landing gear and tail wheel to date here they are.....

The main gear is very realistically articulated and is made up by silver-soldering dozens of small brass and steel parts. The bungee is functional and is enclosed by removable wood covers.


 		  
                                          
  This is a doctored-up CB  tail wheel with leaf springs and will steer by the rudder controls.   Feb 2006;    WOW ..... 12 feet of wing !!  Both wing halves the center cabane completed. Strut fittings installed on underside. I need a bigger shop !!
 		  
                                                 

     Aileron hinging is scale.....fabricated from brass tubing with a clevis soldered into it. A pull-pull system will be used for activating the ailerons and flaps.
        
  Here are some pictures of the adjustable stab....I did'nt like the way the plans detailed this so I dreamed up this this
arrangement in the middle of the night. It supports the stab in two places instead of one and the adjustment can be
made from the outside easily. The photo on the right below is with the covering on and the aluminum trim in place.
               
  March 15.....Tailfeathers are covered and the alum. faceplates are fitted.....
March 27.....the door and cockpit windows are fitted and working.....[they open and close]
               
  Another hard day's work.....completed the wings, struts, installed the servos and mounted the wings on to the cabane. This thing takes up a lot of workspace !! Check out the aileron pull-pull.....Tomorrow I'll vacume-form a scale cover to go over the pulleys. I'll also be able to level up all the flying surfaces.
 

              

 

 

             

The dash was cut out of lightply, the round bezels are lathe-turned off a piece of alum. pipe. I downloaded some instruments off the net and printed them on glossy photo paper. I poured a little epoxy into the bezel to protect the photo paper and to make it look like there is a lens on the instrument. The knobs are lathe turned. The lettering is made on the computer and printed onto waterslide decal material.  Its very close to the real dash.
  

      
    


The aileron controls are pull-pull using kevlar line and  a scale turnbuckle..... I made the little pulley cover from
plastic  in the jig shown above......just heat the      plastic with a heat gun and shut the door on it. Drill the mounting screw holes through the jig and trim with cissors.

        
     Here is the plane with wings assembled and hanging in my balancer. It balances almost perfectly so I can now continue the construction without worrying about final balance. It may be a little nose-heavy but that's OK at this stage.
  15 April.....

Started the engine and tank installation today.   The 300 twin has dual carbs and it is on spark ignition. The Saito is rubber mounted to the firewall. Spark coils are under the engine and the electronics are behind the firewall.

       
   

      < home                                                              Go to Cub Page 2   >