RC Piper Cub - the ideal scale trainer
An rc Piper Cub such as the ParkZone J3 Cub, shown below, makes the perfect scale rc trainer, as well as being a very popular model airplane with experienced radio control enthusiasts, simply because of its simplicity both in the air and in its construction.
Why choose an RC Piper Cub?
The Cub is a very simple airplane and its design makes it an ideal choice for anyone who wants to learn to fly an rc scale model airplane.
Indeed, the real life Piper Cub was designed and built as a simple trainer for private pilots (and soon afterwards military pilots), and even nowadays is one of the most popular and loved private airplanes of all time.
See the ParkZone J3 rc Piper Cub in more detail.
ParkZone J3 Piper Cub
The ParkZone J3 Cub is certainly one of the better value RTF Cubs currently available, and makes an ideal 3 channel trainer airplane.
With very little assembly work needed, the ParkZone J3 Cub can be ready for flight in a very short time other than battery charging time, which is around 40 minutes with the charger supplied.
Unlike the majority of other rc airplane manufacturers, ParkZone supply you with absolutely everything that you need to get your airplane airborne, including batteries for the radio control gear. This 'one box purchase', as ParkZone call it, makes for an ideal model-buying experience and the quality of the airplane easily beats many other electric RTFs on the market.
The ParkZone J3 Piper Cub is 3 channel, with proportional control to elevator, rudder and motor. Although not a conventional 2-stick transmitter, the supplied radio gear uses their Mode Change Flight Control System which makes things easier for pilots moving up from simpler 2 channel models.
The Cub features a one-piece wing, and all decals are factory applied. Though sold as a 3 channel airplane, the Cub is big enough to take a 4th channel aileron servo for enhanced flying performance, but this is a customization that needs to be done with a certain level of model building knowledge.
ParkZone J3 Piper Cub features & specifications
These include...
- Wingspan: 37"
- Length: 27"
- Motor: 370 outrunner brushless
- Approx. assembly time: 5 mins
- Approx. flying time: 13 mins
- Landing gear: aluminum struts, foam wheels
See the J3 in action (opens Windows Media Player).
Flying an rc Piper Cub is a very enjoyable and relaxing experience - they are one of the most forgiving airplanes available because of their great stability in the air, combined with the slow flying speed (these are the exact reasons why Cubs are so perfect for full size flying training).
All in all, an rc Piper Cub is an excellent choice for a radio control scale trainer!
See the ParkZone J3 rc Piper Cub in more detail.
A brief history of the real Piper Cub
The full size Piper Cub has been around for decades, ever since the American William Piper (dubbed the "Henry Ford" of the airplane world) bought what remained of the 'Taylor Brothers Aircraft Company', which had been formed by two brothers in the late 1920s but had gone bankrupt after a short time. The Taylor Brothers had already built - with limited success - what was to become the basic Cub.
William Piper, a huge airplane enthusiast, saw the potential for a single engine, lightweight airplane; especially since Charles Lindbergh had recently completed his historic New York - Paris flight, thus enthusing hundreds of people to take to the skies and learn to fly.
Throughout the early 1930s, the Piper Cub evolved from the Taylor Brothers initial airplane design and was granted its type certificate and approved for manufacture in 1935.
In 1939, when war looked imminent, a simple airplane was needed to train hundreds of pilots to fly. The Piper Cub was the ideal candidate and soon became the primary trainer. By the end of the war, 80% of all US Army pilots had learnt to fly on the Piper Cub.
Piper stopped production of the Cub shortly after the war, but not before the demand for owning a lightweight and affordable airplane was met. Nowadays, there are many many Piper Cub enthusiasts worldwide and this famous airplane lives on, as popular as it ever was. Reference: Centennial of Flight.
Related pages
HobbyZone Super Cub - another RTF electric Cub option.
ParkZone rc airplanes - more 'One Box Purchase' examples.
Electric rc trainer airplanes - see some more trainer examples.
