1970s cox single channel cub trainer

craig bernard wrote:Is this a good plane or not I just bought one for five bucks

it is a one channel has radio still works, engine wrench,s, instructions engine missing.plane supposable only flown once.Is rubbing alcohol clean styrofoam

[quote="craig bernard"]

craig bernard wrote:Is this a good plane or not I just bought one for five bucks

it is a one channel has radio still works, engine wrench,s, instructions engine missing.plane supposable only flown once.Is rubbing alcohol clean styrofoamthe engine was apee wee. 020 it doesnt need alot of cleaning but could use some to make styrofoam white again.does ordinary dish soap work good.i never owned a foamie before

You are ahead of the game for $5.  I suspect it will make a better display piece than a flying machine.  

1 channel is basically free flight with rudder control, it is not very similar to modern RC.  The plane requires balance and trim in the same manner as a free flight plane, or it will not climb nicely under power, nor glide well once power cuts.

There is still a real following of free flight and 1 channel radios, but it is not nearly as popular as anything else.

Phil

Craig:

If this is your first R/C plane I can understand you excitment.  The price was right but there are other considerations before taking to the air.

Suggest you follow the forum for awhile before doing anything.  R/C flying is like learning to ride a bicyle; very challenging at first but much less so once you learn.  Crashes are to be expected as part of the learning process.

Best of luck to you!

SuperDave (aka: SD)

Congrats, for five bucks you couldn't beat that with a stick! Flying R/C is pretty easy, specially with something slow and stable.
Remember left is left and right is right, unless its coming at you, then turn your body away from it and look over shoulder, easy!

Soap and water or Windex might work a little better then rubbing alcohol , as most rubbing alcohol is only 60-80%

Only issue i can see is your radio is not a 'narrow band' let alone digital and you might run the real chance of getting radio interferance, i would find a place far away from anything or look at a new radio, surf hobby king.

as a footnote to Mark's comment:

Radio interferance, in R/C terms is "glitched" or "being glitched".  It's when nearby radio signal inference with your own. When your plane responds to conflicting signals there's n telling what will happen.

 Modern R/C radios on 2.4 mega hertz are protected from this by spread-specturm technoly.  Futaba employs this in their "FAST" (Futaba Advaned Spread-Spectrum Technology) radios.

Futaba's competitors offer a similar system under a different trade-name.

Expensive?  Yes but well worth investment IMO.    

SD

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__24969__Turnigy_6X_FHSS_2_4ghz_Transmitter_and_Reciever_Mode_2_.html

about 30 beans plus shipping, you're still gonna need batteries and other miscellaneous stuff, but the prices on these radios have dropped alot in the last five years or so.

p.s. make sure your servo will plug into it.

If you are going to spend a few extra bucks on a new radio (a great idea imo) cough up
an extra couple bucks for an extra servo and put an elevator on the plane.
Finally see if there's a friendly club nearby where one of the guy's may take it up
for you and show you how.
Good luck.
 

Hey Craig,

Like the guys said, you did REAL well with 5 bucks on this deal!  If you're determined to to fly it, I have a few comments and suggestions that might help, although keep in mind that all the previous posts are absolutely correct.

I've flown quite a bit of Single-Channel (at least compared to my local area buds) and enjoy them as a challenging diversion from other types of flying.  You ARE literally flying a free-flight model that lets you steer it, but being able to do so successfully is a big kick when it happens.

My very first R/C plane was a single channel Minnie Mambo that actually survived it's flights with an ancient rubber-band actuator radio (another ENTIRE story there!), only to be destroyed by a buddy of mine with his "Modern" two-channel set!



This note may seem a bit over-the-top, and is NOT a substitute for hooking up with some local flyers, but assumes you want the best shot at successfully flying your model.

S-C requires a lot more set-up discipline and testing than standard R/C flying because of your limited options once the plane is in the air.  These are basically the same suggestions you'll see in tips for a free-flight plane.

You MUST test-glide the plane, preferably over a small. grass-covered hill with no wind .
Toss it, with your radio on to hold the rudder in flat neutral.  You want it to glide straight ahead with a shallow descent.  A very slight left or right tendency can be corrected if your transmitter has a trim lever for the rudder.  The balance plays a big part in the glide, but I'm assuming everything inside the plane is as it came, so this was probably pre-located correctly by the sellers for a good center of gravity.

Adjust the rudder to have minimum throw once you've found where it needs to center to make the plane fly straight.

Test run your engine a BUNCH of times on the ground and get to know it.  Get comfortable with a system of measuring the fuel to give yourself under a minute of run-time.  Once you've made friends with the little sucker and can get it to run dependably, that's another thing you don't have to worry about.

Use BRAND-NEW FRESH NAME-BRAND-BATTERIES if yours are not rechargeable.  Test your radio on the ground to make sure it's working, and range-test it to see how far away you can walk from it before it loses it's signal.

Assuming your engine is running well, and all the above is correct, you'll still need a very large open field with NO WIND conditions.

Measure your fuel for a short run, make sure the radio is on (non-throttled airplanes are incredibly easy to launch with the radio turned OFF!).  Launch the plane into whatever LIGHT breeze may be blowing and steer it in THAT direction as it climbs. You ALWAYS want to keep it upwind, so that confused controls bring it BACK to you.

It will almost assuredly turn one way of the other, and if it's gradual, let that be your "uncontrolled condition" until it's engine stops.  You must keep in mind which control neutralizes the turn and sends it in the opposite direction.  Once the engine has croaked, just let it glide in it's circle, and if it's a wide gradual turn, let it land itself.  If it's a little steep, wait until it is headed away from you and give the stick a gentle nudge against the turn, holding it level until it lands.

I was trying not to write a novel, but if you think this is helpful, let me know, and I'll list some more tips.  

Good Luck !!!


My .010-powered "Blunderbus"...a Cal Smith designed .049 free-flighter, reduced in size and with Single Channel radio.  





P.S. You MIGHT want to check out these guys.  They INTENTIONALLY fly some of the oldest Radio Control stuff still in existence, and often use newer gear to "go retro".

I've been a member for years and enjoy their newsletter!

http://vintagercsociety.org/

Craig:

Kim's advice is well-founded.

I began the RC adventure in the days of vaccum-tube radios and prior to digital-proportional servos and progressed accordingly. You'll find the counsel of experienced piliots of tremendous assistance. Try visiting a local flying club before you go it on your own.

My first RC "coach" was my dentist at the time and from him I built a wealth of knowledge invalueable to me even today. Reading the accumulated knowledge on this
is yet another avenue to success.

Like golf, no one can expect to become successful with out practice. practice and practice.  

SD

SuperDave wrote:Craig:

I  began the RC adventure in the days of vaccum-tube radios    

SD

Dave, Guglielmo.
Guglielmo, Dave.

So what was he like Dave? And how young were you when the above meeting took place?

John:

"Guglielmo" - John

Eh? Is that Pinnochio's cousin?  

SD

Nope, but he was one of the first to work with long distance radio transmissions. Aren't you a history teacher Dave?

Just kidding of course.

Ron

No ffense taken Ron.

I WAS (and perhaps still am) a history teacher. Sometimes I "sideline" as a humorist as evidenced by my retort to John. Who says a teacher has universal knowledge of everything?

Boredom is an insidious thing so I escape it very chance I get.  

SD