FMEditor, Frank Fanelli, removes the cowl outside his home for a last check before a trip to the Top O New Jersey field for its maiden flight. Completely


rity than that is preferred, a few bits of dou- ble sided tape could be used to keep it in place but still allow it to be lifted up. One thing that really had me worried was the cowl. I saved it to last because I wasn’t sure how best to proceed. Out of all the pow- erplants used, the G26 requires a good bit of cowl surgery. On the one end I was loath to “butcher” that beautiful fiberglass cowl and wasn’t sure where or how much to do. There’s one picture on page 40 of the man- ual that shows a reduced size view of the cutouts required for the G26. I pulled up the PDF manual from the Horizon Hobby web- site, selected the picture of the cutouts, copied it and put it into Adobe Photoshop. Then I blew it up 300% and got a template that was almost one 1:1 and a perfect start for where the cutouts would have to be. Notice I said it was a beginning. From that point on it was cut and fit, check and then try again. There really isn’t any other way to deal with the process. Have to admit it was little gut wrenching to chip away over and over on that beautiful fiberglass cowl, especially when it came to almost complete- ly dismembering the distinctive oil cooler projection that really characterizes a Super Cub.


Before this issue hits the public I will have ordered another cowl for perhaps a try with another powerplant to minimize the disfig- urement. There’s no reason why a swap to another wouldn’t be feasible, and pretty easy thanks to that firewall template men- tioned earlier.


So, at this point the Cub was completely assembled with all the options mentioned. It was almost ready to go to the field. It might seem obvious but with all the small parts needed to assemble the Super Cub, a small container for all of those clevises and nuts and bolts will alleviate a lot of agita. What will also help alleviate that agita will be extra parts, especially the small cle- vis pins for the strut attachments. Lose one of those in the grass or on the tarmac and flying for the day and afterwards is done un- til a replacement arrives. So the Cub was complete but there were a number of things to check before the first flight. With the G26 up front the PA-18 bal-


FLYING MODELS


assembled (above right). After the wing slides on the spar tube, four small clevis pins secure the ends of the wing struts to the fuselage bracket.


anced right at the 4-inch front of the c.g. range. The model has a very healthy ³⁄₄-inch range. Throws were checked and the setups prescribed in the manual gave the throws suggested for high rate, and security of the receiver and the battery were the final issues.


So it was time to head for the field with the deadline looming. The only question was how easily and how well would the Zenoah G26 perform. Some consultation with Model Aviation Giant Scale columnist Sal Cal- vagna the night before elicited the advice to choke the engine and prime the fuel so the carb was dripping gas.


That worked but it took quite a few hand flips to get it running, and that was with the cowl off. Once started, though, the engine ran perfectly. Transition from low to high was very smooth and with the Evolution 16–6 prop there was power to spare.


Problem was that with the cowl on, there was no way to choke the engine so it could primed sufficiently. A lot of hand flips just gave a pop or two. What finally got the G26 started quickly was a squirt bulb and elec- tric starter. The choke is left open and with a 90° fuel elbow at the end of the tubing, a prime can be suirted into the carb.


Taxiing the Cub for takeoff was easy since the tail wheel gave plenty of directional con- trol. After the Cub was lined up for takeoff, I accidentally blipped the throttle and the model got moving quickly, and the tail came up almost right away. That was the first in- dication the plane really wanted to fly. Rates were all on high and with just about three-quarter throttle the Cub climbed out with authority, and control response was very positive. Some up trim was needed be- cause of the full fuel load and the forward c.g., and a little left rudder and aileron as well. With that the plane flew hands off. Some observations: the plane is not a speed demon but loops are very positive. Rolls? Get some altitude because there are big barrels. Coordinated turns need a little bit of rudder mixed in because there is some noticeable adverse yaw. That will need some experimentation for the best mix. Dropping the flaps pitches the nose but with the for- ward c.g. it’s not very much at mid-flap, but landing flap is more pronounced. The manu- al suggests some elevator mix settings. I like this plane. Its flying style really suits me, and I’m itching to exercise it a whole lot more. The only problem left is what to name the pilot. Any suggestions?


PHOTO: BRIAN MADIGAN


With the G26 lovely takeoffs like this are easily done at three-quarter throttle. In a word the flying characteristics of the plane are great. Turns do need a little bit of rudder to keep them from skidding.


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