Maiden flight report!
Today looked like goo weather to get the Cub into the air, so yesterday the batteries go on the charger and the plane is given a one-over. Once at the field I filled the tank before installing the wings, just to run the engine a bit to make sure it's behaving.
No love, it wouldn't start. A little checking found that I'm still having problems with the fuel line being kinked, so no gas was getting to the engine! A little field-surgery and I confirmed it was now able to flow freely. A few seconds with the starter and it sprang to life. Controls were checked and everything appeared good, so it was shut down and the wings were installed.
If I haven't said this for a while I'll say it now, the Balsa USA Cub wings are a pain in the butt to install! Two bolts per wing inside the fuselage (reaching through the window & door) and a third at the base of the struts. The inside bolts are tough to get at, and I'm probably going to make a tool to try and make it easier. Either way, it's a 2-person job. The Sig 1/4 scale Cub wing simply drops down onto the fuselage top and bolts into place, followed by the lower wing bolts. Quick & easy. Balsa USA's Cub is apparently more scale, but given the choice I'd still go with the Sig.
So the wings are on, the tank is full, the sky is clear, and the winds are calm. Only my dad and a guy who lives near the field are there to watch as I do some taxi testing. She's responding nicely, so I aim it into the light breeze and give it the throttle. The tail pops up immediately, and with some elevator management it stays on the ground picking up speed. The 23cc Zenoah has NO problem motivating the Cub, and it eventually is allowed to lift off into a steady climb. Surprisingly, the only trim needed was a little down elevator to keep it level at 1/2 throttle. Otherwise, it flies like a Cub is expected to. Some changes to the throws are needed, but nothing to worry about.
But then.... About 20 seconds into the maiden flight I heard the two words every pilot dreads... "LOW BATTERY!" coming from my Taranis. I was about 1/2 way through the first lap of the field when the warning was announced, so I throttled back, made my turn into the wind, and it came down smooth and controlled for a nice landing.
I'm not sure what happened with the transmitter battery since it was on the charger yesterday. That was the only transmitter battery I had, and I was 3 hours from home.
However, I have an electric starter for the gas planes, and the field box has a charger on it that will handle the stock Taranis battery, so I modified some cables and was able to put 30 minutes of charge into the transmitter battery.
By that point I had an audience as other club members were showing up. Nothing like a little pressure! The Cub didn't disappoint, as it again took off in a very Cub-like manner, flew for 10 minutes, and then settled down for a decent landing.
I ended the day with three flights and about 20 minutes of air time with it today, and the only issues are a broken solder joint on the landing gear and the need for another magnet on the door. Both easy fixes. Hopefully I can get a little flight video tomorrow.