6" FliteTest Simple Cub

micro_builder

Active member
Last year (edit: couple years ago already!) I built a 4 channel 12" (actually, 11.25", printer messed up a bit) Simple Cub. Thought I'd scale it down by half and see how it would go.

6" span
7.5 square inches of wing area
4.10 gram AUW
30mah lipo
4x12mm brushed motor
magnetic actuator for rudder
receiver from the Ptero-Scout micro RTF plane (wish I could find more of these)
all 1/64" balsa

Flight video will be posted soon.
Heres the build video:

Flight video

Nick
 

Attachments

  • 01.jpg
    01.jpg
    862.5 KB · Views: 0
  • 02.jpg
    02.jpg
    894.8 KB · Views: 0
  • 03.jpg
    03.jpg
    860.4 KB · Views: 0
Last edited:

CrazyFastFlying

Elite member
Last year I built a 4 channel 12" (actually, 11.25", printer messed up a bit) Simple Cub. Thought I'd scale it down by half and see how it would go.

6" span
7.5 square inches of wing area
4.10 gram AUW
30mah lipo
4x12mm brushed motor
magnetic actuator for rudder
receiver from the Ptero-Scout micro RTF plane (wish I could find more of these)
all 1/64" balsa

Uploading the build video now, but it'll take some time.

Nick

Wow, that's a small airplane! Very nice work!
 

TooJung2Die

Master member
I enjoyed watching your 12" Cub build and fly. That is a very small RC airplane. This 6" Cub is microscopic. Good luck with the trim flights!
 

micro_builder

Active member
Build video is now posted in the first post, maiden video coming out soon.

CrazyFastFlying Thank you!

TooJung2Die Thanks! That 12" Cub was a bear to build (sorry, couldnt resist the pun lol), despite the smaller size, this one was actually an easier build. It almost didnt survive the trimming phase though, or the tree, or the side of the house, or side of the barn...1/64" balsa is pretty sturdy stuff (with enough glue!).

The Hangar Thanks!

Nick
 

micro_builder

Active member

TooJung2Die

Master member
I didn't know you can get 1/64" balsa. Thinnest I have is 1/32" and that seems paper thin. So you had some trim sessions? Flight report! I know the smaller you make it the touchier it is to trim. Normal adjustments on a normal airplane become imperceptible changes on a micro flier.
 

micro_builder

Active member
I didn't know you can get 1/64" balsa. Thinnest I have is 1/32" and that seems paper thin. So you had some trim sessions? Flight report! I know the smaller you make it the touchier it is to trim. Normal adjustments on a normal airplane become imperceptible changes on a micro flier.

I didnt know either, spent a LOT of time sanding 1/32" down over the years :D

Yeah I was able to get the maiden in, took a lot of trimming (and a lot of glue to put the nose back together several times), but it turned out the issue was from of the landing gear struts, once I removed them she flew much better. I'll get the maiden video up soon (complete with running into things and all the crashes from the trimming).
 

FoamyDM

Building Fool-Flying Noob
Moderator
GREAT Work @micro_builder - I have often wanted to work up a scale aircraft carrier and 1:87 scale might be possible. (

I have looked for these items too. led me down a path. I find the originators website (I think) but I can't find it lately.
This is One source... I have seen them on Banggood. as a kit.
There is a Company in the UK that sells the parts - think the develop them

I know AliExpress also carries some of them:
0.2g servo
1589383659910.png
0.44g Servos Rocker
1589383619595.png

Something else that might be of interest too... ultimately the Orlandoo Hunter mnfr
1589384156297.png
https://www.der-schweighofer.net/VW-T1-Bus-Kastenwagen-2.4-GHz-100-prozent-RTR-187-a249108
 

micro_builder

Active member
FoamyDM Thanks! Yeah I ran across that micro RC setup a while back, only thing I didnt like about it is the RX is a little heavier than some others, but its definitely good to have that option available. If all else fails, you can get servo to actuator conversion boards, so you can run actuators on any RX, with a little weight penalty: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32705962347.html?spm=2114.12010612.8148357.35.5acd41d2NnrJfN

This place is UK based, they seem to have a pretty good selection:
http://micronradiocontrol.co.uk/index.html

Micro cars are something i've been thinking about getting into, cars are what got me into the hobby when I was a kid back in the late 80s/early 90s. The custom homemade ones some folks come up with are pretty amazing:
 

micro_builder

Active member
Tree hunting (got'em!): 0:57
How to land when you have no landing gear: 3:00
Trimming session (crash session) starts at 3:04

CG was back a bit too far, so it had some porpoising going on if I wasnt careful with the throttle. I had to remove the landing gear too, they were causing all sorts of aerodynamic issues (see crashes lol), once I removed them it actually flew...what a concept!

 

varg

Build cheap, crash cheap
Very nice. It's faster than I expected, but that's probably down to it being easier to make the wing area smaller than to drop weight to keep a similar WCL to the simple cub.
 

micro_builder

Active member
Very nice. It's faster than I expected, but that's probably down to it being easier to make the wing area smaller than to drop weight to keep a similar WCL to the simple cub.
Thank you! You are correct, you can scale a plane down pretty far, but not so much with the electronics (unless you want to spend a small fortune lol).
 

TooJung2Die

Master member
Very nice. It's faster than I expected, but that's probably down to it being easier to make the wing area smaller than to drop weight to keep a similar WCL to the simple cub.
I think the tiny airplanes are actually flying quite slow and the speed is an illusion. If an airplane with a 48" wingspan was flying at the same speed as the 6" Cub it would be considered remarkably slow.
 

micro_builder

Active member
I think the tiny airplanes are actually flying quite slow and the speed is an illusion. If an airplane with a 48" wingspan was flying at the same speed as the 6" Cub it would be considered remarkably slow.

Thats a good point too, the wide angle lens doesnt help with that illusion either. Wingloading was a little over a half gram per square inch, which is relatively good for this size, 1g/sq. in. or lower is usually my target for backyard flying. It did definitely grow some legs when banked and diving though, those little direct drive 4mm motors can really scoot...I might have to build a little pylon racer...