Super Cub LP RTF

Comment: This was my first R/C plane. My first flight actually went without a major crash. Just a couple of hard landings in the grass which didn't break anything major. Later on as I became better, I performed more daring stunts and it received some damage, but nothing that rendered it un-flyable. I find that repairing the Cub is kind of fun also, and as you take it apart and modify it you learn a lot about the plane itself.
The replacement parts are also very affordable, so if you do actually destroy something, it can be replaced without too much financial pain. Depending on how much you push the motor, you get to fly it about 10-15 minutes on one battery charge.
I bought a Muvi Veho camera for it, and you can tell that the Cub struggles a little bit with the extra weight, but it still easily goes to altitude and takes fun airborne footage.
I adjusted the elevator servo one notch so that it has more up travel than down. This REALLY helps landing the Cub as you have more up elevator as you come in and during the rollout.
I used the ACT crash protection once, and it stopped my prop on take off and the plane crashed, I never turned it on again...
I think I have learned how to fly the Cub quite well now, being able to fly it inverted and buzz through the goal posts of the local (empty) soccer field. I now want something that has more power for better climb performance and ailerons. I'm looking at the T-28 Trojan form the same company.

If you are thinking about getting into R/C airplanes, you really can't beat this Cub. It takes a lot of abuse, is easy to fly and very affordable.

Comment: Would not suggest buying this plane. It crashed on our first flight and broke in the front. Hard to maneuver. Expected more for $180.

Comment: I jumped into the world of RC because I was got one of the IR helecoptors you see flying around booths at malls. After having so much fun with that, I decided I wanted to leap to airplanes. I ordered this on Thursday, and it was here by Saturday and was extremely cheap for Saturday delivery. Love the shipping deals amazon gets with fedex/ups.

This plane is fantastic. Battery technology has come a long way due to the high demand of modern cell phones, and it's great that fun hobbies like this get to take advantage of the new technology. It gets a solid 20minutes flying, if you are throttling 50%... it flies so far away, and you still have control (2500ft), so you don't have to worry about it going out of range, because once it is a speck, you should probably turn it around anyway because you start to lose sight of what it's doing past 1500ft.

So far I have 'crashed' it twice. Both impacts were to the wings--1 on the left, and 1 on the right. Because of the great wing design with the rubberbands, it lets it 'give.' I wasn't going full throttle, because both instances, i saw the impact coming, so i stopped the propeller and hoped for the best. I was pleased to see there was zero damage done. I would say the worst place to crash this bad boy is straight into the prop, because that seems the most fragile.

A few gripes:
The battery compartment is damn small. Gotta really squeeze to make it fit. I just push it in far enough to close the door, and call it good. Small gripe. Also, I want to upgrade from a 1300mAh battery to a 2100mAh, but the compartment is too small. So I am going to have to cut battery compartment into the foam to make it a little larger.
I haven't gotten a perfect landing yet! It's definitely the hardest part of flying, but this thing keeps nose diving when the wheels touch the grass. I haven't tried landing on cement yet, that should be much better. No damage done, but it just looks lame when every landing pushes it's nose to the ground. Needs bigger tires or something for grass landings.

All in all, this plane fricken rocks. My dad, roomate, grandpa, girlfriends dad-all want to buy one now. For under $200, you can jump into a really exciting hobby. I am no expert, but I imagine 5 years ago to get 20 minutes of fly time, with a 47" wingspan airplane that has a range of 2500ft--what you get in this package--would cost well over $500. Technology is a great thing.

Comment: I bought the Super Cub LP not knowing a thing about how to fly it. This puppy is RTF, ready to fly, and some minor assembly is needed. After an hour you are ready to fly. The time includes reading the instruction book. There is only a DVD offering flying tips.

I forgot to set the ACT (automatic crash control) to 'on'. Took off on the ground with the elevators in neutral position (flat). The plane rolled on the ground 10 ft then did a nose drive. This was on dry grass in a scoccer field. Second attempt I gave a little up elevator on takeoff and it went 15 ft and was airborne. What a kick. It flew for a couple of minutes. I was doing a right turn and it headed straight for the ground, like fell out of the sky. Cracked the firewall where the motor attaches.

Called the factory and they said use medium CA glue with a kicker to dry it quicker. Repaired the plane and ran the motor for several minutes in a static position holding it. Seems OK so away I go again to try it. Bought a new firewall and cowl (the original cracked in the crash) but repaired the existing firefall as i did not want to remove the firewall and possible tearout some foam.

With no experience and no assistance from an expert flyer the plane seemed very stable and easy to fly. I think i stalled the plane in the turn but do not remember exactly what i did. Obviously the wrong thing.

So far i would recommend this plane as a trainer which is its purpose in life. It is well built. My only quibble is that there is a button on the top of the transmitter controller and the instruction book makes no mention what it is for. There are no aileron controls so that is one less thing you have to fiddle with. The only tricks you can do are loops as you only have elevator and rudder controls, along with throttle speed. So you can see why it is a trainer.

The battery compartment is really tight and you have to be creative to get the battery inside the compartment. I think they could have done a better job of designing the battery compartment for easy insertion of the battery. I also bought a spare battery that was on sale as you get about 10-15 minutes of flight time with each battery charge. So you will want at least one spare battery.

This plane has received good reviews from other RC plane forums. The ACT control I have yet to try and will reserve judgement. For now I would recommend turning it on if you have little or no experience flying an RC plane and not do what I did and crash the plane on my first flight. Some people recommend leaving it off, some people do not like ACT. I will have to see for myself and see if it does make for a safer more stable flying experience.

Comment: This is the plane I learned to fly with, as have many people apparently. I bought the original Super Cub (the same model as this, except not the LP version) and then I had the mini-super cub, and now this. The LP version has more power, but otherwise is exactly the same as the original. The mini is identical but a smaller scale. I would recommend the mini to start. It does not have the power of this plane, but it is lighter, and therefore crashes tend to be less destructive. But the trade off is that the mini tends to be buffeted by winds more easily, so you really need to have a calm day to fly. Once you've practiced then this is a great next step. Bigger and faster, it can handle a little wind, and is great for practicing takeoff and landing. It's a very forgiving plane once you can handle the basic control of the plane. With both planes, while you're learning, don't forget to give yourself plenty of altitude so you can recover from any false steps. Also, when you do crash (and you will) this plane is incredibly easy to repair and make fly again. I have broken the nose section off of every one I've owned, and glued it back and flown. My LP has had the tail section snapped off, and it to glues back on and works fine. Get a hot glue gun and some clear packing tape (great for repairing wings) and you can fix an amazing number of problems.

The down side of this plane? It's not particularly acrobatic, but that's why it's a great trainer. Likes to fly flat and straight. And then there's the automatic crash protection. Turn it off. It does not save you, and sometimes seems to take over when you don't need it. Look at the many remote control airplane forums on line, there are several, and you will see a pretty consistent message that this is not something you want to use.

Buy it, it's fun. Trees will try to grab you and the ground will jump up at you, but soon you'll master the simple controls and be on your way. Enjoy.