AMA Plans Service Showcase J-# Cub - 2012/05

www.ModelAviation.com May 2012 Model Aviation 123
Greg Gimlick
[email protected]
To order the featured plan, see page 151,
AMeAl PeLcAtNSric sservice SHO WCASE or visit www.modelaircraft.org/plans.aspx
Fred Reese only needed a little
push to build the Piper J-3 Cub
floatplane. Wanting to construct
one for many years, he took the plunge
after seeing George Wilson’s Model
Builder article about floats for the
Sig Piper J-3 Cub. George’s floats,
however, were scaled down and would
not keep Fred’s model afloat. He
successfully rebuilt them with strips of
Styrofoam.
The J-3 Cub featured a 44-inch
wingspan, with 280 square inches of
wing area. Weight was important with
this model; Fred felt that 33 ounces
with floats was the maximum weight.
The four-channel radio setup with a 225
mAh battery pack weighed 11 ounces.
The J-3 Cub is as striking
on floats as it is on wheels
floats were built with 1/4- x 2-inch balsa
tops and 1/16 balsa bulkheads, sides, and
bottoms. They were covered with K&B
fiberglass cloth and resin, and primed
and painted with silver. Fred made a
working, steerable float rudder, but did
not use it because it picked up
weeds and algae during takeoff.
Fred recommended
waterproofing the radio if flying
from water. He noted that
the Cub flew fast and control
response was good. “There is
always something special about
a Piper Cub, no matter how
large or small it is,” he said.
This model was featured in a
construction article in the April
1983 MA. AMA members
can access the
magazine’s digital
archives on MA’s
website to read more
about it.
The Piper J-3
Cub floatplane
is AMA Plans
Service listing 403,
available for $19,
plus shipping and
handling. See page
151 or go to www.
modelaircraft.org/
plans.aspx
for ordering
information.
Constructed from balsa,
the model was covered
in yellow MonoKote
or EconoKote with
matching trim over
the window areas and
edges of the covering. Black
MonoKote was used to trim the side
stripe and numbers. The Cub logo on
the rudder was hand painted, using
Pactra ’Namel for plastic models.
Converting from rubber wheels to
floats takes a matter of minutes. The