Flying the J-3 Cub is a pleasure. Takeoffs are easy as well as
landings. Loops and rolls are as easy as pushing the control
stick in the desired direction with the control throws listed in
the manual. Flight times of 17 minutes with the recommended
Li-Po battery are common with landing gear, and 15 minutes
when equipped with floats. Using the Ni-MH battery option
will provide shorter flight times of 9 minutes but at a very
reduced battery cost. Float flying with the Ni-MH pack
should be limited to areas where there are no obstructions
around the lake. Climb out performance is increased with
the Li-Po power system over the Ni-MH power system.
When flying from floats there are a few flight parameters
to be aware of. Because of the inertia generated below
the centerline, the aircraft can depart during certain
harsh maneuvers. Whenever the aircraft is put into a
very steep bank angle (70–80 degrees) and you pull
hard on the elevator, the aircraft will snap to the left. If
you are in a right-hand turn it will snap out of the turn
and to the left. If you are in a left-hand turn, it will tuck
even tighter into the turn. During taxiing on floats, it is
recommended to hold full up elevator to minimize the
amount of splash from the floats. During takeoff, hold
half up elevator as you accelerate to minimize the splash
and to keep the floats from digging into the water. We
recommend low rate rudder for takeoff when using floats.
Flying Notes
49
