J-3 Cub (oz7299)

 

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User comments

Would an MDS 40 ABC Be a suitable engine? 0.58Kw.
Jack - 19/04/2022
No... a .40 would be marginal at best. This one is too big and heavy for that size engine. Proceed at your own peril.
RC Yeager - 19/04/2022
I have an MDS 40. While beautifully made by former Russian defense workers, mine, and many others had problems. Mine ran well in cool weather but got real touchy once it warmed up, likely to just quit running with no warning. Some were better than others. That's why MDS stands for Mostly Dead Stick. I recently replaced my MDS 68 with an electric motor on my Ugly Duck, no mo problems.
Doug Smith - 20/04/2022
It also depends on the elevation of the place you intend to fly the model. A .40 is not only marginal, I think it wouldn't even tax the model!! At least a .91 if you are at sea level or up to about 1.500 meters above sea level. If your site is higher, you must increase power.
EDUARDO
Eduardo - 20/04/2022
Would an MDS 78 or Veco 61 be better? The MDS would be more powerful but would it be unreliable?
Jack - 20/04/2022
Jack, the Cub is a big model, and so it needs a big engine. I have an MDS 68, which has been a good engine, although it's developed a taste for glow plugs, its favorite is an Enya 3, probably no longer available. I've never seen an MDS 78, likely just a bored out 68. I also have a Veco/K&B 61, one of the all time great motors. But it's also too small for the Cub as is the MDS. If it were mine, I would go for one of the Weedeater type gas burners, such as the DLE 20. That stands for 20cc, small for gas burners but a good running engine. You will also need the weight of a heavy engine to balance properly. Do your best to keep the tail light, even with the DLE. It may be wise to just build a smaller Cub and leave the Nosen project for later. A 70" Cub would fly with a 40. I still wouldn't use the MDS, too much frustration. Remember, contrary to popular opinion, Cubs are not easy to fly.
doug smith - 21/04/2022
Interesting to read the various comments here. All I can add is that I had a friend whose dad built at least two of the Nosen kits, the J-3 Cub and the Aeronca Champ, built them per the plans (no added scale details), covered them in Monokote and they both flew beautifully with K&B 61s. They were both probably between 10-11 pounds.
Phil Bernhardt - 24/04/2022
The Bud Nosen J-3 was designed for using .61 engines. At the time, there weren't much choices bigger than 10cc engines. Doesn't mean you couldn't fit something a bit larger today, including a small gasser or 4 stroke glow, and fly at 60-75% stick plus have spare pawer for emergencies. But going back to the "initial" inquiry about using an MDS .40... it is one thing to use a .61, but a .40 on this one will not do the job adequately, and even if it manages to get airborne, at some point, the inevitable will happen. As mentioned in another comment, the J-3 is not easy to fly properly. It might have the look of a trainer, with its high wing/cabin looks, but it is not.
RC Yeager - 25/04/2022
When this plane came out the largest glow engines regularly available were the Fox .78 and O.S. .80, at the field I flew at there was an Aeronca Champ with Fox Eagle .60 and a Gere Sport with a Roper (can't remember displacement). The Champ flew well and the Gere was doing good until aileron flutter broke them loose and the plane crashed covering the surrounding tumble weeds with many square feet of Monokote. A .61 with a reduction drive like the Maximiser would work, you would have to hunt for one since I doubt Du-bro still makes them.
Douglas Babb - 25/04/2022
I rescued a Bud Nosen 1/4 Cub from a date with a bonfire at a yard sale last summer. It had been in a barn for at least 25 years [pics 004-007]. It had never flown in that time and had a Quadra 35 on it, original 1980’s tower hobbies radio and petrified mice family. Since there were only 3 kits available back then we were able to figure out it wasn’t a Sig or Balsa USA kit by the bellcrank aileron system using a single servo in the center of the cabin. It suffered damage to the left fuselage side as a result of a poorly adjusted wing strut which will need repair and strengthening. After repairing the cabin top I plan on adding a wing tube in addition to the struts. The plane needs a full strip down restoration and will likely be a multi year project, but I couldn’t let it go up in smoke.
Jonathan Blake - 18/04/2023
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