Great Planes Piper J-3 Cub 40 Kit - GPMA0160 - Manual (Page 46)

We recommend that you take it easy with your J-3 CUB for the
first several flights and gradually “get acquainted” with its flying
characteristics as your engine gets fully broken-in. Work on
trimming the airplane for straight and level flight with the
transmitter trims at neutral, adjusting the nylon clevises after
each flight, as necessary. Also, take note of the responsiveness
of the elevator, ailerons and rudder, and adjust their throws to
your preference. Add and practice one maneuver at a time,
learning how it behaves in each one. You may notice some
“sluggishness” in the way your J-3 Cub handles at low speeds
with the regular wing. This is normal and should be taken into
consideration when flying “low and slow”. Your Cub is capable
of performing an impressive array of maneuvers. However, you
can expect some roll coupling with rudder when attempting
knife edge maneuvers. Full-throttle snap rolls are not
recommended, due to the extremely high stresses they place
on the structure.
Because the J-3 Cub has a light wing loading and a high lift
airfoil, it really floats when the throttle is reduced. You will
usually find it hard to get the plane down on the ground
without pulling the throttle to a very slow idle. A little practice
is all it takes to make 1 or 3-point landings look easy.
CAUTION
(THIS APPLIES TO ALL R/C AIRPLANES)
If, while flying, you notice any unusual sounds, such as a
low-pitched “buzz”, this may be an indication of control
surface “flutter”. Because flutter can quickly destroy
components of your airplane, any time you detect flutter
you must immediately cut the throttle and land the
airplane! Check all servo grommets for deterioration (this
will indicate which surface fluttered), and make sure all
pushrod linkages are slop-free. If it fluttered once, it will
probably flutter again under similar circumstances unless
you can eliminate the slop or flexing in the linkages. Here
are some things which can result in flutter: excessive
hinge gap; not mounting control horns solidly; sloppy fit of
clevis pin in horn; elasticity present in flexible plastic
pushrods; side-play of pushrod in guide tube caused by
tight bends; sloppy fit of L-bend in servo arm; insufficient
glue used when gluing in the elevator joiner wire or
aileron torque rod; excessive flexing of aileron, caused by
using too soft balsa aileron; excessive “play” or “backlash”
in servo gears; and insecure servo mounting.
Landing
Flying
46
Have a ball!
But always stay in control and fly in a safe manner.
GOOD LUCK AND GREAT FLYING!