Piper J-3 Cub

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#Piper J-3 Cub Flying against all common sense during the American Great Depression (1929-1939), two brothers decided to start an aircraft company. Acting as partners, C. Gilbert (Gilbert) and Gordon Taylor launched the Taylor Brothers Aircraft Company in Rochester, New York and attempted to create a light airplane for the private pilot market. Shortly after bringing their first product to market, the Chummy monoplane, Gordon Taylor was killed in an airplane crash. Undeterred by the loss of his brother, Gilbert moved the company to Bradford, Pennsylvania. Remarkably, he was able to convince the Bradford Board of Commerce to pony up $50,000 for the expansion of his newly renamed Taylor Company. Taylor Company would continue to produce the Chummy monoplane which Gordon had jointly designed with his late brother. Unfortunately, costs for the Chummy skyrocketed and with a retail price of $3,985 (that is the depression era price when the U.S. unemployment rate was over 20%) only five aircraft were manufactured and Taylor Company went bankrupt. One member of the Bradford Board of Commerce saw a silver lining in this dark cloud of financial dispair. He was William T. Piper and he had a vision of aviation, but he didn't like the high cost of the Chummy. So he funded the development of a new airplane, the E-2. Powered by an underwhelming Brownbach Tiger Kitten engine, the E-2 flew, well, like an, err, cub and not like a Tiger. While a legendary name had been born, the E-2 was not going to be the aircraft best known for wearing that time-honored moniker. In 1930, the Tiger Kitten engine was replaced with a Continental A-40 and Piper was able to sell over 300 of the souped up Taylor E-2. Curiously, Piper still didn't like the Taylor E-2 and citing poor performance and an ill-conceived open-air cockpit as design faults, he hired a new engineer named Walter Jamouneau. Jamouneau's light airplane design featured an enclosed cabin fuselage with rounded wing tips and a streamlined empennage. This aircraft was named the Taylor J-2. But Gilbert Taylor did not like Jamouneau's J-2 design, so he sold his share of the company to Piper in 1935 and began Taylorcraft Airplane Company in Ohio. In 1937, following a factory fire, Piper moved the old Taylor Company to Lock Haven, Pennsylvania and changed the company's name to Piper Aircraft Company. Subsequently, the Taylor J-2 was renamed the Piper J-2 Cub (there is some historical confusion as to whether the Taylor E-2/J-2 airplanes were also known as "Cubs," but it is generally accepted that the Taylor E-2 and J-2 were both known as Cubs, as well as the later Piper designs). While over 200 models of the latest Cub had been sold, Jamouneau was not satisfied and he modernized the J-2 with numerous cabin upgrades, along with a better engine and structural improvements and the new Piper J-3 Cub was released at the end of 1937. Selling for $1,300, this final Cub also sported the now familiar Piper Cub yellow with black trim paint scheme. Piper ended the production of the J-3 in 1947. In total, 19,888 J-3 Cubs had been built. Despite these production numbers, a Piper J-3 is highly sought after by antique airplane buyers and sale prices can reach $40,000 - $70,000 on today's used aircraft market. ##The Model First of all, please pardon our purple. A tardy filament order forced us to use transparent purple for the prototype testing and mockup of our Piper J-3 Cub model. Likewise, a faulty airbrush prevented us from overpainting the unsightly purple with a more official Piper Cub yellow. This model of the Piper J-3 Cub is roughly a 1/42nd scale replica with a 20-inch wingspan. There is an experimental provision for attempting to fly this model with either rubber, electric, or glow fuel engine power. None of these powered versions have been tested, however. Before any attempt is made at flying this model, please refer to the accompanying PDF for finding the flying model's center of gravity. This model was designed for enabling any 3D printer with a 6- x 6-inch bed to print all of the parts. If your printer's bed dimensions are 6- x 6-inch, some of the parts might need to be diagonally oriented inside your slicing program (e.g., Cura), prior to printing. ###Tools of the Trade Before you begin the assembly of this model, there are several tools that you will need: * Testors Cement for Plastic Models (No. 3512) - the recommended model cement for making strong, powerful joints. * Tamiya Extra Thin Cement (No. 87038) - a fast-acting cement for quickly joining parts together. This cement will produce a weak joint that can be reinforced with Testors (see above). * Sharp #11 hobby knife - a standard knife for trimming and shaping plastic parts. * Tamiya Masking Tape 6mm (No. 87030) - the recommended material for holding parts together while strong cement joints set. * Tamiya Putty White (No. 87095) - used for filling unwanted gaps and seams. * Paint - brush, spray, or airbrush Piper Cub yellow on the finished model. You can order these tools from the Scale Hobbyist: http://www.scalehobbyist.com ###Fuselage You begin the construction of this model by assembling the fuselage front and backs together (2 sets). Use masking tape to hold the sides in place and apply your cement. When these joints are finished, the two tallest formers are glued into the slots on the inside of one fuselage side. Note: the tallest of these two formers goes towards the nose of the fuselage. Use the right angle from the *plaque.stl* file for aligning these formers. Each former **must** be 90-degrees to the fuselage side; join the two sides together and glue the formers in place. Now slowly bring the tale ends together, check the alignment, and glue them in place. Use your masking tape for holding the sides together until the glue sets. ###Wing The wing is a jigsaw arrangement of several pieces that all lock together; use masking tape and glue. These joints can be reinforced with spars. When using these spars avoid attaching them near the four slots in the wing surfaces. These slots are attachment points for the struts. Turn the wing upside down on your work surface and align the fuselage (also upside down) over the center part of the wing. Ensure that the wing's leading and trailing edges meet the front and back of the fuselage's cabin. Attach the struts between the slots in the wing and the slots on the fuselage underside. There are two knee brace struts (shaped like the letter 'H') in the *details.stl* file. These braces attach as props between the struts and the wing. ###Nose Use the cowling to bring the fuselage sides together at the model's nose. Additionally, add the top decking and the underside panels to the model. If you plan on building an experimental flying model, omit the cowling and all of the underside panels. Instead use the two smaller formers for bringing the nose sides together. The former with the square opening goes at the nose, while the "half" former goes in front of the cabin. For the static model version, you can finish the front of the model with the nose block and the propeller. On the flying model, however, you will need to add a separately-purchased flying propeller. ###Extras Your finished model can be accessorized with the markings found in the *decals.stl* file. The civil registration number used with this model is the same one featured on the large scale (50+" wingspan) flying model sold by Sterling Models of Philadelphia, PA (i.e., Kit FS-6) from about 1966-1973. Also, an airfoil is included in the files. This airfoil can be used for attempting to build a balsa "flying" wing for the model. Use the plastic wing and airfoil as templates for cutting shapes from balsa sheet (e.g., gently roll the wing sheet into the shape of the airfoil and glue several airfoil "ribs" under the wing for holding the shape) that can then be used for attaching to the plastic fuselage. Using this balsa wing will enhance your chances of successfully flying your model Piper J-3 Cub. ##Floats (Optional) The main landing gear wheels can be left off the model and a pair of optional floats can be fitted to the underside of the fuselage.