Hempel 50% Cub or Pilot Decathlon

[pepatrick]

I have seen the cub fly in person. I have only seen the Decathlon videos. Im pretty much done for 2009, but planning something fun to have for 2010. This plane will be powered by a new DA-170 that is sitting around collecting dust and looks to collect a little more before it finds a new home. So..The 50% clipped wing club looks really cool, but the Pilot RC Decathlon might even be cooler. It looks like it might take a couple of less servos as well, which means a much more simple setup. If given the chance...which would you buy.

[N726AC]

Symmetrical airfoil for the SuperD verses a flat bottom Cub.

[jtec/radiowave]

We' have the 50% cub. Its only limits are the pilot!! jason Shulman flew ours at Nall and did one of the best slow rolls I have ever seen from the top of the hill down to the tower. And thats with the plane not even trimmed out. Its a blast!! its big

Sorry we can not comment on the Decathlon as we do not have any experience with it and it would not be fair to comment on something we do not have experience with

Al

[pepatrick]

Its going to be a tough choice. I am sure both planes would be fun. Hopefully I will be able to see the Decathlon fly before I make a decision.

[BillJ]

What happened to the Decathlon showing up at JN ??

[toc pilot]

The Clipped wing Cub has a clark Y airfoil which is not completley flat bottomed. Also something to concider is that the video you saw of the Decathlon is not the airplane you will get. TBM changed manufacturers for the 'new' Decathlon so I do not know how close it will be to the one you saw fly in the video or if it will be the same /better/worse quality.

As far as less servos required...... There are examples of the 50% Cub flying with only (2) servos per aileron and (1) per elevator. The newer servos available on the market today now have enough power to control the surface with this minimum requirement. Only using (1) servo per elevator makes the control surface have a lot of "play" due to gear slop and with (2) servos you will have a bit more positive "feel" plus the redundancy. I still recomend using (2) per elevator half.


Bill Hempel

[pepatrick]

Thanks for the input Bill. The cub is really cool and I have seen it fly. I still have several months before I pull the plug on one...but the cub definately has a good history. Any other tips would be appreciated.

[smokin]

Pepatrick....

we are obviously a little bit biased here due to LOVING THE STUFFING out of our 40cent Hempel Cubby.... but here's how i see it....

i like "tried and true". the hempel cubs are in several hangars and i haven't found anyone that has been disappointed yet!!! and i can say with absolutely zero uncertainty that Bill Hempel's service is even better than his product! and we all know the product is awesome!

the cubby is limited only by pilot's ability and the construction is as good as any arf i have ever dealt with. it is strong and it will accomodate several different power plants and servo combinations.

both planes will be good ones i'm sure therefore service and support should make a big difference. i am not trying to say that the decathalon will not be supported well as i haven't any personal experience with them... i AM saying though, that mr hempel has been nothing short of superb in the support department for my dad and i with our 40center. Bill handled all of our questions with timely emails and phone calls and even sent messages to us asking how the cub was coming along. he spent a little while with us at the nall and made us feel as if we were long time "team hempel" folks!

cudos to BH for the product and the way he supports it!!! get the cubby!

[cbk07]

I too am a little biased as I have a 40% Hempel Cub and absolutely LOVE it. My favorite airplane right now. As Smokin said, even if the Cub did not fly as well as it does, I would still recommend it as BH's customer service is guaranteed to blow away TB's. Bill treats you like a flying buddy, not just another customer. I have had two of his planes now and am still blown away by the customer service I get. My recommendation is the Cub....no contest!!

Craig

[smokin]

well said craig!

[reyn3545]

OK... so you started this thread on the 25th (3 days ago) and said "I'm pretty much done for 2009...."

So, come clean for your FG brethren.... when did you buy the next plane?

Oh, and my vote is for the Hempel Cub. I've never seen either one, but it's America.. I get a vote (or two), right? I just want be anywhere near your subdivision when you try to sneak the cub boxes into the garage! You did a great job of cleaning out the hangar this spring. I guess that always leads to filling it back up.

I know you won't let 2 servos be the deciding factor on the plane, good luck on this venture... I bet it's in the air before September! (and I bet it's yellow).

[Hector]

I personally like the lines and overall design of the Decathlon, for me it just look better than a Cub. It looks more modern. The Citabria and Decathlon have better lines (for me).

Now that said, I guess is up to personal taste. I doubt that an airplane of that size will have bad characteristics. Both companies got good reputation and good customer service (Bill & TBM). I never like the threads were people ask what plane they should buy. It's OK to ask about results or flight reports, but you as the buyer have to know what you want in your hangar. Why buy something that somebody else like just because they tell you it flies great. I'm a true believer that you spend your money on the things you like, then work your ass off to try to make it fly as good as possible.

My 2 cents. So in summary buy what you really like, then trim it out the way you like, so it suits your kind of flying.

Respectfully,

Hector