PHOTOS BY AUTHOR PRODUCTS IN USE The SIG “KADET” TRAINER, by JERRY DUNLAP © | would suspect that one of the most asked questions about radio controlled ‘modeling is, “How do | get started?” It matters little what facet of the hobby interests an individual; getting started is something shared by everyone at one time. In the area of radio controlled model aircraft, there are numerous airplanes available to serve as the entry vehicles into the hobby. During the past three years have had the opportunity to build and fly a number of airplanes known as “trainer” designs. Sig Manu- facturing Co. recently provided me with the opportunity to build and fly thelr basic trainer, the Kadet. The name Sig has long been associated with excel- lence in the model aircraft hobby. Sis has been a leader in all phases of model aircraft from control line, free flight,and Fuselage features straightforward box construction technicue. it lacks in beauty is mare than made up for in strength. radio control. Their Kadet reflects the excellence we have come to expect from Sig. The Kadet was designed by Claude McCullough, nationally known designer and builder of scale model aircraft and Product Engineer at Sig. Retailing for $39.95, the Kadet has a length of 42 inches, wing span of 57 inches, and a flying weight of approximately 4pounds. The Kacet is intended to be flown as a three or four channel model. There are some model fliers who contend that a beginner might just as well start with an aileron-controlled model, because that is what most people end up flying when they really get into R/C flying. However, the folks at ig feel that unless abeginner has an instructor willing to devote a great deal of time teaching the student to fly an aileron-controlled plane, the beginner is better off with a rudder- controlled model. A flat bottom wi cabin type model, like the Kadet, wil allow the beginner more time to get out Of tight spots caused by inexperience. The kit has evolved over the last few years as improvements have been made to the model and the building instruc tions. The kit comes with a very com- plete set of hardware as well as full-size plans and one of the finest building and fying instructions booklets | have seen. This 20-page booklet deserves more than just a quick mention. It has been especially prepared to facilitate the building of the model by a beginner Those of us who have been building models for a number of years often don't really appreciate the problems of the beginner confronting a box full of balsa, plywood, plastic, and metal parts. Having done considerable work in writing building instructions for the building of model boats, | can greatly appreciate the time and effort that went into the building and flying instructions booklet. The numerous photos and drawings are of the highest qualit most informative. From materials to instructions, | found the Kadet to be excellent. ‘As | understand it, more people have learned to fly radio control using a Falcon 56 than any other model. ever,a goal of Glen Sigafoose, president of Sig Manufacturing, is to have the Kadet begin to make inroads on the envious distinction. It would appear that this is beginning to accur. During correspondence, Glen mentioned that some hobby stores have sold over two hundred Kadets and that they have received a. great deal of praise from those who have built the model. n fact, some customers like the model so well that they have built three or four Kadets That sort of information speaks very well for the model. From my experience with the Kadet, | would certainly have to agree with those who have become Kadet enthusiasts BUILDING THE FUSELAGE The fuselage features a reinforced box construction building technicue. The fuselage sides, top, and bottom must be cut from the printed balsa sheeting. The The Kadet features a molded plastic cow.‘The tal surfaces glued to the fuselage. Note epoxy and stab; improves looks and adds strength. fuselage sides have all the necessary gluing areas shown on them. The inter- nal construction techniques employed in the Kadet insure a very strong fuse- lage. (I ater had the unfortunate oppor- tunity to find out just how strong the fuselage was.) Fuselage construction is very straightforward and only one area presented a little extra attention. This area was the top nose sheeting. The balsa sheeting that goes over this rounded area must be soaked in water to make it sufficiently pliable to make the Kenn Rolin (left), the author, and the Kadet before its unfortunate first fight. 3 aeatess Jerry Dunlap took this series of fly-by ahotos after the model hed been repaired following its first-flight crash (see text). Kenn Rolin did the flying for these shots. The Kadet ‘between fin The The horizontal stab is built up from sticks, then sheeted on both sides. Rest of tail surfaces are solid sheot balsa. fon the market. Note silicone rubber gasket on wing saddle. bend without splitting. This is men- tioned in the building instructions. For some reason, | decided to affix the nose sheeting without soaking the balsa. | should have followed the directions The wood split and | ended up subst tuting 1/32 ply because I didn’t have an extra piece of the 3/32 balsa. Other than that phase of the construction of the fuselage, everything went verysmoothly. The tail parts feature two methods of construction. The vertical fin, rudder, and elevator are cut from 1/4-inch balsa The horizontal stabilizer, however, is constructed using a built-up technique. A framework of 1/8x1/4 inch balsa stringers is assembled over the plans, then 1/16 balsa sheeting is applied over the framework. | assume this built-up stabilizer is lighter than a solid stab and done to save weight. Itis recommended that you cover the rudder and elevator with whatever type of finishing material you elect to use prior to hingingthem to the vertical fin and stab. The front nose cowling is pre-formed from plastic. It is necessary to open up the top of the cowling to accommodate the engine and muffler. The front end must also be opened up allow the propeller to be attached to the engine. Ast states in the instructions, remove the excess plastic a very stable fl material slowly. Once the cowling mate- rial is trimmed away, there’s no way to put it back, Clear plastic acetate is provided for the windshield. This really adds to the appearance of the Kadet and helps give the model a. somewhat scale-like ap- pearance with its cabin. | used silicone glue to affix the windscreen to the model, and it worked very well. The windshield is affixed after the model is covered. Installation of the engine is covered quite well in the plans and instructions, The aluminum engine mounts supplied with the kit provide a more than ade- juate method of attaching the engine to the firewall. However, | made a very serious mistake during the installation of the engine that just about proved disas- trous. Forsome reason, I decided to use sheet metal screws rather than the 4-40 self-tapping screws supplied in the kit. The sheet metal screws appeared to hold the engine solidly in the mount. They did, that, until the engine had run for awhile, and then vibration caused them to loosen. You'll learn later in this review the resuit of my not following the instructions. Unless you're really sure about substitutions or changes you FEBRUARY 1980ALWAYS AVAILABLE AT YOUR HOBBY DEALER “HOT, STUFF” FOR THE MODELER WHO MUST HAVE: @ MAXIMUM STRENGTH (DEEP PENETRATION) @ LIGHTEST WEIGHT VERSATILITY UNCOMPROMISING QUALITY INSTANTLY TIP BOOKLETS FREE AT S swuF OR YOUR HOBBY DEALER Kadet .. make on a model, it’s better to follow the instructions. BUILDING THE WING The wing of the Kadet uses a flat bottom, Clark-¥ type of airfoil Since all the wing ribs are the same shape, the construction of this part of the model isn’t too demanding. The wing is built in two sections over the plans. Construc- tion of the wing begins with the pin- ring of the bottom. planking to the flat building surface. The main spar and rear spar and doublers are then affixed to the planking. The bottom cap strips are placed down and the ribs on top of them. The wing is completed by adding the leading edge, top spar, leading and trailing edge top planking, and the sheeting of the inner and outer sections. The wing halves are joined with epoxy, and front and rear dihedral braces of 1/8 plywood are used to strengthen the Wing joint. A rather nice feature of the Kadet is the use of plastic wing tips. These plastic parts give a beautifully shaped and very durable wing tip. COVERING THE KADET To cover the Kadet, | used Permagloss Coverite. | was discussing model cover- ings with my local hobby dealer prior to purchasing material to cover the model. | asked him which of the two popular plastic coverings he preferred, and his reply was, “Neither, luse Petmagloss for most of my models.” I figured if he felt that highly about the product, loughtto give it a try myself. Permagloss is a fabric rather than a plastic, but it is applied like other heat shrink coverings, FEBRUARY 1980 The biggest difference in applying Permagioss is the extremely high tem perature required to cause the material to adhere to the surfaces being covered The directions supplied with the cover- ing do an excellent job of explaining the application techniques needed for Permagloss. There are two rather nice features about this product. First, it is extremely strong and durable. The other interesting feature is that it can be painted with any of the popular model paints. The finish is matt, rather than shining like the plastic coverings. It was my first experience with Permagloss and | was very satisfied with the end results After what happened the first time we flew the Kadet, | was especially glad that Uhad selected one of the strongest covering materials we have available to INSTALLING THE RADIO Telected to install my Pro Line Chal- lenger 5-channel radio in the Kadet, even though | was only using rudder, le er eon com where ‘ever possible, like to use servo trays for ‘mounting the servos. There is more than adequate room in the Kadet for instal- ing any of the popular radio systems. Installation of the three primary control functions is easily accomplished. The instructions, diagrams, and photos in the building manual are excellent and | SEND SELF ADDRESSED STAMPED ENVELOPE TO: Satellite City P.O. Box 836 Simi, CA 93065 (805) 522-0062 SOARERS Fifty 3-views of the world’s. ‘most popular sailplanes, with basic data and manufacturer's names and addresses. $14.95, postage $1.50 GRAHAM THOMSON LTD think a beginner would have little difficulty in following them. There was only one thing that | though might have been mentioned in the instructions concerning hooking up the steerable nose wheel and throttle control. It is advisable to secure the flexible plastic tubing that thecontrolwires run through to the side of the fuselage in the radio MOVING TO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA? MAKE SURE YOU GET A HOME WITH A MODEL WORKSHOP ! ! FOR ALL YOUR REAL ESTATE NEEDS, CONTACT. ANITA NORTHROP SPECIALISTS IN ALL PHASES OF REAL ESTATE. Centuy, CROCKER REAL ESTATE = mdi. We're Here For You. - Each office is independently owned and operated. Office at: 621 West 19th St. Costa Mesa, Ca.The OCTURA CONNECTION!-the FLEXHEX FLEXIBLE SHAFT COUPLER ‘ASSEMBLED sags only A! ar Cinclucing one colt) Additonal Colets: $1.25 oa 1 aa Facts Cig tee oi rant ind adr a 5 Since i eae ety stat ay een nee ee Seater ie ime eo Ws ing py el Sanco er.oneo ‘Send 50e for catalog and zee lst (0: compartment. This will prevent the tubing from flexing when the control arm moves. A scrap of wood can be used to secure the tubing to the inside of the fuselage. The wooden braces used to secure the tubing for the throttle con- trol and nose wheel are shown in the photo on page 18 of the manual. Control Surfaces should move easily without binding. It is recommended that rudder and elevator deflection be set ata moderate amount, since the rudder and elevator surfaces are fairly substantial. It really doesn’t take much movement of the control surfaces to change thé direction of the model FLYING THE KADET Ihave alluded to a problem en- PLAINFIELD, ILLINOIS 60544 TH STOGK FOR IMMEDIATE SHIPMENT QUADRAS § #0 QUADRA REPAIR - $10.00 plus parts, dim Messer’s ERCOUPE KIT "$195.99" Concept’: BIG FLEET KIT - $178.95" Barkiey’s TIGER MOTH KIT ~$249.95* ludes FREE OuBro wheels JASCALE PLANS (for Quadra) ERCOUPE, SKYBOLT $20.00 ¢0, STEARMAN -$24.95 0a. ZINGER & TOP FLITE PROPS - 10% off RBGRBT Rit Yorrercoupe"'s15,00, ‘Stearman $18.00, for Fleet "$18.00 RADIAL ENGINES - $35.00. 2t-Hour Service. . . Add $2.00 postage. ‘Send Bank Check or Money Order to: JIM MESSER’S QUALITY MODEL PRODUCTS. 106 Valley View Dr., Allegany, NY 14706 countered during the initial flight of the Kadet earlier in this review, so | guess now isthe time to reveal what happened. The Kadet crashed ten minutes into the first flight. That | was able to fix the damage and successfully fly the model a week later speaks very highly of just how strong the model is structurally and also how strong Permagloss Coverite is as a covering. Up until the Kadet nosed over and came in from over 150 feet, the first flight had gone beautifully. The Fox .36 and muffler were sufficiently heavy to bring the plane into proper balance without any need for weight n the nose. Prior to the takeoff, | ran up and down the runway a number of times and ground handling characteristics were excellent. After completing the taxi ‘maneuvers, | pointed the Kadet into the wind, cracked open the throttle and off she went. The rollout was straight with no need for rudder correction. After it gained what | felt was flying speed, | eased the elevator up and it was air- borne without any strain. The 36 size engine is more than enough power for this model. I circled to gain some altitude and made a couple of small Corrections with the elevator and rudder trims, The Kadet was going along just great, 50 after about ten minutes | gave the transmitter to my friend Kenn Rolin and ran back to the car for my camera. | had just bent over to pick up my camera when I heard a “krump.” | looked over at kenn and he had a most puzzled look on his face. He was muttering, “I lostit, lost itv” That walk over to survey the damage has to be an R/C flier’s most sorrowful journey. We found the Kadet upside down with the wing separated from the fuse- lage. Luckily, | had elected to use rubber bands, and the wing had popped off when ‘the plane impacted. The plane dug a four-inch hole in the ground where it hit. The firewall was fractured and the aluminum motor mounts were slightly bent, The front radio compart- ment bulkhead was broken in half. Other than that, the fuselage was intact and all the damage was confined to the nose section. There were some breaks in the leading edge of the wing under the covering. There were no tearsanywhere in the covering. Someone said that when you really crash a Permagloss covered model you have a sick full of crumpled balsa wood. After what happened to the Kadet, | believe it ‘What had caused the plane to crash? | had just had the radio checked, and it had quit. But when we tried the radio right after the crash it worked fine When we began checking the mode ‘over, it was discovered that the engine was loose on the engine mount. The loose engine apparently set up a vibra- tion that caused massive radio inter- ference. | almost destroyed a model because | had become careless! That problem was easily corrected by drilling out the mounts and installing 6-32 bolts and locking nuts. It took a little more work to fix the damaged firewall and cracks in the wing. Sig quickly sent me another front cowling and windshield ‘material. When | think of how bad it could have been, the couple of hours it took to repair the damage were nothing compared to building a new model The next weekend found us back out at the flying field with the damages repaired and much wiser. Well, at least a little wiser. This time things went the way they are supposed to go and we were able to get flying pictures to complete the review. After my experiences with the Kadet, !can certainly testify thatitis a very durable model. It is also an excel- lent flying model with docile handling characteristics. | believe the Kadet is an excellent beginning model ProROD NYROD Su-Pr-ROD MASTEROD Se Proovers > The Leader in ADVANCED Push-Rod Systems