GaryHarris

Yea I know this plane has been built hundreds of thousands of times and this will be my fourth one. The last one I was building I never finished since I was moving, had to clear some space and gave it away. I just have a soft spot for the LT40 and was almost considering buying some sort of ARF just to get back to the field, but the LT40 kept calling me back. It's like my home plane. The one I am most comfortable with and know the best. So, Ill be ordering the kit tomorrow and be putting two other kits on the back burner for now. My goal is to have it finished by April 2013 when hopefully the winds die down here and yes, I will be bashing the kit.

Power will, and always will be a four stroke and most likely a Magnum 52. Ive had pretty good luck with Magnum 4 strokes and the cost is much less than Saito or an OS. My plan is to build this as a tail dragger with a bolt down wing. I plan on reducing the dihedral down to 3/4" and take one bay away from each wing. I also plan on slightly increasing the control surfaces by adding 1/4" tristock to the leading edges not only to increase control, but lessen the sanding required on the leading edges. The hard part is, I HATE those sticker windows that come with the kit, so I'm gonna try to beef up the structure around the cut outs where the windows will be at and this will be an engineering challenge since I plan on using a bolt down wing design. Removing the material for the windows in that area will create some weak spots and I will have to figure out how to distribute those new found loads.

Most likely I will be using some Ultracote I already have for my 4*60. The colors are lime and apple green. I will probably use some Monokote in yellow for trim using the Windex method. I like the idea of the greens combined with a hint of yellow.

And yea I know, the LT40 has been built to death many times, but I enjoy it and it's either this, or an ARF. I choose to beat the dead horse.

Live Wire

Great Kit and great plane I have built a lot of them and just finished scaleing down one to 1/2 with mods to run Nitro or Elec. Beat away The LT 40 will never die
Lary K

eddieC

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I've used ply doublers to improve load-bearing, then recessed the windows. Takes some work, but worth it.

N1EDM

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I think I have had 6 or 7 and am kitbashing one right now... just in the design phase...

Bob

soarrich

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Good beat away. I have an ARF LT40 I'm finishing up, then I'm doing the kit version in silk and dope. My last Lt40 I had 13~14 engines in, the two I liked best where the LA40 and the Saito 50.

J-3

Hi Gary,
I just bought an LT-40 kit and I plan on reducing the diheral and take out the down thrust built into the firewall position in the fuse.
I won't be able to start mine for a while, so I will definitely be following your build thread. Good luck with the build....Brian

GaryHarris

You have any pics of what you did Eddie? I want to try a "wrap around" windshield and at this point am thinking of using some sort of windshield pillar at the corners on the inside. The side windows should be fairly easy.

GaryHarris

Thanks Brian and all. I'm curious as to why you want to take out some down thrust.

I ordered my kit this morning from Graves RC in Orlando at 7:14 am CST here and Fed Ex picked it up and I have a tracking number at 3:34 pm. My order was being processed within 30 minutes and it was too late to change my shipping address via using the "My Account" function, so I e mailed them and it was taken care of immediately. Things like that keeps me coming back.

I expect to be building within 5 days.

JCOKEEFE

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[8D]That's a great post for this cold February 1st. I love building kits and have never bought an ARF. I just love building (and sport flying). I too use four strokes
and I don't envision ever using any other type of power. Keep on buying those kits!!

GaryHarris

Thanks Jerry and I hate to say this, but I am running my AC today. [8D] It was a perfect 72 degrees today but before long, it will be over a 100F with 98% humidity here and that is our building season.

I have nothing against ARFs, owned a few myself. Since I have nothing to fly right now besides a foamie, it crossed my mind. I considered a rubber banded winged plane with factory shelving paper for covering and the cheapest two stroke I could find. And I just can't do it! Nothing against those who do and I wish them luck, but it just ain't my style.

I haven't been around as long as some guys here, but I consider the LT40 the best plane I ever built and am more excited to build another one than I have been building other kits in some time. I know the plane, I trust it, and it just a sweet flyer when you can hover it in a head wind with a big propped 4 Stroke. Make it a taildragger with a bolt down wing with windows, IMO this would be the best plane design open to bashing ever created.

eddieC

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GaryHarris

I plane on using flat stock PC and will most likely be using RC-56 unless it works out that part of the structural integrity depends on using the windows as structure using thicker material like 1/8" lexan, epoxying them and sounding them with a 1/8" border of something like basswood on the edges.

GaryHarris

You ever wonder Bob, why we don't have a Kadet LT40 Brotherhood?

eddieC

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N1EDM

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Gee, Gary, I dunno...... it's possible

Do you think that we would really have enough material for something like that? It sure would be interesting to see what folks have done to experiment with it. This was the first plane that I ever converted to a tail dragger, and on another I made up some different tail feathers to make it look like a psuedo-Cub.

I'm about to take this next one and widen the fuse. I'm going to put an old OS-91 4-Stroke into it and turn it into a glider tug. I'm also going to build a custom wing with flaps and ailerons and a NASA Safe Wing just to see what it does. The wing incidence is being set back to zero and the airfoil will be a USA-35B. Maybe another few mods will also be tossed in to boot.

It's still only 'on paper' right now.


Bob

GaryHarris

I dunno either Bob. Seems like a very popular plane those Kadets. I thought about starting a brotherhood for the Sig Kadet, but I'm afraid of getting embarrassed. [&:]

Checked my tracking number about 30 times today, it should be here on Wednesday. I'm sure I'm the only one that does that.

Live Wire

Would that include the whole Kadet line Kadet's

GaryHarris

Of course!

N1EDM

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It sounds like you have some Customers. Are you going to set up a LT-40 Brotherhood thread?

Bob

Live Wire

Count me IN.
Larry K

GaryHarris

I would like to include ALL Kadet owners if that's cool.

N1EDM

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I like that idea too... A Kadet Brotherhood instead of just a LT-40 Brotherhood. Bet a lot of people go for it...

Bob

5skyhawk172

Add me to the list.  I built the original three channel version back in 1980, 1981. Still have that puppy today. Keith

N1EDM

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If anyone didn't get the word, GaryHarris has started the Kadet Brotherhood thread here:

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11394455

Drop on over to there to sign up and be assigned a "Kadet Brotherhood" number

Bob

JCOKEEFE

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[8D]Didn't need to run the AC today. Woke up this morning to a temp of 25 and about an hour later it started snowing (you've gotta love east Tennessee in Jan/Feb) and we ended up with a high temp of 35 and 1-2 inches of snow. The
good news is that the temps will be warming (not like in Texas) this coming week and the snow will be gone. Fifties, sun and good winds are ideal flying weather here at this time of the year.