Dave Swanson

Thanks for the add to the Kadet Brotherhood!

Here I am ready to maiden the Kadet in July 1980

Dave Swanson

I still have the original Kadet wing, but built a replacement fuselage many years ago.

The original engine, an OS 40 FSR ringed is still running strong! I just flew with that engine tonight. It's in an old Lou Andrews Quikray 500 and still runs great! One of the 3D pilots commented how that plane and engine "scream".

skylark-flier

WOW! Those were the days!! An original RC31 Kadet, and I like the color scheme too. Pretty cool.

Dave Swanson

Thanks! The color scheme was somewhat of an accident. I was on a tight budget and went with Econokote instead of Monokote. It's what the LHS had laying around. I found out that Econokote wasn't all that fuelproof!

BigTeeEldorado

Wish I still had pictures of my Kadet RC31, I'd throw one up here cause it would be pretty close to yours. Built two of them back in the 70's using silk and dope. Makes for a very tough bird, which I proved over and over again. Great photos, that background looks like the upper midwest, mine would have had southern Minnesota as a backdrop.

Dave Swanson

Is there a timeline of the various Kadet kits buried in this thread somewhere?

rrengineer

My Feedback: (3)

I can't tell you how many people I taught to fly RC with the original Kadet kits I built back in the early 80s. With only elevator, rudder and motor control much simpler to build and easy to fly. I remember I could land on a dime with no ailerons! Such a great flying model. Last year I bought one of the original kits on Ebay. Have not built it yet, but I retire in six months. That's when the kit building will go into overdrive. The Kadet will be one of the first along with the Seniorita that I plan to use my OS .20 FS I bought in japan when they first came out..
Mike

acdii

You can lock the ailerons on the LT-40 and fly that one 3 channel as well. Handles very well with rudder only.

rrengineer

My Feedback: (3)

What kind of dihedral on LT40 compared to the original Kadet?

acdii

Dihedral? We no need no steekin dihedral! I think its about 6" on the built by the book wing. Mine has an inch. I have lost ailerons twice on it and was able to fly on rudder only.

soarrich

My Feedback: (98)

I test flew my Sr, here's a link to my thread on it:
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/kit-...l#post12252322

spaceworm

Search here on RCU for "SIG Brotherhood". In that forum is a link to a compilation of all of the SIG kits, with timelines, etc. Good luck.

Sincerely, Richard
AMA 861960
Club Saito #635; Saito 56, 100, 120abc, 130T, 180
Sig Kougar, Sig 1/4 Cub, Sig 1/4 Spacewalker II
Kadet Brotherhood #96; Mk 1 Kadet, Kadet Junior

skylark-flier

Yeah, check my signature - ALL SIG kits/ARFs etc on the SIG History website.

Dave Swanson

Amazing! Thanks

Dave Swanson

Dave, it was actually a RC51 Kadet Mk-1

Sport_Pilot

What was the difference in the RC31 and 51? Size?

skylark-flier

There was no difference between the 2 at all, except the 51 instructions included the option for ailerons, for which the 31 had no provisions. Basically, the 51 was simply a re-release of the 31 due to extreme demand at the time.

You must have gotten one of the very first 51's. Their first "official" year was 1981.

spaceworm

The RC 31 was the original, before they decided to add ailerons,. Since there was no intent then to have a new model, i.e. the MK II, there was no need for a MK I. When the aileron model, the RC 49 MK II was introduced , they made the original RC 31 the MK I, and called it RC 51. adding the option for ailerons. Got it?

Boulder Dave

Me and my Kadet, in the spring of 1974. I'm 53 now. Do the math.

Sig Kadet, built by my dad and me, put entirely together with epoxy. Silk/dope covering. Kraft Sport Series radio. Originally powered by a SuperTigre .23 (shown in the picture), but after the first flight (by an instructor) we replaced it with an OS FP 35. I learned to build on that plane, and we both learned to fly on it.

The white plane at my feet was a Mattel Signal Commander. Single channel escapement rudder only electric. Given to me by a grandparent. Much harder to fly than the Kadet.

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

We did!

soarrich

My Feedback: (98)

Been there done that. I had built a Kadet in '74 and put a huge, for me, OS Pet 30 on mine, it took a bounce to get it to fly, if you didn't hit a bump it didn't get airborne. I put a Testers McCoy .40 on it and it flew great. After the .40 I put a Fox Hawk .60 on it and ripped the wing off it.


And what isn't?

skylark-flier

Seems like many of the original Kadets had minimal power attached. My own flew first with an Enya .35 (no muffler in those days), which worked for me - I just wanted enough power to keep her in the air decently and the Enya did that quite nicely.

Birds been retired now for 3 years (when the new Mk-II came on-line), Enya is sitting in a box, waiting for her next plane.

Geez, these are/were great planes.

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

I think it was more of a case the older engines from the early 70s did have the power out of engines made later on. Compare an O.S. Max .25 and a .35 from that period and the new .25 FX and the .35 AX made today, its night and day.

robflyer82

My Feedback: (1)

Hi everyone. It has been a while but sign me up. I built my Lt-40 over 10 year ago while I learned to fly on the clubs trainers. It's been retired for a long time now and hanging up in the garage. Real solid flyer and it would glide for miles.

SPACE COWBOY

I like the colors! Blue Skies!