KenChoo

Thanks Mike! I don't know why I suddenly remembered this concept, but it was fun to try it out. :-)

Jim,

That's a fair concern about the receiver shifting, but the rubber band friction holding it in place is substantial. Although this is my first go with this system, I feel fairly confident about its security based on how it feels in my hands. If I do encounter any issues I will share them here (it'll be easy enough to change out to a more conventional foam rubber mount).

Tom,

I hear you...we all have our own preferences for sure...it's an experiment for me (based on other people's experience).

cheers,
Ken

Tom Nied

OK. I should at least state why I don't like the rubber band mount you describe. Model airplanes vibrate and with the rubber bands I feel it will only magnify the vibration. Servo wires going into the rx will be under greater stress trying to keep up with the vibrations and could come loose. Also, rubber bands only last so long and need to be replaced regularly. If you do use that method, keep an eye on it.

flyboy2610

My Feedback: (1)

Your plane looks great!
One thing I would do is turn your exhaust pipe down. As it is you are going to be spraying oil over that beautiful wing. There should be a nut at the front or rear of the muffler. Loosen that and you can change the orientation of the exhaust pipe. Keeps the plane cleaner.

Jim Aires

Hi Ken

You have done a great job. Well done ;-) I imagine she has flown by now?
You might be surprised to know but someone has offered to give me a Sig Kadet kit but only if I put it on the table and build it.
Not sure if to take it yet as I have a lot of old classic kits sitting in spare room but must say I am tempted to build it for a bit of easy flying model. Plus they do look nice and I would have to do like you and paint in original scheme. ;-)

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

A SIG Kadet would be hard for me to turn down regardless of strings.

skylark-flier

I'm with Mike - any Kadet would be hard to turn down. I only wish you were just a bit closer (like, NOT completely around the other side of the planet), I'd build it in a minute.

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

Maybe we should offer to pay postage? ;-)

Anyone else have a problem the last few days with RCU no longer sending notifications?

Jim Aires

Thanks for the offer skylark flier. Yeah we're a bit isolated down here (or round here) lol.
If your at a loose end with time to spare you know where it is ;-)

mgnostic

I saw the posts on mounting the receiver with rubber bands and although I am not old enough to remember it personally (almost), it gave me a chuckle because it reminded me of the mountings for the early vacuum tube receivers. For myself I usually mount receivers with industrial strength velcro. You have to use the industrial grade. The adhesive on the back is really strong and the more vibration it experiences the stronger it holds. Warnings are; don't mount the velcro on anything too fragile and make sure that you can get a grip on whatever you mount. The grip strength of the velcro may exceed the structural strength of some lightweight structures and if you can't get a good grip on whatever you have mounted it can be really difficult to remove.

KenChoo

Hi everyone,

Pardon the lull, but I've finally maidened the Kadet MkII more than a year after the completion of the build. :-) Maiden went well, and the OS 35AX is plenty of power! It flies nicely, and lands oh so beautifully! I did make two small changes to the "build" as it were-I went back to a more traditional velcro mounting of the receiver, and I installed 3/32" lite ply pieces at the trailing edge of the wing where the rubber bands run, to prevent crushing of the balsa (this is suggested in the manual too, btw).

I wanted to add how impressed I am with the covering...18 months in storage, a day out in the sun and I've not had to take an iron to it - not a single wrinkle or loose seam. Paint seems to be holding up well too :-)

Cheers,
Ken

Tom Nied

I think those are good changes

flyboy2610

My Feedback: (1)

Nice plane! Congrats on a successful maiden!

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

Covering stayed great! Now remind me what covering did you use? I remember the brushed on paint part but I've slept since then.

Hydro Junkie

Solartex!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

Thanks, that was what I thought but oldtimer's disease has invaded my memory causing premature senior moments.

JeremyCRF

Pork Chop

My Feedback: (5)

I enjoyed your build and glad to see you finally were able to maiden your Kadet Ken

carrierp

First one worked, just didn't know how to fly it. Second one (several years later) I had no spare parts in the box.

It has been YEARS. Any standard advice on construction that will save me grief?

Also, saw a .46 gasoline engine (2 stroke). Is that too big/too heavy for this? (I forget what it's called, but it's about the only one in .46 with gasoline...

Thanks for any tips. The discussion about the dyhedral was helpful- I'll keep it in the mix for more forgiving flying as I learn.

mkjohnston

My Feedback: (2)

Hi Carrierp, if you build a kadet light enough you can power it with a .25 engine which I did in 1978!. It was first real RC airplane and that's why I have one in the box to build in the next year or two! My mentor use to say a kadet will land it self and i thought he was bs me but when i saw him lay his transmitter on the ground and it did just that. The mk2 seems to have wood tips instead of the plastic one that came with my first one! To me this is and still is the best RC trainer!
Michael Johnston

mgnostic

As Michael Johnston points out below you can fly the Kadet on as little as a .25 engine. The flip side is that it will fly just fine on anything in the .40 to .50 range. If a .46 is what you have on hand it should be just fine. The main point is that you just need to make sure that it balances according to the plans. A lot of times a .46 engine is based on a .40 case so the usually don't weigh much more. The one caveat is that especially with trainer type models, you can over power them to the point where they become difficult to fly. I've seen people hang a .60 on a .40 size trainer but then end up never going past half throttle because the plane didn't handle well at high speeds.

Tom Nied

Yeah, I agree with most of that. My Kadet Senior needed almost 3 ounces of nose weight to make it balance. But I only had a Thunder Tiger GP .42 on it, a fairly light engine. I wish at the time I had a Thunder Tiger Pro .46, a bit heavier and significantly more power. I think that would have been a better match. But, last year I pulled it out my 20 y/o Sig Kadet Senior with it's Thunder Tiger GP .42, fired it up, and it cruises just fine on a day that is not too windy. I'm not going to change it.

combat0311

Guys,

I have a Sig Kadet Mark 2 that I am going to start building, you guys still around for advice?

Thanks,
Tom

Tom Nied

Sure. I recently gave away my Kadet Senior. But the Mark 2 is also good. What engine/motor are you putting into it?

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

You can't beat a Kadet!

combat0311

Guys,

My name is Tom Mitchell, I built a great planes PT-40 back around 2003, just had to cover it and I was going to join the Cleveland Ohio RC club but went through a divorce and had to sell everything. I was riding my 02 Roadking on 90 West heading towards Sandusky Ohio, when I passed a farm where people were flying planes, not sure if it is a club or just the owner of the farm. When I got home, I went to Great Planes website and also the Sig website, and it appears they are going out of business or going out of business, everything was sold out, I bought a Kadet Mark 2 and then got an OS 35AX engine.

I hope I am not late to the party; it appears all the companies I dealt with in 2003 are no longer in business, I was going to stop at Al's train and Hobby in Bedford Ohio this weekend, but it appears he has retired.

I read through KenChoo's build, I will be starting my build is a few weeks and just seeing if people are still out there to help.

Thanks,
Tom