jollyroger

My Feedback: (6)

jbj, send me a PM with your address. It may take a few days to get it out to you.
cheers

jollyroger

My Feedback: (6)

Maiden flight report:
The winds were calm this A.M. so I decided this was a make or break for the Kougar.
Installed was a 5S Hyperion 25C 3700 pack set at the correct location for the CG. After a range check and all was good, I taxied it down the runway for a bit and decided what the heck. I added more power and the plane rose smoothly from the grass and climbed at a steep angle without hesitation or showing any signs of stall.
The plane was unexpectedly fast with a 5S pack and the Scorpion 3026-10 outrunner turning an APCE 10X6 prop. I throttled back to 50% and found it to be a comfortable speed even though it was still moving along well. A couple right clicks of the aileron and it was flying level. No elevator or rudder trim was needed.
It really does fly as if on rails and goes where you point it. At full throttle the Scorpion outrunner really makes it haul! I did no aerobatics as I was simply using the first flight and a couple subsequent flights to get used to it. the color scheme shows up well even at distance and I had no trouble at all staying ahead of it.
All in all this is a great flying plane just as other Sig kits are. No complaints with the build and certainly none with the performance. I do need to reset the nose wheel to make it taxi straight but that's all there is to do. Now I'm waiting for the pilot to climb into the cockpit. he's on B.O. and won't show up for training for another week or two.
I didn't write down the static tests, but full power was close to 900 watts and current was around 60A. The AUW is just 3 oz. over 5#. So I was able to hit the target weight of the plane without any problems. I have no idea what it's drwaing at cruise, but I may borrow a friend Eagletree system and take some measurements in flight.
Cheers

squeakalong

My Feedback: (8)

WOOHOOOOO!!!!! Way to go John. Glad your flight went well!

Soft landings. Joe

HeliTB

jollyroger...Way to go. My Kougar is one of my favorite planes to fly.

rc_heli_flier

My Feedback: (12)

Tonight I tried out my new Macs muffler and an 11x6 prop on my O.S. 50 SX powered Kougar this evening. All I can say is WOW, what an improvement over the stock muffler and the 11x8 prop they recommend to break the engine in with. Takeoff runs were shorter, top speed was increased, and it slowed down better for landing with the reduced pitch. It's amazing what a few little things you do can make such a big difference in an aircraft.

You just gotta love the Kougar!

HeliTB

I've thought about putting a Macs Muffler on my OS 46 AX. I bought one for my SPAD with a Thunder Tiger Pro 46. Another guy I fly with has a SPAD with a TT Pro 46 Macs Muffler and that thing moves.

racingjeff1

Tough bird!

Had a rough landing yesterday that turned into cartwheels at the end. Broke the nose off at the firewall. But epoxied it back, rebuilt the front lower nose section and flew it the next day. I built this much lighter than the kit and it still took abuse.

BillS

Three Kougars have ripped the wing blocks from the fuselage without breaking the wing bolts. Anyone have a good solution so the wing bolts break before shattering the fuselage?

Bill

squeakalong

My Feedback: (8)

Perhaps you could use smaller diameter wing bolts with a less aggresive thread? or, just quit ripping the wings off to see if those bolts will break first... [8D] Just kidding!!!

Joe

HeliTB

How did the wing block rip away? If it was in flight, did you use epoxy or glue to secure? If it was a dorked (crash) landing not much can save the fusealage.

BillS

In each case the wing mounting blocks broke away from the fuselage and the 1/4-20 nylon bolts were not damaged. Twice the glue was epoxy and twice the glue was Gorilla glue. Broke one airplane twice. Three were bang, bang landings and one was a crash. On all occasions the fuselage suffered long front to back cracks and the chin block came off. If the fuselage was as robust as the wing more airplanes would not be needed until a flyaway occurred.

However I decided to cross drill 1/16 holes in the 1/4-20 bolts and see what happens next.

Bill

rc_heli_flier

My Feedback: (12)

Well, I can tell you from my 30+ years of flying and building experience that no balsa and ply fuselage is as strong as a sheeted foam core wing. They withstand practically anything you can do to them, including flying them through trees (don't ask!). In a crash the energy has to be absorbed somewhere, and it's usually at the weakest parts, sort of like a crumple zone in a car, but in this case the fuselage suffers. The only solutions are to build the fuselage as heavy as a tank and suffer the weight gain, or not crash as often!!

JimInCA

Bill,
My suggestion would be to drill a 1/16 or 3/32 hole down the center of the 1/4x20 nylon bolt to reduce its shear strength.
Good Luck...
Jim...

racingjeff1

This seems like an odd problem, as I mentioned my dirt runway surface is pretty rough, my Kougar is lightly built, I even used carpenters wood glue on those blocks and can't see how the wing could be torn off regularily and easily without some really hard crash landings.

submikester

My Feedback: (6)

I had originally powered my Kougar with a Magnum 46 XLS but unfortunately right out of the box this thing had the rear crank bearing rusting. While I work on getting that bearing out I took my trusty dusty old OS 46 SF ringed engine and put that in there. I am surprised the the bearing was causing such low power because with this old OS I was noticably faster with the same prop (10x7 apc). Having trouble getting the rear bearing out but once I get it replaced I'll put the Magnum back in.

BillS

Over a period of two years:
One cleared corn field dead stick, two bang, bang landings that touched wing tip after dodging tree, and one real crash. Wing blocks stayed with the wing, nylon bolts did not break, chin block broke away, and long cracks were down the fuselage. All were repairable.

Don't want to appear obsessed but there has been enough repeatable experience (unfortunately) to believe the wing mounting might be improved so the easiest area to repair breaks first. My solution was to cross drill the wing bolts and see what happens next.

As you might guess I like to fly the Kougars. The sink rate is excellent, they stick to the ground on high speed landings, and the wing is indestructible. However all of mine require a lot of elevator when upside down and don't slow down very well for landing. Might try some type of air brake someday or use two aileron servos so the ailerons can be reflexed or drooped.

And yes better landings are always desirable.

Bill

HeliTB

BillS...I did the two aileron servo modification, but never thought about using the crow function to slow it down. Great idea.

racingjeff1

I had the double servo aileron on a YAK, I set up the flap function as well. Its really not worth the trouble. Its difficult to set them up evenly so when you throw the flap switch it does not start to roll on way or the other. Also it just gave me something extra to worry about instead of controlling the landing, plus the fact of having to move your hands for a spilt second off the stick. In the end all it gave me was a broken cowl. Since these are not air brakes the flaps do increase your angle of approach to landing and will be harder on your gear.

HeliTB

racingjeff1...Thanks for the advice and thorough response.

BillS

Anyone know how effective flaps are on a Kougar? Anyone used air brakes?

Bill

HeliTB

BillS...I can't say that they are really needed. I find that the Kougar floats in pretty nice. It does land faster than other planes but nothing like the BobCat Jet we fly. My Kougar led to believe I was ready for the NP Nitro BobCat Jet. Boy was I wrong.

BillS

Yes, the Bob Cat has been difficult to master. Next trip to the field will be experimenting with the air brake switch. The engine out landings and most other landings have been good but two landings have been huge bounces. The Bob Cat is somewhat overweight for the wing area and doesn’t have the Kougar’s sink rate. Also ground incidence can easily put the Bob Cat back into the air during landing roll. There is some method to reliably land the beast but so far it has not been discovered.

I fly in one location that would benefit from a slower speed on the Kougar. With two extra wings experimenting won’t be difficult. Probably start with independent aileron servos. Reflexing the ailerons does knock the edge off top speed so maybe dirtying up the ailerons will also affect slow speed. Also an air brake would easily fit under the center of the wing.

Bill

HeliTB

I have two aileron servos. I did the mod during the build, since I didn't see how the single aileron servo was going to fit in the fuse once I mounted the servos inside.

BillS

I squeezed a second aileron servo in the wing and set up flaperons. Seems like a different airplane now that the aileron reflex can be adjusted at the radio. Servo weight was not noticeable, turns are smoother, aileron roll doesn’t require elevator when upside down, sink rate is less, stall was minimally affected, and landing speed is slower. But maybe the previous setup was simply wrong. This was a good experiment.

Bill

vicman

My Feedback: (10)

Great looking fleet there Bill.

Reading your quote it would seem that you could benefiet from moving the CG back a little. That would definately help the landing speed.