Who has Built & Flown a SIG Bonanza?  
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Who has Built & Flown a SIG Bonanza? - 11/28/2004 12:29:16 AM   
TLH101



Posts: 5456
Joined: 12/27/2001
From: Corpus Christi, TX, USA
Status: offline 		I am thinking about picking up one of these older kits, and was wondering how they built and flew. Can retracts be fitted and what power is best? Lets see some pics and details of a build.

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Terry
"Old Fart" in training. (not to be an R/Cer, but to be an "Old Fart")
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RE: Who has Built & Flown a SIG Bonanza? - 12/5/2004 8:09:19 PM   
PilotFighter



Posts: 1923
Joined: 10/9/2002
From: Houston, TX, USA
Status: offline 		A couple of years ago this site had a very long thread about the Sig Bonanza. It looked so impressive that I bought one. And just about one of every other GA scale classic on ebay.

Long story made short; I just started . I would say this is a fast building kit. Foam wing sheeted with 1/16, the plans show retracts. Box fuselage with a plastic turtle deck. I bought an aftermarket glass cowl out of Lewisville Tn, (I think).

In its day it was a 60 size plane. But now it is clearly a forty size. HOWEVER, and this is the first bump in the road I have found ; the nose gear is mounted on its very own little mini firewall that is mounted a couple of inches in front of the real firewall. The two large hard wood beams that connect this together are exactly in the way of a Ptts style muffler, (which they didn't have then). A four stroke 7o would solve the matter. I'm considering replacing the pieces with my own and moving the beams lower to allow a Bisson on a 46.

Oops, you asked about retracts didn't you ? Well, here is my take. The wheels would have to be small, 2 " or less and the plans show a Carl Goldberg mechanical unit. It would sure look sweet. I fly on grass and it isn't that well maintained. I'm thinking I will need to go with fixed gear for durability and because the wheel wells for my 2.5" or even 3" wheels would require wells so large as to compromise the structure. But if we had a hard runway, boy howdy, I would have retracts !!!

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RE: Who has Built & Flown a SIG Bonanza? - 12/7/2004 4:40:02 PM   
larry@coyotenet


 

Posts: 189
Joined: 2/25/2003
From: pueblo, CO, USA
Status: offline 		I have one hanging in my shop right now. It weighs ~10lbs. Flys with a Webra Speed 60 and rhom retracts. I fly at 5,000 feet. With this setup the plane flys like a pattern ship. I was really surprised how well it flew considering the weight. Landed some what fast without flaps, I have not flown it with the flaps working but should help landing. Plane is fiberglassed and painted with Lustrecoat paint. If you cover with monokote and don't get carried away like mine you should be able to keep weight below 7lbs. I think it will fly great at that weight.
Larry

(in reply to TLH101)
       Post #: 3

RE: Who has Built & Flown a SIG Bonanza? - 12/11/2004 6:24:22 AM   
PilotFighter



Posts: 1923
Joined: 10/9/2002
From: Houston, TX, USA
Status: offline 		Hey, now that I have looked at this thing for a week or so. I changed my mind. I think I will go with a sixty 2S or equivilant. Hey Larry, did you get a Pitts style muffler to fit over the nose gear mount ??


And how do you finish a fuselage that is half wood and half plastic ? Did you glass the whole thing ? Is there a lighter alternative ? I keep hearing that these Bonanzas come out heavy. I would really like to avoid that if possible. How much nose wieght did yours take?

Got any pics ?

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RE: Who has Built & Flown a SIG Bonanza? - 12/12/2004 2:35:55 AM   
GRANT ED



Posts: 2419
Joined: 4/13/2003
From: Adelaide, AUSTRALIA
Status: offline 		I HAD one of these. I didn't build it but I'm told it was a pretty straight forward build. I had air retracts and an Enya 80 four stroke for power. Unfortunatly it was lost on its maiden flight when it lost aileron control shortly after lift off
It did look very nice though. If I could pick up another kit cheap I would get another.

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RE: Who has Built & Flown a SIG Bonanza? - 12/17/2004 12:59:15 AM   
Walter D


 

Posts: 667
Joined: 10/18/2002
From: Sun City, CA, USA
Status: offline 		I built two of these back in the '70s, great looking and flying airplane, a good .60 2 stroke flies it fine. I built them with the V tail configuration and they were still tail heavy, so I would plan for a built up stab and fin, or just lighten up the sheet stock they provide for tail surfaces by cutting up holes, while maintaining the airfoil shape, of course. The plastic upper fuselage can be glued to the lower wooden side by using a good aliphatic glue to be used with plastics and/or wood or slow curing CA. I would first build the model and once everything is in place, see how it balances, then decide if it will take fiberglass and resin on the plastic upper fuselage, because it might make it very tail heavy, and there are no loads imposed on that part of the fuselage anyway that would call for that type of finish.
I built mine with flaps and retracts, total weight of 9 lbs, the wings were covered with thin cardboard and then painted, fuselage was glassed (not the plastic part) and painted, this airplane flies like a pattern ship, is very fast so to slow it down on landing the use of flaps was a very welcome addition.

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RE: Who has Built & Flown a SIG Bonanza? - 12/17/2004 4:57:02 PM   
larry@coyotenet


 

Posts: 189
Joined: 2/25/2003
From: pueblo, CO, USA
Status: offline 		My bonaza uses one of those old Dubro mufflers with the spring inside and it is cut in half to allow me to get the cowl on. I don't think you can get a pitts style muffler inside the cowl. When you put in a retractable nose wheel there is not much room up front for the muffler.
If I were doing the plane today I think I would use a 4-stroke 70 - 90 and let it stick out a little. The plastic turtle deck works just fine.
No problem fairing it into the fiberglassed fuselage. You will find that the plastic that Sig used is quite superior to what you find in kits today. It works really well and is more like heavy fiberglass than ABS.
Larry

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       Post #: 7

RE: Who has Built & Flown a SIG Bonanza? - 12/20/2004 6:46:47 PM   
PilotFighter



Posts: 1923
Joined: 10/9/2002
From: Houston, TX, USA
Status: offline 		Hey TLH101,

Well, what did you decide ?

Are you building one ?

We are just a few hours away. We could fly them in formation !

However, I am the worlds SLOWEST builder.

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RE: Who has Built & Flown a SIG Bonanza? - 12/22/2004 12:53:56 AM   
Bugattiguy27


 

Posts: 9
Joined: 2/1/2004
From: Newhall, CA, USA
Status: offline 		I just picked up the sig bonanza kit from a friend who said he'd never get around to buiding it. I want to build the v-tail version as you did. I'm suprised there's no option in the directions to do this. Did you just split the horizontal stab and "V" it, or does it have to be bigger to accomodate the absence of the verticle stab?? Any suggestions???

(in reply to Walter D)
       Post #: 9

RE: Who has Built & Flown a SIG Bonanza? - 12/23/2004 6:48:59 PM   
Walter D


 

Posts: 667
Joined: 10/18/2002
From: Sun City, CA, USA
Status: offline 		I used the same stab and elevators used for the conventional tail, but from a front view of a V-tail Bonanza I measured the degrees of the angle on the V-tail configuration and it worked out just great, remember that with the V configuration the airplane fishtails a bit on flight, just like the real one, keep the tail as light as possible, remember this (by the way I couldn't give you reference on the tail's degrees as this bird was built around 1978)

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RE: Who has Built & Flown a SIG Bonanza? - 1/19/2005 4:52:30 AM   
royboyrc


 

Posts: 1
Joined: 1/18/2005
From: , ON, CANADA
Status: offline 		I just bought one 75% built. I'm putting a 60 in it. It's a 1979 model.
I'm missing one sheet of the plans, so building the tail will be a challenge,
I started flying this year and have a collection of 19 planes. I love the SIG Bonanza and will built it with mechanical retracts, the wheel wells on mine will take 2 1/2" wheels.

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       Post #: 11

RE: Who has Built & Flown a SIG Bonanza? - 1/19/2005 2:14:07 PM   
TLH101



Posts: 5456
Joined: 12/27/2001
From: Corpus Christi, TX, USA
Status: offline 		Just came on this thread again. I never did get a kit. At the time I posted this, there was 4 kits up for auction on E-bay, so I thought I was going to get to "steal" a kit. Did'nt happen.
Maybe in the future I will get one. I already have a Stafford Twin Commache, & Royal cessna 310, started in the bones,(as well as about 5-6 warbirds etc) so it's not like I need another kit.

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Terry
"Old Fart" in training. (not to be an R/Cer, but to be an "Old Fart")

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RE: Who has Built & Flown a SIG Bonanza? - 2/28/2005 3:05:07 AM   
PilotFighter



Posts: 1923
Joined: 10/9/2002
From: Houston, TX, USA
Status: offline 		Well, come on Bonanza boys !!! Lets hear how it is going. I'm still on the wing. Geeze this thing is thin and sharp. This plane should be fast. After looking over the nose gear mount situation, I am thinking that I can squeeze in the OS 50 with a slimline or Bisson muffler. I'm going with fixed gear. Even at that , I might have to redesign the nose gear mount for muffler clearance.

I thought this was going to be a fast build and make a cute model. Now I think this is going to be a bit tougher than I thought and yeild a monster fast model. That works for me also.

I was thinking of using silk and then Klasskote paint. But now I am going for all out performance and in the interest of keeping the weight to a minimum I have decided to go with Monokote. However I change my mind about that at least once a day .




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RE: Who has Built & Flown a SIG Bonanza? - 3/1/2005 3:14:08 PM   
drdoom



Posts: 1073
Joined: 4/19/2002
From: Belton , MO, USA
Status: offline 		That Sig Bonanza is oneof the best flying r.c models ever the wing airfoil is great with its washout.
use a strong .60 It is very aerobatic.

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