Hi all,

I used to build small rubberband powered aiplanes when I was a kid, now that I have a better financial situation, I decided to go back into the hobbie. I purchased a SIG Kadet LT 25 about 2 weeks ago. This one being my first r/c plane I did a few mistakes, one of them was the angle of the wings, I made the 3 degree angle on the wrong side. Therefore when I glued the wings together, nothing was flush So after a 1 hour of sanding, I finally got the top portion of the wings flush, but the bottom portion had an inverted V if you know what I mean. So I stuffed some small balsa sheets to fill the gap and glued everything with CA. I didn't glue the wings with epoxy. I glued the 1 inch fiber fabric on top and bottom of the wing with CA. Apart from this, the airplane is straight and true.

I will use a OS .25FX engine to power this baby.

Now my questions are:

1- Will my wings rip apart because of my bad angle and lack of epoxy? Will they rip apart if I just fly around and don't do any loops or anything that could put a lot of pressure? The wings do look solid...
2- Will the .25FX engine be enough, I've hear that the Kadet LT 25 with an OS .25FX will outrun most .40 trainers! Is this true?
3- I'm hesitating between buying a 4 channel Futaba and 6 Channel. There is a 100$ difference, should I go ahead and buy the 6 channel for future models, or should I wait because using the flaps is for really advanced flyers and I could spare the money but if you tell me that I'm going to want to have a 6 channel for flaps pretty quickly, then I will go ahead and buy the 6 channel.


Thank you all!

That's a hard call, I'd have to see the plane to really get a good idea as to weight the wing will hold or not. The re-inforcement tape will sure help though. Was there some kind of joiner, plywood or something that went inside from one side to the other? Or were the wings just a butt joint?

The smaller plane with that engine will seem to go faster, and in fact, very well might. And bigger planes are easier to learn on. But overall, I don't think you have a bad setup, and you certainly have a good amount of power.

The radio is a hard call. A lot of people suggest getting a 6channel, but unless it's a computer radio, I'd say save your money. A 6 channel computer radio with mutiple model memory will save you money in the long run. On the other hand, a lot of guys still just use the basic 4 channels on their radios for sport flying. In fact, I'd guess that the majority of guys flying never use more than the basic 4, and never use a mix or anything like that. The computer radios do make it easier to set up your plane, adjust throws, and such. If you can afford it, buying the best radio you can can't hurt. But you will get years of service from a basic 4, so it's far from a waste.

1- Will my wings rip apart because of my bad angle and lack of epoxy? Will they rip apart if I just fly around and don't do any loops or anything that could put a lot of pressure? The wings do look solid...

I don't think you will have any problem with this wing ripping apart. I used some fiber fabric and ca to repair a fuselage that broke in half, and the next time the fuse broke in a different spot. The fabric is very strong and joins the two halves of your wing together nicely.

2- Will the .25FX engine be enough, I've hear that the Kadet LT 25 with an OS .25FX will outrun most .40 trainers! Is this true?

I have not seen the LT 25 fly, but I think that you have an excellent engine to power your plane.

3- I'm hesitating between buying a 4 channel Futaba and 6 Channel. There is a 100$ difference, should I go ahead and buy the 6 channel for future models, or should I wait because using the flaps is for really advanced flyers and I could spare the money but if you tell me that I'm going to want to have a 6 channel for flaps pretty quickly, then I will go ahead and buy the 6 channel.

I have two four channel radios and one six channel. I started with a basic four channel and upgraded to a six as I could afford it. Your six channel radio will allow you to control the receiver that you received with your four channel radio as long as you follow a few simple guidelines. In the future, you will probably have more than one plane and will be able to use the extra flight pack.

Yes I do have a plywood joiner that's inside the wings.

Then I agree with mnrcaerobat, that tape is pretty strong stuff if applied correctly, so I'd say that you're likely fine. Of course, I won't say for sure, as I can't tell with out seeing it. You might want to call attention to it with your instructor, and get them to check it out too. Extra eyeballs never hurt, after all.

Thanks a lot guys!!

I think I will be going for a 4 Channel, I don't expect to be using flaps anytime soon and by the time I start using flaps, maybe the prices would be lower. And having 2 remotes is always good

Thanks again!

Everyone I have ever seen at the field has at least one airplane that requires only a 4-ch radio. You'll always have a use for it, and you can get more flying time if you have two transmitters!

Save the 4 ch TX and use it for a buddy box I've seen 20 yr old Transmitters which will still work for that. (I've got a 12 to 15 yr old one from a garge sale that I use as a buddy box.) The cost of a flight pack with 4 servos, and the cost of a 4 channel complete system are close to the same. You get a spare charger adn TX battery (and usually more stuff) with the 4 ch system.

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The structural question on the wing... you need an experienced modeler to see that before its covered. If you can't get someone to look it over, you need to redo the fiberglass with epoxy. (I recommend 2 hour epoxy for the fiberglass tape on the wing joint)

The center joint on the wing takes up to 30 times the weiht of the plane in some maneuvers. If you have ANY doubt about its strength... it needs to be fixed. There's usually not much left of the plane if the wing fails at that joint in flight. (And the 5 lb lawn dart can do a LOT of harm if it hits something or someone...)

I'm betting if you glued the plywood joiner well that it will be fine. My gap didn't line up either. Filled a lot of it with epoxy. Baking soda and CA. Try and bend it by hand. If it breaks you know that it's not tough.

Just thought of a good idea. You could drill or cut some holes in the tape where you think there are large gaps then you could squirt glue in there. Maybe something like Gorrila glue or Elmers makes some thick wood glue. Home depot has a good selection. I've never used Gorrilla but I think it foams and expands. Might be the ticket for you.

The only concern I have is that CA won't penetrate plywood very well. Therefore the dihedral brace (ply wing joiner) isn't going to be as effective as it would have been using epoxy. It probably won't fail for a while though.
Dennis-

That's true DB but Sig tells you to use CA for one reason or another.

Well, I think it's too late now, I guess I will just take my chances. I'll try not to put to much pressure on it. I'm going to start on another kit soon anyways... so I'll just keep my fingers crossed. I expect to crash this plane pretty quickly anyways Do and I love building so I don't really mind.

Do you guys have any recommendation for "kits" that would work great with a OS .25 FX for my next projects? I'm thinking of a shrike .10 but put my .25 fx on it

Thank you for all your comments, really appreciated!

You shouldn't have any problem with that wing, many manufacturers use CA to attach the wing joiner. Epoxy is better, but CA will work fine.

One of the problems with using a .25 is that there are not as many kits to choose from as there are in the .40 or .60 size range. I don't have a recommendation for your next one, but I WOULD discourage you from getting a shrike! Those things are guided missles, and definitely NOT for rookies.

They're also supposed to be relatively difficult to build. (Never had one, but a guy in our club complained about his.)
Dennis-