All,

I'm thinking I've decided to get the LT 40. I have been told that you should build from the kit rather than get the ARF.

I would like to be flying the model within say two months (max).

Currently, I have built a Virus 400a ARF, so I have some grasp of the basic techniques.

Should I risk the kit?

Tim

It's a Sig kit, you open a bottle of glue, pour it in the box, shake it, and the kit will build itself. Well, maybe not that easy, but the Sig kits are VERY easy to build. My Sig Somethin Extra was my first kit EVER to build. I built it, covered it, and flew it in less than a week. I would go with the kit. You'll like it much better when you are done. Besides, that way you'll get some building experience that you can't gain with an ARF.

Jack,

You've said the magic word, covering.

I've heard that that is fairly hard, and I've never done it.

Also, what sort of equipment do you need to cover?

Tim

Dan said the equipment list. There are many books out that tell you how to cover a plane. It isnt really all that hard in the first place. Your first covering job obviously wont look as good as your 5th or 6th, but that's not a problem. People on this board will be glad to help you with covering questions. If you can find a club first, someone there should be willing to have you over to their house the next time they cover a plane, or they might come over to your house to help you.

I would go with the kit. I had someone give me a used LT40 (SUPER!!!!!!!!!!! flying plane), and I wish I had a set of plans. I know it's not if, but when you crash. And a set of plans, including rib outlines, is really handy for repairs.

I'd also vote for going with the kit. I'm on my 4th LT-40, cuz now I kitbash the basic plane and make some inexpensive fun-fliers.

Sig includes about everything you need to build the kit except engine, radio, glue, and covering.

Don't let covering scare you off. It's not really that hard. Your first attempt might not result in showroom quality (mine sure wasn't), but as someone told me, each time you cover a plane, it gets better and easier.

Go with the kit. You can have it framed and ready for covering in 2-3 weeks of part-time nights. Oh, and don't do anything after 9:30PM cuz it will take twice as long to undo it the next day

The only 'weakness' in the kit is where the fin attaches to the stab. In our club, we take some 3/8" triangle stock and reinforce that joint. Not everyone does that, but we do.

Go ahead and build the kit. Have a great time. Just show us some photos when you're done!

r/cspender, it only took be about 4 days to get the plane framed up. It took two days to cover and put the engine and radio gear in. The Sig kits go together VERY fast. Since everything is laser cut there isnt any sanding to do, and most of the parts align themselves although I did use a right angle to help with the ribs and formers.

Well,

I see the merits of both sides of the argument. I started out flying electrics, and my second "arf" has been such a disaster that I now have more tools than I can shake a stick at. The good part is that I enjoyed fixing it a great deal. However, it would have been nice if it had ever actually flown.

Anyway, I think I'll compromise and buy an electric kit and an LT-40 ARF. I really want to start training with the local club. They had a club trainer, but the wing sheared off (during my first attempt at flying it) and it flew far away and broke into a bunch of small pieces. (It wasn't my fault)

GB