Just purchased a ASTRO HOG kit from SIG. Plans don't show any rt. thrust or down thrust.
I am curious as to how you successful builders and fliers have addressed this issue. I was advised
"2degrees right and 2degrees down", if not specified. ??
Fredsedno

I also have an astro hog to build and would be interested in hearing what others may have to say about your question. I would post this on the Vintage site here on RCU also, lots of people built them & im sure will respond...Gene

Just going by memory so if I'm wrong, don't shoot. I think on bigger planes especially those with a long tail moment don't require right thrust and if any down thrust is needed, it's built in to the fuse sides, doublers and formers. And being it's a Sig kit, I would just run with the instructions.

I've had 2 Hogs over the years and didn't modify the Sig instructions. Both flew very nicely for years and only suffered from a bad pilot
I know some who have taken out the specified dihedral with good success but I never did. I'm sure someone who has will comment on that.

I just followed the plans for tail dragger took half the dihedral out of wing and hung a Saito 72 on it and flies greeeeat! Only problem I have is not getting my engine to idle very well and can't get her to stop flying. Good luck on yours. I'll check in to see if questions as you go if I can remember. Great plane.
Jim

Oh yeah! Cubfloater is right. Make her a taildragger by all means.

Oh yes and I also mounted a fiberglass gear on the fuse and not in the wing. Rides around better in the car and if i ripe it out it's easier to repair. Hopefully just my nylon bolts will break. Oh and I also used metal u-shaped elevated connector instead of wooden dowel. Sorry but it's been a while since I built it and it's slowing coming back to me. You might want to go back and ready through some of the build threads to get some more good ideas. Good luck!

Building a hog bipe just now and in the instructions it says that the fuse doublers areprefabricated so that when you glue the firewall in the notches provided then 1 degree down thrust is achieved. Think the astro hog may well be the same.

Well scrap what I said above I just looked at a astro hog build and I see to my suprise it is a totally diferent build.

Im sure if you build to sigs recomendation you will get a good flying plane and if the instructions or plan dont call for thrust angles then they prob are not needed.

Thanks for the advice. The plan specifies " no thrust", however, flying instructions state that the plane will wander to the left on take off roll.
Also states right rudder is necessary.
I plan to build with 2 degrees rt. thrust[easy fix if this is not good idea] and 0 degrees down thrust. Also easy to correct.
I also am thinking of mounting 60tt on a 45 degree angle rather than straight vertical.
Definitely tail dragger [Dubro hd main gear], just haven't a method of mounting with gear raked back to put axle in line with the leading edge.
Got to get through "deer season"before building this bird. ps the original HOG called for 4 degrees rt. thrust. Fredsedno

I've been looking at the Astro Hog for a while now.

And I keep asking myself, is it sufficiently different from the four-star to make it worth it?

I have some four-star-40 (and 60) kits waiting to be built.

Should I spend the money and add an Astro Hog. If it isn't different than the 4-stars, I wonder, is it really worth it?

When I first looked at the Astro Hog, I thought it resembled GP's Slow Poke. (I have one of these too, btw.) But I see that was an incorrect assumption.

I think, if I did take the plunge, I'd think about making it a tail-dragger, and putting retracts in the wings.

You're right, your thrust corrections can be easily modified. Keep in mind the original Astro-Hog was quite different from the Sig version. I believe it was Flair (UK) that last put one out. It was a much lighter planes (.40 2 stroke) and I believe both the wings and stab were held on with rubber bands with the stab much lower than it is now. At any rate, use caution when transferring data from the original to the Sig.
Good luck!

I built my "Hog" per the plan and am satisfield with its performance, albeit a little slow. Having said that, I have noticed the plane tends to veer a little left on take off, but it is easily corrected with a little right aileron or rudder. After a little increase in speed, my "Hog" flies straight and level. My advice: follow the plan.

DaveB

I just finished my long awaited Astro Hog, I have wanted one since the early 80s. I built it as a tricycle gear and if I had it to do over I would have gone tail dragger. I also took half of the dihedral out of it and went with dual aileron servos as I just dont like the torque tubes.I am running a Saito 80 on my Astro and it is just the right amount of power although a .91 4 stroke would be fun also. I could see where 2 degrees right thrust would be nice but the down thrust is not needed. I really love flying my Astro Hog!!!! it is just a joy all the way around and it was a fun build as well. I didnt use the supplied turtle deck and opted to carve one out of Balsa as I didnt want to find matching paint for it. I hope you enjoy building and flying your Hog as much as I have!!!

I built mine per the instructions for the engine.
I did go with the tail dragger and chose to use
Dubro gear.


Bob

If you don't mind my asking....

What was the Astro Hogs' final weight?

I know Sig's site has numbers. But I find that web-site numbers don't always match real life.

Sig states the all up weight should run 7 to7-1/2 lbs.
I suspect a lot depends on engine weight, landing gear and # of servos- battery pack etc.
I can visualize maybe 8 lbs. Fredsedno

My Hog came in at 7 pounds 7 oz. I do not consider myself a light builder and I did use an extra aileron servo. I moved the 1600mah NiMh battery to under the tank for a good CG. I would think this bird would fly great at 8 lbs. I just love the way they fly!

I agree that you should build per the plans. I have a Hog bipe that I'll be building this winter.

The left-turning tendency is due to P-factor and is entirely normal. Don't build in a correction for something that's experienced for a few seconds at takeoff, as that 'correction' will work against you as the speed builds up. It's normal to need right rudder in the climb when speed is slow, little or no rudder at cruise, and left rudder when descending at high speed with reduced power. Same as in full-size aircraft with props. [8D]

Ed

Mine is just under 8 lbs.

Bob

I pulled the trigger.. Just ordered the last Astro Hog Sig had in stock.

You will love it, it is a fun build and a great flyer! I love my new Hog!!! it is fun, capable of doing many manuvers and looks great in the air!

With an OS FS-70 mine weighed 7 pounds 14 ounces on my brother's fish scale. It was built "per plan" as a tail dragger.

Just curious Fredsedno, are you going to do a build thread? there is alot of good info on searching here on RCU and if you do a build thread it would be a lively one due to the popularity of this kit. Have you thought about a covering scheme? I am almost jealouse even though I just finished my Hog about you getting ready to build one! I just love the fact that there is not too much plywood in this kit. The wings are amazingly strong with only ply for the tips and a couple of plywood doublers for the landing gear. You have to love sanding and carving blasa to build this baby for sure. If you are flying off of a smooth field the modified (per plan) tail dragger setup should be fine but it you ever fly off a rough surface the landing setup that dignlivin has would probably be better. I really do wish I had built mine tail dragger now for a couple of reasons, simplicity is a good one but it is a pain getting in there to adjust the nose gear if needed and I just think the tail dragger looks awesome. I am even considering installing a set of dural gear on mine and covering the wing blocks. I was pleasantly surprised that this old bird would knife edge! and inverted flight is great too. It does a beautiful snap roll as well. I am a bit worried about being able to get ahold of another Hog in the future so I copied all of the parts and I belive I could make more hogs now from scratch if need be. I canged my pilot out to one with a bit more "attitude" as the Hog begs for a good looking pilot. i could not locate a pig or hog pilot of the right size so I think this character will be fine.

Hi DaDDYO57
Nice looking "HOG", no I won't be doing a build on this forum as there is already an excellent build by "Mechplas".
I plan to use colors[yellow&bright red] and scheme similar to the "SPACEWALKER". Only because it's easy to see
against a bright sky. I also have a scratch build STOL in mind. Will have to postpone both until the first of the year.
Fredsedno

I'm starting an Astro Hog. The balsa and other woods are beautiful, as has been the case with every Sig Kit I've built. I'm writing primarily about the thrust issue. Most designs set the engine about 2 degrees Negative incidence and the horizontal stabilizer at 0 degrees incidence . The Astro Hog plans show the engine at 0 degrees incidence while the horizontal stabilizer is at Plus 1-1/2 degrees. So the relationship between the engine and stabilizer is like having some downthrust.

BTW I'm building with one-half the designed dihedral or 3 degrees angle of the root ribs. My feeling is that the Astro Hog was designed at the dawn of multichannel R/C before they even had control sticks with proportional travel! They were moving the servos with bumps of on-off switches! So I think they relied on more stable designs while modern R/C equipment allows us to easily control less stable designs. My second Hog-Bipe flew really well with the lower wing dihedral reduced.