Well, after about 30 flights on my 4 * 40, it augered in through the trees yesterday. Don't know what happened for sure, but as it headed down a full throttle I had no control. Oh well, time to build something new. I'm considering the Sig SE for my next build and was wondering if there are any recommend mods to it like with the 4* (sheeted turtle deck, enclosed cowl, clipped wings, enlarged rudder, etc.)

Myself, I sheeted the turtledeck and relocated the alignment dowels from the fuselage into the wing. I have also read where some have added an inch or so to the rudder. The SE is a nice plane and can get exciting at times.

Here is a thread on mine and it includes most of the modifications that I did to mine. I would also do a search on RCU, there are tons of threads on the SE and many of them discuss the mods as well. Don't get put off on the time it took me to build the SE, it was more my fault than that of the kits'.

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_19...tm.htm#1914644

I sheet the deck on mine
Install a taller landing gear
I extended the rudder 1", it didn't help. Whats needed is
a push, pull system. An extra link is all that would be required.

The SE fuselage is all balsa and the doubles don't run all the way to the back.
The balsa was spliting or cracking during building.
The grain of the doublers is going in the same direction as the fuselage.
I installed 1/4 sprute stock rails from the mid section to the rear (top and bottom)
it didn't add much weight.
I also use ply for the last 1" of the bottom of the fuselage, this allowed
me to use a dubro tail gear and make it easier to mount the stabilazer wires.

I added a lyer of ply to the gear block section
It would help stiffen the fuselage a little and also give the block a little more
to area to grab on to. I had serveral hard landings and it held up fine.

I made a fuel tank hatch from the front bottom piece just as I would with a 4*
However, the SE is balsa. A thin coat of expoxy did the trick of harden the wood.
It was a good thing.... My battery pack was needed to be mounted under the tank
right up against the fire wall. I added rudder, deck and rails.lol

I worked out the bugs on a tower .46 and got the engine to run perfect without
problems. It gave the plane plenty of power or claim. A proper size prop helps.
The plane looped and rolled like there's no tommorow on high rates.
Much, much funner to fly than a 4*.
It won't float like a 4* during landings. Thank god for low rates.
I imagine it would be pretty fun to try and land it on high rates.lol
Mine didn't have any bad indencies that I notice, other then me
disintregrating it the other day.

The plane is actually lite. The only thing that suck about the SE is
waiting for low wind conditions to fly it.
It only took me two weeks to built it over the holidays. Its about the same as
building a 4*.

LEFT,

So in your opinion, would I be better off just building another 4 * or is there enough difference in the flying characteristics of the SE to rate it over the 4 *? Sorry to hear about the demise of your SE, it looked really nice. Here's what my 4 * looked like up until yesterday afternoon

I crashed me 4* .40 two prior.
that's a nice 4* star you have too...or you had.

I bashed my 4*....clip the wing, take out the diehedral
and all that good stuff, just so it can do more.

The personally like the SE more.
Defernently more capiable, but you can always tam it , by going to low rates.
It won't float like a 4* , but by no means it's a flying brick.
The thicker air foil just creates more drag that is all. Just keep
the power up a little bit more during landings. I didn't have any problems
at all.

As the instructions on the SE stated, You'll probably toss and twist
this thing around within minutes of your first take off. Which is exactly
what I did. It's actually a first virgin I'm ever put in the air from planes
I've built.

Plus the SE look much nicer if you sheet the deck.
I went looking for another SE at a HS...but it was sold out.
I'll have another one real soon I'm sure of it.

Anybody have any tips, pictures or links on how to best sheet the turtle deck on the SE?

Thanks,

Tycho

Connery,

Don't do it!

Stay well away from the SE. If you ignore this advice you will become yet another serial SE builder

You will build one, fly it like a maniac for however long, then eventually it will meet its demise. At this point you will realise that you are an addict, and will have no choice but to build another.

If you find this hard to believe read some of the posts on this dangerous product.


Terry

What is a "turtledeck"?

That's the deck behind the canope, to the tail (top side of the fuse). I would not sheet this, Monokote works junt fine, and you don't need the extra weight.

All i did to mine was put metal pushrods in, and a different tailwheel on. I didn't glue the cardboard wing tube in the fuse, so i could take the gas tank out. I want to get a taller landing gear, my 12*4 prop is now an 11 1/2*4. You will love this plane, keep the rates really low for the first flight.
Heres mine, I am getting an aluminum spinner, the blue one was just so i could fly.

I decided just to build this "first" one completely stock. Building is coomplete, and I have covered the fuse and tail feathers. All I have left to do is cover the wings, and install the radio. Construction of the entire airframe only took a weeks worth of evenings, but I've been trying to finish it for a few weeks now. Since I started teaching motorcycle safety classes again on the weekends, my time has been limited.

Good thinking. This way you'll get in the air and become addicted more quickly as Terry so humorously pointed out.

My next project will be my fourth SE and am going all out. It'll be fully sheeted, twin .25FXs, fiberglass covering and retracts. I'm also looking at the taped wing kit offered in the RCU marketplace section. Does anyone have any experience with that mod?