I have read in many threads here lately that the Sig Kavalier had been discontinued. It is true that it is not listed on Tower's web site lately. However, it is listed on Sig's web site. http://www.sigmfg.com

I ordered a Kavalier kit last Friday from the website and it arrived today.

I am not sure about that but I know that a guy in my club has one he built when moby dick was a minnow and it flies pretty good. SIG makes really good stuff just a little pricey but I have never bought or flown one(sig) yet

I am getting back into the hobby and wanted a Kavalier because of fond memories of one I built as a teenager a long, long, long time ago. It is a very nice kit. I will probably document the build this winter.

Check with SIG, sometimes Tower doesn't list everything. I just built one A couple of years ago for A customer. Nice build, built like A small tank and flys great. This one was for A club racing class and they fly fast too!!!!

Call me paranoid, but I went ahead and ordered one today. Now if I can just find a Kommander kit.....

Paranoid???
I was looking around in my photo file and found A shot of the last one I built. This is one fast little plane when all you want to do is go fast and turn left but it's even better when you want to do stunts.

Paranoid that they will be discontinued. Of course I got out of the hobby for about nine months and come back to find that the original Great planes "Ultra Sports" are back in production.........

I have a Sig Kougar kit ready to go and the Kavalier on the way. I think I will make templates of the parts for both planes for future use

After studying the plans a little last night I had this revelation. I am ordering another kit tonight. On the second plane I am going to finish sheeting the wing and fiberglass the whole plane. A little heavy, you say? That is the point. It would be something strong and simple that I have not spent six months building to practice fiberglassing. And the end result would be a fast, heavier plane as an intermediate trainer before stepping up to heavy metal warbirds. Whattaya think?

So is the Kavalier discontinued or what???

I don't beleave heavy flys better. I feel this plane is designed so strong it needs nothing else. As A mater of fact I used my hole saws to lighten it up and there was A lot more places it could have beed drilled to lighten it even more.
However to get into glassing this little plane can take the extra weight. I would use my own contest grade 1/16th sheeting though because the wood in the kit was very heavy to start with and if I recall right they used 3/32 for the sheeting.
I do have A friend that uses the lightest glass he can get and puts it on with {don't quote me on this} I think Minn Wax clear, not the water based stuff. It evaporates and weighs almost nothing when he is finished. Comes out looking way better then anything I have seen before. If you decide to glass it let me know and I will give you his email and he can walk you through how he does it and probably supply photos for you.
DB, I just happen to have the little Kobra on my bench right now. Building it for the same guy I built the Kav for and again for racing.
To copy the parts try using See Temp, they have A web site. Great product and easy to work with. The same builder I just mentioned sent me some of the stuff last Xmas to try and it's just too good of A product to keep to myself.

I ordered one from Sig's website last Friday and it arrived yesterday. It was listed in the regular catalog section, not the closeouts.

Having had no other communication with Sig, all I can say is that I have a shiny new Kavalier kit.

I got an order confirmation for mine today, so hopefully should show up next week.

GB, thanks for the info on the see-temp, I will definately look into that!

Gray Beard, I am definitely going to experiment with glassing. I am just getting back into the hobby after about 3 decades of no balsa joy. Besides a few trainer and sport kits, I am currently trying to collect some Royal warbid kits before they are all gone or tripple in price. I want to go at least 5 or 6 or 7 of the whole 9 yards into scale warbird land, which may explain my interest in glass and my aversion to film on a roll.

The Minwax idea makes me go hmmm. I do a little woodworking and am familiar with Minwax type products. Seems like balsa would soak it up like a sponge. Yes please, I would like to see some examples of this method. Does he have anything online here? I presume my email is available from one of these buttons. Thanks!

- Jan

Yes, you can still order one today. I am just finishing mine. I bought one on E-Bay a few weeks ago for next to nothing. It seems like it will be a nice flier. It came out right on the money for balance too.I might use the wing on another scratch build too, just take out the dihedral. Good design.

Hi Jan,

Gene (Gray Beard) emailed me and asked me to tell you about the way I glass my planes. I use the method and materials I read about here- http://home.mchsi.com/~jahuntley/help/help.html#Tip%202 and have always gotten excellent results. Basically it's using Deft brand brushing lacquer to bond the glass cloth to the surfaces of the plane instead of epoxy (messier and could be heavy) or water-based polyeurathane (slower drying, can warp sheeting). This is the only method I've actually tried but I can't imagine anything being easier or more foolproof. You'll want to do it outside or in a well-ventilated garage but that's the only real drawback. I added baby powder to the brushing lacquer for the last 2 coats on my latest project to fill the weave of the cloth and that worked great. I'll attach a couple of photos, one of the cloth going on the bottom of the wing and one of the completed plane. I use half ounce cloth and since the lacquer dries rock-hard I get a very tough and ding-resistant surface to paint on. Best of all, it adds very little weight since most of the stuff you brush on just evaporates away. Give it a try, I think you'll find it very easy to do and you'll be happy with the results.

Thank you so much for the information and the link. I have used Deft Laquer before but it never occured to me to try it as a replacement for resin. I will give it a try some time. Nice looking plane, btw.

- Jan

Hi Guys! I have friend that just bought a Kav kit the other day from Sig MFG. So, I guess they are not discontinued yet. lol

It's good to know. I still tell anyone looking to build to look into any of the SIG kits.
I wanted to show Klaatu some shots of A little Extra I was building and glassed using the system Dan sent you over to. Some minor changes but basicly the same way.