RE: Sig Hog Bipe
 

Yes you are correct, it is a very nice match. My hog flew beautifully with it, with power in reserve. My reasoning being that there have been several comments about the hog and a 91 4-stroke being a nice match as well. I have never owned a 4-stroke and have recently been interested in trying one out. I found a nice deal on a Magnum 91 fs so I thought I'd put it on the Hog, since it is kind of a lazier, beefier airframe. I thought a 4-stroke might compliment the airframe and I'm saving my Tower .75 for my newest build, extra 300, which will be a speedier, more sleek airframe. No disrespect to the Tower .75, I would still recommend it for any plane in that size range, very powerful and reliable motor.

RE: Sig Hog Bipe
 

Early on in the thread (1st page), vmsguy joked about the "Biplane Police" demanding all Hog Bipes fly with a 4-stroke engine. r2champion must have been "pulled over" and issued a citation ;)

RE: Sig Hog Bipe
 

Yep, they finally caught the Tater :) (a little Blue Collar Comedy Joke)!!!! Actaully I just decided to jump onto the 4-stroke bandwagon before I got caught! I was having dreams of the blue lights following behind me...they were closing in[&:]

RE: Sig Hog Bipe
 

Guess what showed up in the mail today? Yep, you guessed it, sheet 1 of 2 from SIG! They Rock!! I called them on Friday morning and I got the package today - no hassles; as it should be. [sm=thumbup.gif]

I had done some of the fuselage assemblies before noticing my "plan issue" and I'll post those pics here. I purchased the Great Planes adjustable engine mount for the Saito 100 instead of using the kit supplied one. Here are some pics of me marking the firewall (picture1) for the mount. I was impressed by the design of this adjustable mount. They give you a template for the mounting bolts that you drill to begin with, then the posts can slide further apart (while keeping the "base" hole pattern) - took me a bit to believe how simple this was - but it worked.

It was nice to see how the Saito looked on the firewall (picture3) ... I can almost hear it now.

Next I went on to the fuselage doublers, making sure I had a left and a right side, I glued them down and left them to cure overnight.

I came back and added the cabane support (P3 and P4). I tried to be careful here and not get glue in the opening of P3 as I've seen other's get bogged down here. I drew out the areas that needed glue on the fuse before proceeding (picture5). I then carefully applied CA for the P3 block and pressed it into position. I followed that up with the P4 support. All that was left was to drill out a hole and pound down the 4-40 blind nuts. The epoxy is curing on the blind nuts as I type this...

Next up - attaching the firewall and F3 former as the skeleton starts to take shape.

Picture1 - Firewall centerlines marked
Picture2 - Engine Mount drilled and temp secure
Picture3 - Ain't she perdy?
Picture4 - Fuselage doublers - quadruple checked for right and left sides ;)
Picture5 - Marked the cabane support before gluing
Picture6 - Completed fuse assemblies and cabane support

RE: Sig Hog Bipe
 

ya, i'm using ultracoat. It's a lot easier to work with than monokote in my opinion. The adhesive on the back is a little less tacky than monokote, but that's a small con that is heavily outweighed by the pros.

Also, plan out your throttle linkage. It's a little funny with the saito 100. The throttle arm on the carb is exactly even with the side of the motor mount which makes things a little difficult. The throttle arm is also a little high, but if you turn it around to be on the lower side of the carb, it hits the motor mount! [:@] I am going to use a 180 deg bend in mine coming thru the fire wall about 1.5" below the throttle arm, i hope it works! I'll post a pic of mine when i get it setup

Also, i'm not sure if you have you fuel tank yet, but the dubro 14oz fits perfectly. It slides in and out without any problems - no need for a fuel tank hatch. Be sure to plan this one out too, i'm sure glad i did!!

RE: Sig Hog Bipe
 

Agree on the UC being a bit easier to use. I have both in my shop, and will likely use the UC on the HOG. I had the same throttle problem with my SSE and a Saito .56. I used the 180 degree pushrod method and it worked just fine. Let me know and I'll snap a pic if you want. Its not the most elegant solution, but it works.

I did purchase the Du Bro 14oz tank. I will however be fabricating a hatch. Maybe I'm just paranoid, or enjoy over-engineering the solution [8D] , but I just feel better having a hatch to get the tank in/out - and provide some much needed space should I ever need to get my meaty hands in there! I see this is where SIG suggests putting the receiver and the landing gear bolt in under the tank too.

I need to get this figured out ASAP as I am right there on the plans/assembly. The directions say to glue F1A to the back of the firewall to support the stringers. I did NOT do this. I figure this piece will be the front of the tank hatch. I will have to fabricate a back piece (likely a mirror of F-2) that will sit in front of F-2. I am thinking of attaching the F1A piece with 2 or 3 small dowels (glued onto the firewall) and rare earth magnets to hold on the back. I am certainly open to suggestions if there's a better way!!!

-MA

RE: Sig Hog Bipe
 

What brand covering and brand paint? Looks like a great match to note!

I used Ultracote Corsair Blue on my Herr Pitts Special Bipe w/ Krylon Fusion Navy paint on my cowl in the below pic. It's a shade off but it's pretty close to the naked eye. Seems my camera picks it up more. Thinking a coat of black before the application of the Navy mighta helped darken it a bit? Cleared with Minwax spray polyurethane.

somegeek

RE: Sig Hog Bipe
 

The basic hatch design sounds like it will work.
While I have heard of using magnets, I have never used them to hold anything onto one of my airplanes, so I don't know if that part of the design is a good solution or not.
If I recall correctly my fuel tank foam presses against the section that will be your hatch, those magnets would have to be really strong for me to trust them.
I am a screw the hatch on kind of guy and do not find the appearence of the screws to be offensive, in fact if the screws are small and well placed I think they are an enhancement.
My H.B. was built without a hatch so this is just conversation.

RE: Sig Hog Bipe
 

Great thread MasterAlex and all the contributors!

I have a Goldberg Ultimate 10-300 kit sitting in the corner. As a result of the collective enthusiasm demonstrated in this (and other threads) and the fact that I just like the looks of the Hog Bipe much more than the Ult, I called my LHS to see if he would take it back so that I can swap it for a Hog Bipe kit - he said YES. Can't wait to finish my current build (a bashed Kadet Senior) and then figure out whether to build my Somethin' Extra or the Hog Bipe. Tough decisions. :)

RE: Sig Hog Bipe
 

Wow, what a tough dilema to have....congrats on the Hog Bipe, you'll love the build and flying. Here's and idea: Start building the Somethin extra now, maiden it on Friday, then start the Hog Bipe this weekend. The something extra can seriously be built in a couple of long days. The Hog Bipe on the other hand, took me a bit longer! They are both fun builds...the main thing is to enjoy the building process. Good luck with both!

RE: Sig Hog Bipe
 

My SSE hatch used screws (but on the inside) to affix. I've never used magnets either. I'd hate for that puppy to fly off in flight, but I do like the notion of no visible screws.

-MA

RE: Sig Hog Bipe
 

How about using these for hold downs? [link]http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXDMM0&P=0[/link]

They come with screws that have about an 1/8th of an inch from the head of the screw that doesn't have threads (you can see some of them in the pic if you look closely). These holddowns (the end sticking up in the pic, not the hook part)can be snapped onto this part of the screw and they hold firmly. I realize that illustrating with words isn't my specialty, but here goes. You could make the front (or rear) of the hatch held down with dowels/holes. The other end of the hatch could be held by securing the supplied screws into the inside of the fuselage sides, and mounting these angle brackets to the hatch itself. They would fit to where when you slide the dowels into place on one end, the other end would snap into place over the screws, securely holding it into place. Make sense?

RE: Sig Hog Bipe
 

Hey cool hooks, I have never seen these before.
What you describe makes sense, but I would have to try it out for myself to see how strong it is.
I guess I am in the same spot with this as I am with the magnets.
Looks good on paper but I don't know how it will work in the real world.
If the hatch was not going to hold the fuel tank in place the magnets or these hooks would surely get the job done.
If there is enough holding power with either I would think that it migh be easy to damage the hatch by taking it on and off.
Of course the goal is to install it and leave it alone.
If non-essential visible screws are unacceptable the idea of hidden screws would be the solution I would personally look into.
But as I said earlier I am a screw the hatch on kind of person.

RE: Sig Hog Bipe
 

I follow you ...

Sounds like it would work. Have you ever used these little guys? I wonder how long they last and their "holding power".

-MA

RE: Sig Hog Bipe
 

I would encourage you to try them sometime. I have successfully a few times. You would be suprised by the holding strength when they are snapped into place. As far as removal, it takes a little lift from both sides simultnouesly and they pop right off. You can also sand the opening little by little until you get the fit that you want.

RE: Sig Hog Bipe
 

If I have any left, I'd be happy to mail you a set no charge if they will help with your build. If you want, Chasnit or Alex, PM me your address and I'll see if I can dig up a few.

RE: Sig Hog Bipe
 

Your offer is very generous and I have done the same on here, but I will not take your "stuff".
I have added the hooks to my Tower Hobbies wish list so I won't forget about them.
I always need some stuff like this to round out an order to get the maximun discount.

RE: Sig Hog Bipe
 

somegeek: I'm using Ultracoat along with some random paint from Home Depot or Lowes (i can't remember). I just picked the color that matched the best. See attached pic for brand of paint

On to why i'm making this post - my horizontal stab is done being covered. SHEW - WHAT DID I GET MYSELF INTO?!?! Being incredibly picky about details, it took me a LONG time to cover the stab, hopefully the wings won't take as long. I suppose a good amount of the time was spent figuring out angles for the bursts, so i think with that being done, the wings may go a little faster. However, I'm pretty happy with the outcome of stab. It's not perfect and it's a hair different from the box cover, but like i said, i'm happy with it...

RE: Sig Hog Bipe
 

Those bursts look good! I like the curved tips. Still have the burst look but no worries regarding edges peeling up.

That Herr Pitts I built is towards the smaller side... this was originally designed to be powered by a .074. I like to build a clean plane as well. Funny how little things stand out very easily on those smaller plans. The next plane I build that small is going to get silk/tissue and dope.

Enough of my hijacking here... :D

somegeek

RE: Sig Hog Bipe
 

My apologies for getting out of sequence here but the firewall kick-started a question.

Most pics that I have found show a normal, upright engine installation. Any Bipe-specific issues on side or inverted mounting? (other than the obvious cowl cheeks). If a RV-4 or other cowl is in the future, what's the downside?

Also, in general, do Hog Bipes build nose or tail heavy?

Enquiring minds ...

RE: Sig Hog Bipe
 

As far as mounting the engine sideways or inverted, I wouldn't think it would be any different for a bipe than any other plane. You should have plenty of room to adjust the tank height as necassary.

My hog built exactly on the cg without any weight added with a .75 sized motor and the battery in the usual position.

RE: Sig Hog Bipe
 

Sig does a pretty good job with the balancing. This is my third sig plane (two kits and one arf), the first two are still flying, the third being this hog. Both of the flyable ones balanced without any lead, putting the batteries in the recommended places. I checked the balance on my hog to see where i should put the servo tray in, and the thing balanced PERFECTLY on the CG. Great planes has a knack for this too. I have two planes made by Great Planes (one kit and one arf) that needed zero lead, putting the batteries right on the CG.

RE: Sig Hog Bipe
 

Well mine would have balanced perfectly if this fat bear wouldn't have crawled in the cockpit. I have an O.S 91 4 stroke in the teal/white Hog Bipe I just recently built. I also used a Saito 100, and a Magnum 91 4 stroke in my earlier Light Blue/White Hog Bipe I built. I have found that all 3 engines provide ample power for the Plane, and they balance well with any of those three engines. As I said, I do have some lead in the nose of my new Hog Bipe, but only because I have a fat pilot sitting behind the cg.

RE: Sig Hog Bipe
 

Man all these Hogs look absolutely beautiful ... I'm thinking of cutting off the thread before I start covering ;).

Seriously though, I hope I can do this justice given all the fine examples you guys are sharing. ckangaroo70, love the teal!

-MA

RE: Sig Hog Bipe
 

Thanks Champ! Offers like this are what make RCU so cool. Thank you, but like chasint, I am going to pass. I am very intrigued by the magnet option and I've been playing around with some rare earth magnets that I picked up at Hobby Lobby (craft store, not the RC distributor) - see picture1. I wanted to see how strong these magnets were and judge if they had the holding power to keep the hatch on. I was surprised, to say the least. These aren't the flimsy magnets that hold your stereo cabnet shut. I actually had trouble separating the magnets from one another and had to slide them apart - pulling in opposite directions just wasn't going to get it done. I decided to makeup a mock former and see how well this "stuck" to the metal supports I have in my basement shop (picture2). I CA'd the magnets to the "former", let the CA cure and brought the "former" near the pole - SNAP! The attraction surprised me and the former snapped onto the pole and held tight. Based on this completely unscientific test, I think this will work for me. Hey, that's the beauty of building, if it doesn't work, I'll fabricate a hatch that uses the screw method.

I figure the "back end of the hatch will be held on with magnets and the front will have dowels through the firewall. The airflow will try and lift up the hatch at the front (not happening with the dowels) and will be less of a factor at the "back" of the hatch. If, after I build this, it appears that it's not going to work, I'll add the screw re-inforcement before the maiden.


Picture1 - Rare earth magnets 1/2" diameter
Picture2 - Quick mockup of former and magnet configuration