Post by ctdahle on Nov 20, 2005 8:04:25 GMT -7
Just to get a new topic going for the building season.
Here are some of the modifications that I like to make when building a Sig Four-Star 40. Feel free to add your own as well.
1) Living at high altitude, landings are fast and I have found that the landing gear rips loose pretty easily. Fortunately there is plenty of room to beef up the gear plate. I carry the load of the landing gear plate to a wider area of the fuselage by adding a couple of strips of triangle stock to the corners of the airplane's "chin".
I also overlay the gear block and the outside of the fuselage in this area with a layer of 3/4oz glass cloth. I extend this cloth inside the fuselage as well to reinforce the wing dowel location.
2) There is not a lot of structure immediately aft of the wing and a hard landing can snap the fuselage in half just behind the wing and cockpit area. Again, I overlay this area with glass cloth which I also extend to cover the wing bolt blocks. This entire area could also be strengthened significantly by replacing the threaded hardwood blocks with a single piece of plywood that runs accross the fuselage. Instead of relieving the blocks to accomodate the torque rods, aileron servos in the wing would be the way to go. My next four star will go this way.
3) It's not a bad looking airplane, but I've always thought a nice improvement would be to lay the engine on its side, install a Pitts style muffler, and add a set of cheek cowls to hide the cylinder. Properly done this could help the engine breath and cool a bit more efficiently, the way the Pattern boys do.
4) It's got a big wing and at sea level, the complaint is that it floats and is hard to get down on the ground. I don't have this problem at 8000 feet, but some suggest that cutting off one wing bay from each tip makes for a more responsive and hotter airplane.
5) After around 300 flights, my tailwheel fell off. The music wire strut simply broke at the bend, and before that, it was getting spongey where it was inset into the rudder. A real tailwheel bracket might be a good idea.
6) That Canopy. I like it, reminds me of a Piper Pawnee, a Thrush or any other low wing AG-CAP plane. I also believe that it adds a bit more side area which aids in knife edge flight. But others hate the way it sticks up. Nothing wrong with cutting the canopy down if you want.
7) Four Star P-40? As long as you leave the wing and tail in the specified location, you can mess around with the plane's profile and the outline of the tail feathers. Add an airscoop and call it a Four Star P-51, or re-arrange the turtledeck and get a Four Star P-47. I've also thought of doing a Hurri-Star or a Spit-Four, but the elliptical wing planform would be a lot of work and more scratch building than I like to do if I've actually broken down and bought a kit. Small changes in the size and shape of the ailerons could give you more of a "Warrior Wing" though.
8) The wing structure is strong and light, but that fuselage could be lighter if it was stick built. I'm thinking of stick building a FourStar fuselage for electric, but I'm waiting for the price of Li-Po's and brushless motors to descend a bit more first.
Here are some of the modifications that I like to make when building a Sig Four-Star 40. Feel free to add your own as well.
1) Living at high altitude, landings are fast and I have found that the landing gear rips loose pretty easily. Fortunately there is plenty of room to beef up the gear plate. I carry the load of the landing gear plate to a wider area of the fuselage by adding a couple of strips of triangle stock to the corners of the airplane's "chin".
I also overlay the gear block and the outside of the fuselage in this area with a layer of 3/4oz glass cloth. I extend this cloth inside the fuselage as well to reinforce the wing dowel location.
2) There is not a lot of structure immediately aft of the wing and a hard landing can snap the fuselage in half just behind the wing and cockpit area. Again, I overlay this area with glass cloth which I also extend to cover the wing bolt blocks. This entire area could also be strengthened significantly by replacing the threaded hardwood blocks with a single piece of plywood that runs accross the fuselage. Instead of relieving the blocks to accomodate the torque rods, aileron servos in the wing would be the way to go. My next four star will go this way.
3) It's not a bad looking airplane, but I've always thought a nice improvement would be to lay the engine on its side, install a Pitts style muffler, and add a set of cheek cowls to hide the cylinder. Properly done this could help the engine breath and cool a bit more efficiently, the way the Pattern boys do.
4) It's got a big wing and at sea level, the complaint is that it floats and is hard to get down on the ground. I don't have this problem at 8000 feet, but some suggest that cutting off one wing bay from each tip makes for a more responsive and hotter airplane.
5) After around 300 flights, my tailwheel fell off. The music wire strut simply broke at the bend, and before that, it was getting spongey where it was inset into the rudder. A real tailwheel bracket might be a good idea.
6) That Canopy. I like it, reminds me of a Piper Pawnee, a Thrush or any other low wing AG-CAP plane. I also believe that it adds a bit more side area which aids in knife edge flight. But others hate the way it sticks up. Nothing wrong with cutting the canopy down if you want.
7) Four Star P-40? As long as you leave the wing and tail in the specified location, you can mess around with the plane's profile and the outline of the tail feathers. Add an airscoop and call it a Four Star P-51, or re-arrange the turtledeck and get a Four Star P-47. I've also thought of doing a Hurri-Star or a Spit-Four, but the elliptical wing planform would be a lot of work and more scratch building than I like to do if I've actually broken down and bought a kit. Small changes in the size and shape of the ailerons could give you more of a "Warrior Wing" though.
8) The wing structure is strong and light, but that fuselage could be lighter if it was stick built. I'm thinking of stick building a FourStar fuselage for electric, but I'm waiting for the price of Li-Po's and brushless motors to descend a bit more first.