Sig Magnum

[pat maset]

Hi everyone, I am new to the board, and was woundering if anyone here had ever built a Sig Magnum? and if so did you have any troubles, or anything I should be on the look out for as I have one on my build table right now(just finished the wing, and tail feathers.

thanks for any insight.

Pat

[Dan McEntee]

  Hi Pat;
   You should have no troubles building the kit per instructions. Some guys have made changes or modifications to Magnums over the years, but it is a good airplane right out of the box. Try to keep the weight to as close to 60 ounces as possible, and watch the weight build up from the finish. But having said that, I have one where I got carried away with the finish and it came out at 72 ounces, and it still flew pretty good. I've seen them fly with everything from an OS.46 to ST.60's and powered mine with a stock ST.51.
    If there was one thing to caution you on, it's the wing joint. The instructions call to cut the bottom of the fuse away to allow the wing to slip in, which is pretty typical. After you have the wing installed, and you glue the fuse bottom back in, re-enforce the front and rear glue joints with extra doublers or light blocks. The joint tends to crack after some time due to vibration and is mainly unsightly.
   Good luck with it and have fun
   Type at you later,
  Dan McEntee

[FLOYD CARTER]

Reinforcement of the wing-fuselage joint is a weakness typical of almost all stunters, (except for the I-beamers).  Typically, fuselage sides are faced with thin plywood on the insides.  The edges of the ply should contact the wing surface sheeting as closely as possible, in order to transfer wing bending loads to the fuselage strucure.  This is just a fancy way of reminding you to strive for a close wing-fuselage joint all along the perimeter of the wing ribs.

A simple way of reinforcing this joint is to glue a strip of fiberglass along the wing-fuselage joint on the inside, where it doesn't show.

Floyd in OR

[Andrew Hathaway]

I built one as a profile and another per the kit a couple years later that still isn't painted.  If I were to do another I think I'd spend a bit of time reinforcing the landing gear.  I had a rough landing with the profile that cracked the skins top and bottom.  Ply clips tying the spar/gear to the leading edge might have helped.  Other then that I wish I'd thrown out the foam stabilizer cores and just built up a balsa core.  The cores from the kit weren't straight and the finished stabilizer was scalloped.  I wonder if the airfoiled, tapered stabilizer is really a benefit?  I'd probably do the next one flat to save building time and make it easier to align.  It's pretty obvious, but the hardware is a bit dated now... The 3" bellcrank and short control horns seem a bit out of place.  I think if I were to build one now I'd use a 4" bellcrank and longer horns.

[pat maset]

All,

Thanks for the tips so far. being somewhat new to C/L flying can anyone tell me what the bigger bell crank, and longer control horns do? Oddly enough I grew up only 10 miles from Brodacks place and had to come all the way to North Carolina to learn about C/L planes and flying. Any way thanks again, I am sure I will have more questions for everyone later.

Pat

[Gary Anderson]

All,

Thanks for the tips so far. being somewhat new to C/L flying can anyone tell me what the bigger bell crank, and longer control horns do? Oddly enough I grew up only 10 miles from Brodacks place and had to come all the way to North Carolina to learn about C/L planes and flying. Any way thanks again, I am sure I will have more questions for everyone later.

Pat

Hi Pat,

 Welcome to the forum, if you type in sig magnum in search, there is some article about the great magnum. I have two of the kits and use them for templates. The magnum is still one of the best plane to fly and she is beautiful in the air. Have a great day and have fun, Gary

[Charlie Pate]

Hi everyone, I am new to the board, and was woundering if anyone here had ever built a Sig Magnum? and if so did you have any troubles, or anything I should be on the look out for as I have one on my build table right now(just finished the wing, and tail feathers.

thanks for any insight.

Pat

Wait !Wait !Look at the weight
IMHO it needs to weigh under 64.oz
Nothing worse than a hanger Queen (ask me how I know)
I built two and highly reccommend them.
The only change I made was to put the landing gear in the body.
You might want to double cover the flaps (only) to keep them them from flexing.
I have sen them flown with everything from 46-60.
personally i would use at least a 51.
Pleasr keep us informed as to your progress.

[Andrew Hathaway]

being somewhat new to C/L flying can anyone tell me what the bigger bell crank, and longer control horns do?

The larger bellcrank/longer horns slow the control response down to smooth things out, while increasing leverage making the plane easier to fly. 

[Larry Cunningham]

The Magnum is a very good design and was a mainstay of competition for a long time.
With adequate power, it's a big old pussycat to fly. Lots of line tension and it goes
where it is pointed.

The only change I made to the one I built (and sold) was to plank the flaps and elevators
with 1/32" balsa. When I saw Mike Pratt at the 87 (89?) Nats, he said that wasn't a bad idea,
particularly if the covering was done in monokote. With dope, the strength was fine.

It's a good flyer with an ST .60, of course, but also ST .51s worked well, and I'm sure
there at least half a dozen other engines that would work well on it, in particular some
of the modern 4 strokes. The kit box showed at least one 4 stroke powered prototype.

I seem to remember Mike having a Magnum II design too (not kitted?). I may be nuts,
or senile (both?). Simply wrong?

I think weight is important, but Magnums seem to be pretty forgiving about it, when powered
with something beyond a .46 anyway. It's a big old foam winged ship! You'll like it.

L.

"My wife complained to me yesterday that I never take her
anywhere expensive anymore. So I took her to the gas station..." -Bill Morell

[pat maset]

I have been working with(getting help from) Mr. Alan Hayes from the Hayes Hobby house here in Fayetteville NC, he recomended, and I bought a Thunder Tiger .51 for the ship, so far it has gone together very well(aside for some of my bone headed blunders) The gear will be fuse mounted, as I can never seem to get wing mounted gear to last for some reason. I am busting my hump to keep weight down, but the plane is so BIG it seems to weigh a ton! we shall see. I will post some pictures when I can to see what everyone thinks. Take care all.

Pat

[Mike Greb]

I built a Magnum a decade or so ago.   I replaced the wing sheeting with lighter stock and used a monokote fuse/stab epoxy fuselage finish.   It came out about 57 oz.  The first motor was kind of a fox 40 compact.  I say kind of, because the motor started out as a fox mk5 36, the one with no front bearing.  The sleeve was bored out and honed to fit a fox 40 piston.  The sleeve thickness was less than the Ro-jett65, in other words thin!  I could fell the hone stone every time it made a rotation in the sleeve.  Somehow it came out straight enough to run.  I actually flew it with this motor for a good while.  Then came a Wylie 40, next a ST51,and finely a Ro-Jett 65 with pipe. The more power the better!

[Bill Hummel]

This past weekend at our meet in Lee, MA, Norm Liversidge flew a "stock" Magnum to a convincing first in Advanced.  He uses a Double Star 54, and this package handled the tricky winds very well!  The Magnum is still potent; wish someone would offer a short kit...

[pat maset]

The Magnum is in primer now, waiting for sanding, spot filling etc. when it is painted I will post pics. I am pretty happy so far with my first try at a large built up ship, we shall see.

Pat

[Clint Ormosen]

I have been working with(getting help from) Mr. Alan Hayes from the Hayes Hobby house here in Fayetteville NC, he recomended, and I bought a Thunder Tiger .51 for the ship,

A Thunder Tiger 51? Really? I wasn't aware of such an engine. Do you mean a Super Tigre 51?

[pat maset]

Yes I did mean Super Tiger, I was looking at a news paper on my desk talking about Thunder Storms, and it came out in my typing, sorry for the mix up.

Pat

[Bill Little]

Yes I did mean Super Tiger, I was looking at a news paper on my desk talking about Thunder Storms, and it came out in my typing, sorry for the mix up.

Pat

Hi Pat,

We will have to get together, soon.  Are you in Fayettenam proper?  I am in the Southern Pines/Aberdeen area, just across the reservation.  I have been going to Hayes Hobby House since it first opened (ask Alan when THAT was! LOL!!).

Bill Little

[pat maset]

Bill, I would love to get together! I have been pestering Alan to get together and fly at least once before I have to leave for Ft. Hood Tx. I live in a little town called Parkton south of Hope Mills. Alan has mentioned your name a few times. Any way maybe we could get together and fly at some point, I know I can use every bit of teaching I can get.

Pat

[Bill Little]

Bill, I would love to get together! I have been pestering Alan to get together and fly at least once before I have to leave for Ft. Hood Tx. I live in a little town called Parkton south of Hope Mills. Alan has mentioned your name a few times. Any way maybe we could get together and fly at some point, I know I can use every bit of teaching I can get.

Pat

Hi Pat,

I have been through Parkton many, many times!  (long story)  Let me know your phone number through a Private Message.

Bill