At FTFF 16 there was a guy selling all kinds of planes, from kits to just-about-flyable. A few of his offerings were of interest to me, including some good-size warbirds like the Mustang and Corsair (both balsa kits, started but never completed). One plane still hanging in his trailer caught my attention, the Sig Astro Hog. It's a low-wing trainer that was being produced as early as 1957, although this plane is nowhere near that old. This plane is still in production and can be considered an RC classic. I couldn't pass up on the price and purchased it. The big problem was trying to get it home, since my dad and I had a number of planes already packed into the truck, along with clothes, tools, and other supplies. It took some doing, but even with the Astro Hog loaded we ended up with more open space going home than we did going to Ohio! 
Some Astro Hog stats from the Sig website:
This is another Sig kit that I had wanted to build for a while. Finding one coated with dust and needing a new home is the next best thing, as I love rescuing good planes like this! After arriving home I attached the wing and took some "before" pictures. This one was set up in the trike configuration, although builders could also go with the classic tail-dragger setup. She possibly could be flown with the covering that was on it, but it's a little brittle and I wouldn't want to chance it. During the re-build, the plan is to covert it over to electric and give it a solid once-over to make sure it's safe to fly. Sig still sells the kit and parts in case I find any major problems.
First up is the wing. It's solid and doesn't feel like there are any hidden problems, but as said earlier, the covering is brittle so at the very least it needs to be re-covered. The servo works fine, but that will probably be updated as well. I'm not sure what "ALWAYS" on the port wing means...?
The Hog uses a single servo to control the ailerons. If I were building this from scratch or a kit I'd probably set it up with a servo for each aileron.
There were only a few small holes in the covering. The person who did the covering job had a few layers on top of each other. Overall, it was serviceable and appears to have worked well for him for a lot of flights.
I found a few repairs to the wing, including the starboard wingtip.
About 90 minutes later I had all of the plastic film removed. The color leached into the balsa over the years making it look like the covering is still on it. After a close inspection, there are only a couple dings in the balsa which need attention, and I'll need to do a little repair work on the ailerons to fix the balsa I damaged removing them. New hinges will be used, since the previous owner used CA hinges and I prefer pinned hinges. Other than the color-stained wood, I'm very happy with what I see so far!
Yes, Patrick. I'm starting another plane. But before starting this one, I fixed to others which were sidelined needing some repairs.
Some Astro Hog stats from the Sig website:
- Wingspan 71 in 1803 mm
- Wing Area 824 sq in 53.2 dm²
- Length 51 in 1295 mm
- Flying Weight 7 - 7.5 lb 3175 - 3402 g
- Radio Required 4-Channel with 4 Servos (not included)
- Engine Required: 2-Stroke .40 - .60 cu. in. (6.5 - 10.0 cc)
- or: 4-Stroke .60 - .80 cu. in. (10.0 - 13.1 cc)
This is another Sig kit that I had wanted to build for a while. Finding one coated with dust and needing a new home is the next best thing, as I love rescuing good planes like this! After arriving home I attached the wing and took some "before" pictures. This one was set up in the trike configuration, although builders could also go with the classic tail-dragger setup. She possibly could be flown with the covering that was on it, but it's a little brittle and I wouldn't want to chance it. During the re-build, the plan is to covert it over to electric and give it a solid once-over to make sure it's safe to fly. Sig still sells the kit and parts in case I find any major problems.
First up is the wing. It's solid and doesn't feel like there are any hidden problems, but as said earlier, the covering is brittle so at the very least it needs to be re-covered. The servo works fine, but that will probably be updated as well. I'm not sure what "ALWAYS" on the port wing means...?
The Hog uses a single servo to control the ailerons. If I were building this from scratch or a kit I'd probably set it up with a servo for each aileron.
There were only a few small holes in the covering. The person who did the covering job had a few layers on top of each other. Overall, it was serviceable and appears to have worked well for him for a lot of flights.
I found a few repairs to the wing, including the starboard wingtip.
About 90 minutes later I had all of the plastic film removed. The color leached into the balsa over the years making it look like the covering is still on it. After a close inspection, there are only a couple dings in the balsa which need attention, and I'll need to do a little repair work on the ailerons to fix the balsa I damaged removing them. New hinges will be used, since the previous owner used CA hinges and I prefer pinned hinges. Other than the color-stained wood, I'm very happy with what I see so far!
Yes, Patrick. I'm starting another plane. But before starting this one, I fixed to others which were sidelined needing some repairs.
