Sig Kadet Senior, Rescue & Rebuild

[Joker 53150]

Great modification in the name of safety. There is one small change I would recommend if your parts allow it. You put the male plug in the fuselage, leaving two long connectors exposed which could potentially short and power the ESC if something conductive touched them or got stuck in the receptacle. (zipper pull, key ring, lanyard clip, loose wire, paper clip, who knows.)
The possibility is slim because the male plugs are recessed into the receptacle, but it would be safer to put the female side of the plug in the fuselage and have the male plug into them. Just a thought. Enjoy!

You're absolutely correct, it could happen. There were no instructions with it (big surprise from Hobby King on that) so I tried it both ways and it *COULD* work with the plug reversed, but it was difficult to get the removable plug installed. It would have to fit evenly between the black housing and the yellow plug and the pieces shift a bit when pushed. It's hard to explain, but it's far easier to plug it in this way. Some epoxy would probably help hold things together if the XT60 connections were flipped around, but then it wouldn't be removable or serviceable. Overall I'm not too worried, the chances are slim that something metal will hit the contacts while a battery is installed.

 

[ElGorilla]

I'm re-building my own 24 year old Kadet Senior and converting it to electric power, just as you did with this bird. I read the entire thread with great interest. I looked all over and I couldn't find the type of motor you used for this airplane. I'm using a Turnigy G46 550 KV with a 5000 mAh battery as I expect I'll need that kind of power. Which motor did you use?

 

[Joker 53150]

Good choice, I’m using the G46 as well. Not sure which KV version though. It proved to be a perfect match for this plane and I highly recommend it. Mine is using 5 cell 5000mAh packs which give it a nice flying weight.

 

[ElGorilla]

Great! I may start my own thread on my Kadet Senior conversion. I've only stripped out the old motor and fuel tank and I just got the electrical hardware today. It should be a very fun project. Fortunately for me, my Kadet has been treated with kid gloves and is in pretty good shape, so it won't take nearly the level of work yours did.

 

[Joker 53150]

After a year or so flying the Kadet Senior I'm 100% sold on it being a fantastic design, one that should always be in my hangar. So to help make sure that happens I picked up a couple more Kadet Senior kits! I have to go through both kits to see how complete they are, but the great thing about this design is that most parts are simply balsa sticks or wing ribs. Everything can be re-made as needed with little effort. Both kits have had the wing started along with one horizontal stabilizer. Construction looks decent, although a bit aged. The strange thing is that there were instructions for the Sig Kadet Seniorita also included, so maybe one of the kits is actually a Seniorita and not a Senior. Both wings are certainly for the Senior. I also picked up a Goldberg Eagle 2 that was built to the point of being covered, but never finished. It really needs a full re-covering, but the overall condition of the balsa is nice and solid. All 3 combined for $50, not a bad deal. More stuff to add to my stash!

 

[rockyboy]

All 3 combined for $50, not a bad deal. More stuff to add to my stash!

You keep finding these crazy deals! What's the secret?

 

[Joker 53150]

You keep finding these crazy deals! What's the secret?

This was from the "friend of a friend" network. My friend picked up a couple other planes from the guy who was just trying to unload a bunch of stuff he knew he'd never get around to building.

 

[rockyboy]

This was from the "friend of a friend" network. My friend picked up a couple other planes from the guy who was just trying to unload a bunch of stuff he knew he'd never get around to building.

And this is why we should all talk about RC planes to everyone we know, even when they roll their eyes and look at their phones. Never know when the "friend of a friend" will have some cool RC stuff needing a new home!

 

[JTarmstr]

And this is why we should all talk about RC planes to everyone we know, even when they roll their eyes and look at their phones. Never know when the "friend of a friend" will have some cool RC stuff needing a new home!

B-b-but, they dont roll their eyes, they just say 'Nerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrd'.

 

[rockyboy]

B-b-but, they dont roll their eyes, they just say 'Nerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrd'.

 

[Joker 53150]

Just to twist the knife, the guy I got the kits from only asked $20 for all 3, but that was so cheap I felt guilty and paid $50 - still a great deal.

 

[rockyboy]

Just to twist the knife, the guy I got the kits from only asked $20 for all 3, but that was so cheap I felt guilty and paid $50 - still a great deal.

 

[Joker 53150]

After some sorting of the two Kadet Senior kits last night I found there is enough wood to build about 1-1/2 fuselages, meaning some pieces are missing. Not a big deal as it's all sticks and flat sheet, and the die-cut parts all appear to be there. Both kits have hardware for landing gear, control horns, etc. I'll probably just consolidate all good wood into one box and put it on the shelf for the future. Still a solid deal.

 

[Billsbane]

Great job on the rescue and refurbished senior. I got lucky a couple weeks ago and got a senior in great shape covered just like the one on the senior box at a swap meet with a super tigre 40 motor for $40. Couldn’t believe it. Been wanting one for a long time. I’m taking the st40 off and putting an eflite 46 on it which I also picked up at the same swap meet. The force was with me that day.

 

[Tug_Flyer]

Nice save. I have my Kadet Seniorita that I built 20 something years ago as a young teenager. It’s got one flight on it with an instructor pilot and has been in various hangars since. I’ve been getting into fixed wing flight in general this summer after 2 years of pretty involved helicopter training and found that all the orientation practice make fixed wing super easy. Don’t get me wrong, a balsa plane is much different from hand launching small foamies in the hay field near my house. This will be flown at a club once I join, and hopefully with a more experienced pilot looking on. I want to fly it on the original skysport 4 radio just so it’s “original” then put in a receiver and set it up on my computer radio for all the benefits of expo and dual rate, throttle cut etc.... I plan on leaving mine nitro for the originality. I have been eyeing a Senior kit though to have a matching pair one day! Maybe with a flat wing and ailerons.

 

[Joker 53150]

The funny thing about Kadets and Telemasters is that you can never have just ONE. My buddy is cleaning out a bunch of planes he doesn't fly anymore and projects he knows he'll never get around to, so I stepped in to help him and will pick a couple up next weekend. Included in the mix is a Kadet Senior, which could be flyable by just adding an engine and electronics. However, the covering is a bit worn out so my eventual game-plan is to do a minor rescue on it and add a gas engine. I love flying the electric version, and will probably love the gas plane even more!

Also in the mix of stuff I'm picking up is a Bud Nosen Trainer (102" wingspan) that I actually sold to him a couple years ago. I picked it up off Craigslist just needing the engine and electronics for $60, sold it to him for $60, and am buying it back for $60. Whoever built it did a nice job and I have no plans on changing the way it looks.

Last is a built Pica kit of the Cessna 182 in 1/6 scale (72" wingspan). It appears to have been flown and construction is good, although it's got a big hole in the cowl from a 4-stroke glow engine. Covering needs a little attention but other than that I may leave it as-is. It'll probably get a new cowl and will probably get a gas engine as well.

Most of this weekend has been spent trying to make room by building a rack for the giant scale planes, and now I'm screwing it up by adding more. It's a sickness... The rack is turning out well, it holds 8 planes in 1/4 and 1/3 scale plus a bunch of wings in a space only 48" wide (floor to ceiling in the basement). My 1/3 scale Sopwith Pup project is far too tall to fit in the rack without major changes, so that one will probably have to find space on the floor elsewhere.

 

[Joker 53150]

Well, here's the latest Kadet Senior to join my fleet. Unlike my other Kadet, this one was covered with transparent film to show off the construction - a proper way to finish off one of these classic birds.

Originally powered by a glow engine, my plan is to convert it to gas - probably 17cc. The nose needs some repairs and the windshield is brittle. The wing is also the old-school rubber band mounted. Most likely I'll keep it stock like that, it adds some nice flavor to the style.

The tail is in good shape, and I only noticed a few small spots that need attention prior to re-covering. A couple ribs and some shear webbing needs sanding, the corner supports on the horizontal stab don't fit well, and a couple stringers on the fuselage were spliced and braced in kind of a rough way.

All that stuff should be fairly easy and quick to do - some day. The color scheme looks very nice and my plan is to re-use these colors and slightly tweak the final design. Have I said I really love the Kadet series?