submikester

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Post pictures please! I love to see Kougar pics. As I've said before this will be my 3rd or 4th Kougar - I've always done them using the aileron torque rods with no trouble - what is the trouble you have had with them? In my experience they work well enough as the plane doesn't need a great deal of throw to be snappy.

What I have always loved about the Kougar was the speed (moderately fast), the maneuverability, snap rolls and nice nose high (jet like) landings and touch and goes.

My previous Kougars all had Fox 50s in them, the last one was piped and it was pretty fast. This one will have a magnum 46 xls on it. I expect it to be quite fast enough.

Jim_Purcha

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Nice snowbird paint scheme. I thought of copying that years ago too.

submikester

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Rough sanded the second wing half today including the leading and trailing edges and the wing tip. Then I worked on them to join them - for a Kougar as with any airframe this is an important step in the build process. If the wing has a twist built into it it simply won't loop straight and I have known many Kougar owners who have this issue. I believe it is because of the rough sanding done prior to joining the wings. This gives a rough shape to the leading and trailing edge which may not match perfectly on each half. My solution is to measure the centerline of the wing based on the thickness of the foam and make sure that both halves line up based on that centerline. Then once they are aligned and glued together one can shape them finally to the desired complementary shape of the foam airfoil.

The picture shows this centerline and it looks off but I think that is just an optical illusion - I measured carefully and even compared the top and bottom halves on each wing panel to ensure that they were as close to right on as I could get reasonably.

submikester

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Amazing progress!!!

Actually I had the frame up of the fuse done about a year ago...

Mode One

I had a great time with my Kouger, loved that plane. Have considered building another, however, I wonder about it's performance in comparison with what is available today. Care to comment? I powered mine with an O.S. "Blackhead" .60. Plenty of "smutz" in the day. Crashed it out on a lake in the middle of winter maybe 1987 or there abouts.

heli_Rod

Sig Kougers are a super planes! I've had at least 4 over the years. Sweet flying planes. I drew up plans for an all wood built up wing on the last one I had. It was considerably lighter and very strong. It even had Vortec bomb drops in both wings.

I covered all mine in moneykote, except for the last one. I covered it with silkspan and dope then spray painted it with perfect paint camo from rattle cans. I'll have to see if I can find a pic to post. It was a cool plane.

One of my flying buddies used to chase my Kouger around the skys with a Great Planes Sportster. Mine was powered with a K&B .40 and his with an O.S. .40. He was a little faster, but I could always out manuever him. The Sportser died when he accelerated stalled and went into the concrete, trying to turn inside me......HAHAHAHA..scratch one boogie! Gooood times.....Good times!

Rod

submikester

My Feedback: (6)

Tonight I'm working on the pre-final touches to the wing. Getting the torque rods in place and the blocking to conform to the fuse and such and then mounting to the fuse and such. Hopefully in the next hour or so I'll get a lot of that done - otherwise I hope to be glassing the center section tomorrow night.

I'll post some pics of my progress a little later.

Regarding the covering - I am slightly tempted to consider glassing it because I have never done it before.

Okay, I've slightly considered it and now I will go back to my original plans to use monokote.

submikester

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My intentions are not to build a speed machine but just to build a nice kougar simply because it's a great plane, probably second only to a kaos or ultra sport.

I also have an Ultra Sport 60 in need of some repair which is the project right after this one.

submikester

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Went to the Chino Air Show today instead of working on the Kougar - Last night I Was getting ready to drill the holes for the wing mount bolts in the wing and the mounting blocks.


Here's a few pictures:

submikester

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The wing is mounted; I love tapping the hard wood mounts - don't know why but it always feels like I've done something right or passed a milestone in the build at that point.

submikester

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Little further - hopefully I'll have the center glassed by tomorrow - that wood putty has to dry over night probably before I can sand it. I used a chunk of the foam that the wings are cut from to make the form where the wing meets the fuse and just covered it lightly with wood putty to fill in the gaps. It isn't a load bearing section so I don't anticipate any need for real strength there. I'll be glassing that center section anyway but it was much easier than cutting a chunk of balsa - I was having trouble finding a scrap the right size and that foam is precut to just the right shape.

Mode One

I just might have to build one again. Before Sig stops offering them, hopefully.

heli_Rod

It's good to see someone building the Kouger again. It's such a great airplane. I can't even imagine how many gallons of fuel I have run through flying a Kouger.

Like so many other great kits, it will probably drop into obscurity soon and go the way of the Dodo bird. I am surprised that Sig has kept it available this long.

I think after I finish getting settled in from moving down here to Florida, I'll make the wood wing plans I drew up available to anyone who wants them. They are kit quality plans and are lighter that the foam wings.

Keep those posts coming, submikerster. I'm enjoying watching your progress.

Rod

submikester

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Well, I glassed the bottom last night and the top tonight - looks good but it needs a little clean up once things have finished setting up.

coming along well...

submikester

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Forgot one...

BillS

The Kougar is a great airplane. I have two flying, one retired after 17 years and 548 flights, and one ready for radio gear, and one that needs to be covered and finished.

Bill

submikester

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It's coming along; this evening I did some work around the firewall and put that large chin block down and rough shaped it.

At this point it's building quickly but I'm only doing a little at a time trying to pay close attention to the details. I think that before the end of next week I'll be close to finish sanding keeping up at the pace I'm at.

submikester

My Feedback: (6)

More sanding work; installed the landing gear just to get a picture of it on its legs.

I need to clean up my work bench and get my bearings in the manual before I continue. Hopefully tomorrow will be a good night of building with some more significant progress.

submikester

My Feedback: (6)

Started working on fitting the ailerons and a few clean up issues around the bottom chin block. Picked up the tank I need at the hobby store and forgot to look at any paint I am going to need.

bummer - now I'll have to go back later this weekend....

Jon.

What do you plan on useing for covering the kougar?

submikester

My Feedback: (6)

Monokote will be the covering material.

Been a long week and I didn't have as much time as I'd hoped to work on it but I got down there tonight and finished up the ailerons mostly and cut out the tail feathers. Man, cutting those things out without a scroll saw is a pain. I need to get one of those...when I had build the previous Kougars I was living at home with my parents many years ago and Dad had a scroll saw. He says it is just sitting on the shelf now and that he might send it to me - I'll have to hound him on it.

Anyway, cut them out and set them up with some wood glue (instead of CA) to glue them together. I'm trying to get away from CA for building as it's just a pain and causes me to rush and make mistakes. I don't plan on wood glue being my answer but I haven't purchased the titebond I intended to try yet so I just used it since it was on hand.

heli_Rod

You can build without a scroll saw? I didn't think that was possible!...LOL I bought a nice craftsman years ago. I simply couldn't exist without it!

I've been getting away from the CA glues also. The last few years they have been causing me to have respiratory problems if I suck in fumes. I built with plain old Elmer's glue when I was a kid. That's all we had around the house. It doesn't sand well though. It just rolls up in a ball. Lately I've been using Titebond II almost exclusively. It works great and sands easily.

Have you decided on a color and trim scheme yet?

Rod

jollyroger

My Feedback: (6)

All great looking Kougars!
Subm: Looking good so far, much further than I've got with mine. So far I added lightening hole to the fuse behind the wing saddle and have to do the same with the tail feathers. I had a former come loose as it appears there was not nough epoxy. Will use Gorilla glue next.
Has anybody converted to dual aileron servos? If so, how should I attempt this? Should I sheet the wing and then route the servo bay and wire lead channel? I would use HS-85MG for the ailerons as they are quite robust for their size.
I've got so many projects on the table, I really need to concentrate on one until it is finished. So here goes.
cheers jollyroger

submikester

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If you look earlier in the thread you can see an example of the scheme I'm planning.

I don't think this design needs dual aileron servos - the ailerons are pretty small and don't require much throw so the torque rod work pretty well in my experience.

heli_Rod

I agree that putting in dual servos is probably not worth the time and effort. I flew several Kougers over the years and they all had only one servo on the ailerons. It flew fine and there was never a problem.

Actually, I not even sure how using 2 servos for all the controils ever got started. We used to fly .60 size pattern ships, pylon racers, etc. and never used 2 servos. Oh well. that's progress!

Rod

PS, I looked back in the post, DUH....that's what happens when you get old and forget....LOL. I had one very similar to that scheme. I had bomb props on it too. It's gonna sweet when you're done !