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It was obvious as soon the Somethin' Extra box was opened that Sig had a winner with this kit. Every single piece is laser cut and it simply falls out of the sheet. All the necessary hardware is included except for the usual items such as wheels, engine, radio, etc. Sig even went the extra mile by including the necessary hardware for the finishing touches such as the wheel pants and flying wires. One item that is worth mentioning is the use of a cable for the throttle instead of a wire. This has proven to be the best method for operating the throttle. This kit can be built quickly. Covering was being applied to the Somethin' Extra by the second day. Construction of the wing is conventional, but care must be taken when fitting the cardboard tube in the ribs. The instruction manual says to insert the tube after the ribs have been joined to the spars. It is recommended that the tube be inserted in the ribs before gluing the ribs to the spars. The cut-out for the cardboard tube in the ribs is a very snug fit and can be easily broken. It is a lot easier to work with the cardboard tube and ribs before everything is glued together. The fuselage and control surfaces build like a puzzle. Every piece fits exactly. The ailerons, rudder, and elevator use only four pieces of balsa each; one in the front, one in the back and one on each side. This, along with the tabs for the fuselage, greatly speeds theuilding process. After initial flight testing, one modification was made to the kit. Leftover balsa stock was used to increase the rudder area by two inches. This gave the needed rudder throw to do some spectacular manuvers. Initial flight testing showed this aircraft to be everything it was advertised to be; a Fun-Fly type aircraft that did not look like one. When setting up the aircraft, there was some concern because both wings are held together with only one rubber band. To date, the Somethin' Extra has been flown many times and nothing has happened yet. It took about 50-100 feet to rotate and some right rudder correction was needed but not very much. Throws on all the control surfaces were set up as the manual suggested. This plane flies just like any other Fun-Fly. Rolls both left and right are axial and very fast. Stalls are straight forward and very predicatable. Using a OS 46FX with an APC 11.5 x 4 prop, it is easy to get the Something' Extra to torque roll. The only part of the Sig Somethin' Extra’s flight performance that was not up to par was its knife edge performance. Even after the CG was moved back farther than the instructions indicated, it still would not hold knife edge flight. Four and eight point rolls are perfect, but it cannot hold a knife edge for a sustained period. Increasing the area on the rudder helped a little. Basically, this is a great kit for anyone with enough stick time to handle a sport-type aircraft. The removable wing panels are what ultimatly sold cinched the decision on this aircraft. Storage and transport to and from the field are made easy with this design. Kit manufacturers should include this feature in future kits. This plane is recommended to anyone with the ability to fly a "snappy" sport plane, but it seems that the recommendation is not required. Already, there are over 10 people in the local club who have either purchased a kit or plan to purchase one in the near future. Sig really has done an excellent job with this kit. |
