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SIG MFG. SDMETHIN' EXTRA
The Somethin' Extra comes with a four-piece
motor mount, but the Saito FA-S6 only required
the use of the two beam pieces. I installed the
engine upright and then fitted it with a Master
Airscrew prop and a Tru-Turn spinner.
Though the kit includes a white plastic
spinner, I chose to use a 2 1/4-inch aluminum
Tru-Turn spinner instead.
RADIO INSTALLATION
I mounted three JR NKS-53 7 standard
servos on the factory-installed servo tray,
and using the hardware provided, made
up the rudder and elevator pushrods and
the throttle cable. The pushrod and
cable tubes were already installed in the
fuselage, as was an internal receiver
antenna tube, which exited the bottom
rear of the fuselage.
I wrapped the receiver in foam and
mounted it in front of the servos on the
servo tray. I then wrapped the receiver battery
in foam and placed it beneath the servo
tray. The CG came out 3/d inches behind
the leading edge of the wing, as the instructions
recommended. I centered the ailerons
hi
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using the gauge provided, and following the
instructions, I set the high and low travel
amounts for all of the control surfaces. The
Somethin' Extra can be flown with a
4-channel radio and 5 servos, but I chose to
use an 8-channel JR computer radio so that
I could set up the ailerons on independent
channels and use them as flaperons. This
also provided me with elevator-flap mixing
for more aggressive maneuvers. Last, I
applied the "Somethin' Extra" decal to the
top of the left wing.
CONCLUSION
I found Sig's Somethin' Extra to be a wellmade
ARF that went together easily and
had a pleasing appearance when completed.
The folks at Sig did a fine job on this one;
they incorporated a lot of little things that
make it very builder-friendly. I was eager to
check out the plane's flying characteristics,
and I was not disappointed. 1 liked everything
about this one! ±
J
I installed all of the radio gear by following the
instructions, and the CG came out exactly as
recommended. The removable canopy hatch
comes already in place on the fuselage; removing
it is simply a matter of sliding it forward at
the front and lifting it up.
Before the first flight, I set the control settings at the low rates
specified in the instructions, and after checking out the controls, I
ran a full tank of fuel through the new Saito engine. I then taxied
around a bit to see how the Somethin' Extra handles on the
ground, and there were no problems; control is positive on the
ground with no bad habits and no tendency to nose over.
TAKEOFF AND LANDING
I turned the Somethin' Extra directly into the wind and advanced
the throttle smoothly. It takes off in very little space and gains
altitude quickly. With just a touch of down-trim, the Somethin'
Extra flies straight and level.
Landing the Somethin' Extra is also super easy. Without
using the flaperons, approach the end of the runway with a little
power on the engine to maintain a moderate speed and simply
fly the model right down to flare height for smooth wheel landings.
Using the flaperons will produce similar results but at a
much slower speed and with significantly more accuracy.
LOW-SPEED PERFORMANCE
The plane flies safely at low speed without much reduction in control
response. To stall it, the Somethin' Extra has to be slowed
almost to a stop. Obviously, you always want to take your plane to a
safe altitude before you check its stall characteristics because every
model behaves differently. The thickness of the Somethin' Extra's
wing allows it to slow way down as long as you have power but
does not allow it to penetrate very well in high-wind, dead-stick conditions.
If the engine quits, get the nose down and the speed up.
46 MDDEL AIRPLANE NEWS
The Sig Somethin' Extra comes nearly complete
and with everything you see here. Note the
excellent Oracover covering; it's also available
in a bright red and white color scheme.
Horizon Hobby Inc., 4105 Ficldstoiw Ril.,
Champaign, II. 61X22; (H(X» 338-4639;
fax (217) 355-1552; www.horiy.onliobby.com.
JR; distributed by Hori/.on Hobby Inc.
Master Airscrew; distributed by Windsor
Propeller Co., P.O. Box 250, Runcho Cordova,
CA 95741-0250; (916) 631-8385;
fax (916) 631-8386; www.niasterairscrew.com.
Red Max; a division ofl'HS Supply Inc.,
244 Bethel Hill Rd., P.O. Box 9, Clover, SC 29710;
(800) 742-8484; fax (803) 222-7285;
www.mcmbers.aol.com/l'HSoil/RedMax.html.
Saito; distributed by Horizon Hobby Inc.
Sig Mfg. Co. Inc., P.O. Box 520, Montezunia,
1A 50171; (800) 247-5008; (515) 623-5154;
fax (515) 623-3922; wwwsigmfg.com.
Tru-Turn; distributed by Romeo Mfg.,
P.O. Box 836, South Houston, TX 77587; (713) 943-
1867; fax (713) 943-7630; www.tru-turn.com.
Williams Bros., 1119 Los Olivos Aw., Unit #3,
Los Osos, CA 93402; (805) 534-1307;
fax (805) 534-1366; www.williamsbrosinc.com.
Zap Glue, 9420 Santa Anita Ave., Rancho
Cucamongu, CA 91730; www.zapglue.com.
HIGH-SPEED PERFORMANCE
Powered with the Saito FA-56 engine, the Somethin' Extra flies at a
respectable speed, but it isn't a bullet. It tracks well at all speeds
with no tendency to tip-stall. The Somethin' Extra's high-speed flight
characteristics can best be described as smooth and predictable.
AEROBATICS
At low rate, the Somethin' Extra is as sedate as a trainer, but
when I switch it to high rate, it's an altogether different airplane.
This plane will perform maneuvers that are not even named yet.
Its roll rate is almost too fast to count, and its snap rolls are
crisp and nearly violent. It enters upright or inverted spins easily,
and recovery is instantaneous when the controls are released. It
will knife-edge forever and does a tumbling act that's hard to
describe. I really have a blast flying this one!