I have always wanted an Astro Hog. Should I build it from original plans or just go with the SIG kit?

How many of you guys have frown an Astro Hog?

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Originally Posted by RC Man

I have always wanted an Astro Hog. Should I build it from original plans or just go with the SIG kit?

How many of you guys have frown an Astro Hog?

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Never have flown one, but back in the day there were a lot of them flying.

Mike

I've never flown a Astro Hog, but have a Sig kit stashed away to build one day. It is a nice kit.

Others with more Hog experience than me recommend going with the original 2 5/8" x 13 1/2" barn door ailerons instead of the supplied strip ailerons. You can re-purpose the strip ailerons supplied as trailing edge stock and this also allows use of the kit supplied ribs. Also ditching the nose gear in favor of conventional landing gear is recommended.

Astro Hog (and Astro Bipe) are the models of the year for the 2017 for the Vintage RC Society so there's a likely a fair number being built around the USA this winter. Me and one other guy in our local club are building Hogs from the Sig kit, lots of lumber in one of these.

Definitely making them tail-draggers, the plans show options for both set ups but you'll need to order the conventional LG parts as an option (it was around $6.00) as those parts are not included in the base kit. You could bend your own LG wires but for a few extra bucks I was happy to let Sig do it

I'm sticking with the strip ailerons but the barn door would be a simple enough mod, and I have set mine up for dual aileron servos. The original Astro Hog had the stab on the bottom of the fuselage but the Sig kit has moved to the top of the fuse, a better choice all around.

They do not require a lot power, the originals only used .35s! Mine will get an OS 62 four stroke, that engine has already performed well for me in an 8.5 pound model and my Hog should come out around 7.5 pounds, and that's with a klass kote epoxy finish.

There's some good threads on the Astro Hog in the old timer/vintage forum along with lots of photos - the search function should turn them up.

Dave, I am reconstructing an auction purchase that was built CROOKED/TWISTED. I am disassembling the aft fuselage and removing the leading edge sheeting on the wing to make things right. There is no oil soak so I am believing that major construction flaws made it nearly unflyable, therefore a clean airframe.
You stated that you recommend going with conventional gear. It makes me wonder what the advantage would be. I have flown many trike and conventional geared models with equal success in ground handling. My AH has trike gear and if there is a strong advantage for this mode for conventional gear, now would be the time to make the change.
I look forward to your thoughts.

Hi RCMan,

The Hog is one great airplane that keeps coming back on the scene after decades. Berkeley I believe was the first to kit it years ago. It was probably one of the first full house planes flown with Reed Radios back then.

I have had a few Hogs over the years, I built my first Hog from a Sig kit which is what I suggest as it is a very good kit to build. Later I mostly bought Hogs from swap meets and reconstructed them if needed like Heggen is doing to his. I had both the trike and tail drag versions and liked the both, The Hog is one of the most durable and stable flying planes designed to date. They seem to last forever unless you get a DUMB THUMB moment ....lol. I planted my last one a few years ago, rebuilt it, flew it and then sold it to a friend of mine. That plane is still flying.

Well, that is about it from me and wish you well with your Hog project. I bet once you build one and fly it. It will become one of you favorites.

Smooth Air & Strong Signal
Ron

I thought that the idea of strip ailerons was to decrease adverse yaw during rolls. Has any flown both and can comment on rolls.


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This plane was started by a late friend. I inherited it unfinished but never had the time to put into it, so I gave it to another friend who finished it and got it in the air last year. This one has the strip ailerons and flies just fine.

More to the story: https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/show...orial-of-sorts

This picture is exactly as Fred would have like to see his plane finished and flown. The only difference (which I'm sure he'd approve of) is the black Saito instead of an OS .70 4-stroke (which Michael also has, and flies).

Andy

I had a 15 year love affair with my Astro Hog until it managed to fly itself through a telephone pole and come out the other side in 3 easy pieces.

No way would I build the original version. I've seen the plans. The hinges are sewn in! Mine was a taildragger with a K&B .65. Flew wonderfully. I need to build another. I have a kit waiting.

carl

I also have the SIG Kit lying on my work bench and will start the build within the next weeks. I'm really looking forward to finally building and flying this real classic. I will give it the barn door ailerons for sure. Beside other effects (in fact the strip-aileron must be deeper at the center to produce torque and not only drag, see Bruce Tharpe 4*) the advantage is definitely a better control even at slow speeds and in my experience it's no prob to compensate errors in the rolls when using two servos for the ailerons and a today's progammable transmitter (aileron differential, expo). It can, of course, be a disadvantage that the airflow at the end of the wing tends to break off more eary and more drastically if you build a deeper aileron. This can be compensated by optimized wing tips. On the pictures you can see that I have changed also the ailerons of my SK four stroke version. The wing tip is modified to avoid stall on higher control trows and low speed. Ok, this is no longer an original, it's even not spa legal...this bird is more an experiment and can not be done in this way on a AH since it would clash with the style far too much. But even with the original wing tip - IMO the barn door design will result in a better wing.

@Dave: Thank you for the dimensions.

Originally Posted by RC Man

I thought that the idea of strip ailerons was to decrease adverse yaw during rolls. Has any flown both and can comment on rolls.


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When you say strip ailerons are you meaning the full-length type that are stuck onto the back of the wing? My opinion of those is that it's just a short-cut building technique so the builder doesn't have to build "real" ailerons.

But I've flown pattern ships with both types and I didn't see any adverse yaw benefits. A little bit of differential can help offset any perceived adverse yaw.

In restoring this AH, I think I will keep it simple and use the strip ailerons and trike gear. It will fly regardless of type LG and ailerons. The bigger issue is the time available to get this thing done for this year.
Based on what I hear about the flying qualities of the AH, I think I am going to enjoy this one a lot.

My dad had an Astro Hog back when they were new. Maybe that's why I like them so much.
As the K&B 45 wore out R.O.G.s were not possible and still clear the powerlines.
I got to hold the transmitter and got to fly the Hog, at least for a little bit, as my father hand launched the Hog.
A few years ago I built a Sig kit one and recommend that as a good plane.
Mine is electric and still a lot of fun to fly.

Paul

Originally Posted by Heggen

and trike gear. .

My preference for the Hog too.

Mike

Didn't somebody build a full-scale, scale model of the Hog back in the 70's ? I sort of remember a Sport Aviation mag article about the first time that scale modeling went backwards. Anyone else remember that? Or am I thinking of a different airplane?

Dave