SIG Rascal 110 ARF

FLY RC Review
GIANT-SCALE ARF
BY ERICK ROYER [email protected]
SIG
Rascal 110 ARF
The legendary classic in giant scale
T
he SIG Rascal is an iconic airplane that dates back to the
1950s when it was a rubber-powered free flight model.
Recently SIG has reintroduced three new ARF versions of
this legendary model, of which the EP-49 was reviewed in the
October 2012 issue of FLY RC magazine and the 72 EG will be covered in a future issue. In this review we will be focusing on the big
brother; the 100-inch version which I decided to power with a gasoline engine. The Rascal 110 gives you the option to power it with a
2- or 4-stroke glow engine, a gasoline engine or an electric power
system. I chose a gasoline engine for a couple of reasons. First,
there is an over-abundance of electric-powered aircraft on the market today and I wanted to showcase this model with something
other than electric. Second, there are a lot more choices for gasoline
powerplants on the market today than even just a few years ago
and the pricing has become much more competitive. Lastly, I just
like the convenience of gasoline; it is inexpensive, you get long
flight times and they sound really cool in the air. For this model I
Minimal tools are required to
assemble the model. Even the
most entry-level of modelers
should have these items around
their house. The only specialized
thing you might need is a covering iron or heat gun to remove
any bubbles in the covering. My
model had a few. I used Zap CA
glue and Zap 5-minute Z-Poxy for
the various assembly steps. I
chose to use seven Savox SC-0352
digital servos for the control surfaces and throttle as they are
strong, fast and lightweight.
It took me about three
evenings to complete the model
am using the new XYZ 20CC engine from Valley View RC. This
engine is very reasonably priced at just $239.95 and it comes with
the muffler. While I have never used an XYZ engine before, I am
excited to see how it performs.
As with the EP-49, the Rascal 100 is constructed of high-quality,
laser-cut balsa and light plywood and covered with a vibrant twotone UltraCote scheme. The parts fit on this model was nothing shy
of perfect. The assembly manual is very detailed with plenty of
photos to illustrate the step by step instructions. The factory-painted
cowl and wheel pants are high quality, hand-laid fiberglass. The
heavy-duty spring aluminum landing gear comes painted and is
ready to simply bolt on. It is designed to hold up well even when you
have that occasional no-so-perfect landing. The functional airfoilshaped aluminum wing struts also come pre-painted and ready to
attach. The scale-like leaf-spring tail wheel assembly works very well
and is a welcome feature on this aircraft, really easing the ground
handling of the model.
which is not too bad when you consider the size of the Rascal. Speaking of
size; even with its 110-inch wingspan the
model only weighs a mere 15 pounds and produces a very light wing-loading. When you add
flaps to that, you further increase the model’s capabilities. The Rascal 110 is a perfect workhorse aircraft;
capable for use as a glider tow plane for towing banners, carrying
onboard camera equipment, parachute dropping, night flying with
add-on lights, or just about any other load carrying application you
can think of.
SIG offers an optional RTF floats kit for the Rascal 110 for an
additional $139.99 (part # SIGFK004ARF). While we were not able to
acquire a set in time for this review, you can look for an update in the
magazine or on our website in the upcoming months as we revisit the
Rascal 110 as a float plane.
NEED TO KNOW
MANUFACTURER/
DISTRIBUTOR: SIG Mfg.
Co., Inc.
TYPE: Gasoline-powered
sport ARF
FOR: Intermediate pilots
PRICE: $549.99
MINIMUM FLYING AREA:
RC club field
NEEDED TO COMPLETE:
Requires a five-channel radio,
seven heavy-duty servos, 1.21.8 cu. in. 2- or 4-stroke glow
engine, 20-26cc gasoline
engine or 1600 watt brushless power system, receiver
battery, “y” harnesses and
servo extensions
Author’s Opinion
I loved the Rascal EP-49 so much that
when the 110 came in for review, I had to
try the opposite extreme and fly the very
big brother. The assembly was pretty
straightforward and the manual was very good. There
was an addendum to the manual on the website which I
suggest downloading as it addresses a couple things that
were incorrect in the main manual. I used a new engine
called an XYZ 20 for the model and was thoroughly
impressed with its ease of use and power output. The
Rascal 110 was a dream to fly and has earned one of the
top spots in my flight rotation.
Key Features
> The huge 110-inch wingspan makes the
Rascal easy to see even at high altitudes.
> The Rascal’s two-piece wing design
makes transportation and storage easy.
> Model is constructed of high-quality,
laser-cut balsa and light plywood. It is
covered in white UltraCote with transparent colored (red or yellow) UltraCote on
wings and fuselage.
> A pull-pull system is used for the rudder
and the elevator servo is located in
the rear of the model.
> The kit is very complete, including: molded cowling, factory-installed windshield,
windows, wheel pants, quality hardware
and an easy-to-follow step-by-step manual.
> The Rascal’s flaps allow for very slow
flight which can make landing much easier.
Pros
> Excellent flying characteristics
> Flaps allow for extra slow flight
Cons
> The covering needed to be ironed out
in several places as it had some
bubbles
> Very well-built model
> Wide variety of power options
> Attractive covering scheme
PHOTOS BY WALTER SIDAS
32 FLY RC MAGAZINE
FLY RC NOVEMBER 2012
33
SIG RASCAL 110 ARF
A nice dash panel is included with the
kit. It really dresses up the cabin.
IN THE AIR
One nice thing about a model the size of the Rascal 110 is that you don’t
need to worry as much about the wind. The day I had my maiden flights
was pretty breezy, onwards of 10-15 mph. I definitely could not fly safely
with a smaller model, like the Rascal EP-49 that I reviewed in the last
issue. Assembling the Rascal at the field is simple; just attach the wings
and struts and it is ready to fly. I fueled up the tank with regular unleaded
gasoline mixed with 2-stroke oil at a ratio of 50:1. I did my usual preflight
checks of the radio
system, control
throws and double
checked the dual
rate settings.
Everything checked
out fine and it was
time to test fire the
new XYZ 20cc
engine.
Having never
used an XYZ engine
before I was
unaware of how the
initial starting would
be. Sometimes, I get
a new brand of
engine and they are not the easiest to get started. The XYZ was pretty
awesome to say the least. I choked the engine with the ignition off and
gave the prop a couple flips. Then I turned the ignition on and the next flip
of the prop yielded a “pop” sound. So I removed the choke and gave it
one more flip and it started right up. I made access holes in the cowl so I
could get to the carburetor settings in case I need to adjust the mixture or
idle but the engine was purring like a kitten. I checked the transition from
idle to full throttle and back and it was spot-on. I did this a couple of times
just to be safe and all was good. Time to fly!
I taxied the Rascal up and down the runway a couple of times and was
happy to see that the tail wheel works very well. I held a little up elevator
and was sure to turn the ailerons into the wind when the wind was hitting
the side of the aircraft to keep it from blowing over. I had a feeling that I
was not going to need
much runway to take off
but decided to start from
the very end just to be
safe. I did not use any
flaps for takeoff and
before I could even
advance the throttle to
There is plenty of room in the cabin for the
the half way point, the
batteries, throttle servo and rudder servo. A
model was airborne; in
pull-pull system is used for the rudder control.
34 FLY RC MAGAZINE
maybe a total of 75 feet. Once
in the air, I brought it up to
about 150 feet to trim it and
get comfortable with its general flight characteristics. The
stiff breeze did not seem to
affect it much. I added a click
or two of elevator and aileron trim and it was flying pretty much hands-off.
I always test out the stall characteristics of a new model just in case I
get too slow or take too aggressive of a turn, I don’t want any surprises. I
slowed the Rascal to a crawl and fed in a little elevator until I could feel it
getting mushy. The left wing dropped slightly as did the nose. It was
more of a stall than you might see with a trainer, but not as much as with
an aerobatic plane like an Extra 300. To recover, I just relaxed the sticks
and applied power.
The Rascal was a lot of fun to fly and it performed all the basic maneuvers with ease. Loops were big and round. The XYZ engine had plenty of
power to pull the 110 though large loops. Rolls were not very axial, but
with coordination of the elevator, rudder and ailerons, you could get it to
do nice long axial rolls. Trying to roll with just the ailerons gave more of a
barrel roll. I was able to do a couple of nice flat spins from which it recovered with about a half a rotation of over-spin. I suggest trying these couple
of mistakes high until you get used to it. Inverted flight was good; a little
down elevator was required on the first flight to maintain level flight. I
moved the battery back a little prior to the next flight and I was able fly
inverted pretty much hands off.
The thing I really wanted to play with on the Rascal 110 was the flaps.
The plane floated very well without them, so I anticipated that it would all
but stand still with the use of flaps. I programmed in a flap to elevator mix
so that as I deployed the flaps corresponding down elevator would be
added to prevent the model from ballooning. This process requires a bit of
trial and error, but eventually I got the combination right. With full flaps
applied the model flew extremely slow but maintained full authority of all
the controls. I was so pleased with the slow flight performance that I am
planning to set up a camera rig to this model as it would be perfect for taking aerial video or still photos.
Landing was relatively easy. Since it was so breezy, I decided to keep
the power on until I crossed the runway, using small adjustments of the
throttle to setup my glide slope. I did not use any flaps for landing
because I had a pretty brisk headwind. As soon as the model was about
five feet over the runway, I cut the throttle and it settled right in on the
mains. I did take the Rascal 110 up on another day when there was virtually no wind at all, mainly because I wanted to try landing with the flaps.
With full flaps deployed the plane touched down with virtually no rollout.
Because the forward speed with flaps is greatly reduced and it will tend to
float, be sure to plan your approach accordingly to avoid touching down
prior to the runway’s threshold.
XYZ 20CC GAS ENGINE
FROM VALLEY VIEW RC
There are many gasoline engines on the market today
compared to just a few years ago. It seems that the
costs are becoming more affordable and the quality is
getting better all the time. It used to be that you would
be looking at spending over $500 to outfit a plane like
the Rascal 110 with a gasoline power plant, but that is
not the case anymore.
The XYZ 20CC
engine retails at Valley
View RC for a mere
$239.95 and it comes
complete with a Rcexl
ignition, genuine NGKCM-6 spark plug, composite engine mount
and a muffler. That is a
very good deal when
DISPLACEMENT: 20cc
you consider how
powerful this engine is
BORE: 1.3 in.
and how trouble-free it
STROKE: 1.0 in.
runs.
WEIGHT: 26.5 oz.
After talking with
RPM RANGE: 1650-9000
Valley View RC, I
learned that the XYZ
OUTPUT: 2.5 hp @
engine was designed
9000RPM
in a collaboration
REQUIRES: unleaded
between themselves
gasoline, 2-cycle oil, ignition
and XYZ
battery and propeller
Manufacturing compaINCLUDES: Rcexl elecny to their specificatronic ignition, muffler,
tions. The XYZ 20
spark plug, throttle and
develops over 2.5
choke arms, engine mount,
horsepower at
and manual
9000rpm and in the
RECOMMENDED
case of our model it
PROPELLERS:
was swinging a
14x10,15x8, 16x6, 16x8,
Master Airscrew 15x6
17x6, 17x8
propeller at 8400rpm
on the very first tank.
The XYZ 20 started up on the second flip of the prop
and idled and transitioned as if it was on its 20th tank of
fuel. It was almost as care-free as running an electric
motor.
While the XYZ 20 is at the lower end of the recommended power range for the Rascal 110, after the first
flight I had no shortage of power. I don’t think much flying was done at more than half-throttle. Even the takeoff was able to be flown with just about half throttle.
Once in flight it purred like a kitten with no spitting or
sputtering and it transitioned to low throttle smoothly
and full power was back as soon as you needed it.
I was pleased with the overall performance and quality of this engine and look forward to hopefully seeing
larger versions produced in the future. If you are looking
for power options for your 20-26cc aircraft, I would not
hesitate to purchase an XYZ 20cc engine. If it performs
as well as mine did, you will be one happy pilot.
THE LAST WORD
SPECS
WINGSPAN: 110 in.
WING AREA: 1522 sq. in.
WEIGHT: 15 oz.
WING LOADING: 22.7 oz./sq. ft.
CUBE LOADING: 7
LENGTH: 75.75 in.
RADIO: Requires a five-channel
computer system; Flown with
Graupner HoTT mx-20 transmitter,
Graupner HoTT GR-24 receiver, (7)
Savox SC-0352 servos
ENGINE: XYZ 20cc gasoline
PROPELLER: Master Airscrew 15x6
prop
RPM: 8,400
BATTERY: (2) Hitec 4.8V 1600mAh
NiMh pack for receiver and ignition
DURATION: 18+ minutes depending on flying style
We Used
TRANSMITTER
Graupner HoTT mx-20,
12-channel, 33124
RECEIVER
Graupner HoTT GR-24,
33512
SERVOS
(7) Savox SC-0352
Digital, SAVSC0352
BATTERY
(2) Hitec NiMH 4.8V
1600mAh
ENGINE
XYZ 20CC gasoline
ADHESIVE
Zap CA and 5-minute
Z-Poxy
CONTACTS
GRAUPNER graupner-usa.com,
(941) 925-9653
SAVOX savoxusa.com, (855) 767-2869
SIG MFG. CO. sigmfg.com,
(641) 623-5154
XYZ ENGINES valleyviewrc.com,
(253) 875-6890
ZAP GLUE zapglue.com, (863) 607-6611
The Rascal 110 is an awesome aircraft. It is huge
For more information, please see our
with a bright covering scheme that makes it very
source guide on page 105.
easy to see in the sky. The large size allows it to fly in
wind conditions that would keep smaller park flyers
on the ground. The large size coupled with the power of the XYZ 20cc engine makes this a great
model to tow a glider, take aerial photos and video or even tow a banner. The assembly process
was very straightforward and was completed in only a few evenings. The quality of everything
was excellent, a trait I have come to expect from SIG airplanes. =
FLY RC NOVEMBER 2012
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