Celebrating Hazel Sig’s 100th Birthday

By Jay Smith [email protected] | Photos by the author and as noted

As seen in the January 2023 issue of Model Aviation.

Sig Manufacturing Co. was started in 1951 in Montezuma, Iowa, with an idea and a $200 loan so that Glen "Poncho" and Hazel Sigafoose (Sig) could purchase a table saw to cut balsa wood. The saw was placed in the basement, and they would come home at night from working at the local newspaper and cut and ship wood. They also cut wood on the weekends.

Sig Manufacturing started in 1951 with an idea and a $200 loan so that Poncho (Glen Sigafoose) and Hazel Sig could purchase a table saw to cut balsa wood. This is that saw, and it sits at the entryway to Sig.

Sig Manufacturing Co. headquarters sits on the land that was the field that Hazel played in as a child, located across the street from the house in which she grew up.

Poncho and Hazel were not able to sell to distributors or dealers when they started out, so they sold to the public. They put a small ad in one of the hobby publications and offered a free list of products that could be purchased with little or no response. They tried again, but this time the listing of products would cost 25¢. They received a much greater response, and Hazel felt that by charging for the list, people thought that it was worth something. Customers found that the wood was well finished and sales were brisk. They were likely the first people to sell balsa wood by mail to consumers.

Soon, dealers and distributors began buying wood from Sig. At that point, Poncho and Hazel decided to leave their jobs at the newspaper and focus full time on the fledgling company. When it came time to purchase land to build the Sig Manufacturing Co. headquarters, Hazel looked no further than the field in which she had played as a child, located across the street from the house where she grew up.

The company grew rapidly, more buildings were added onto the property, and the company expanded its catalog. Adding to the supply of balsa wood that gave them their start, offering kits, radios, and engines turned Sig into a one-stop distributor.

Later, the company began manufacturing kits, using its seemingly endless amount of balsa in all sizes. Sig had several notable aircraft designers, including Claude McCullough (1969), Scott Christensen (1999), Mike Gretz (1972), Maxie Hester (1967), and Bob Nelson (2004).

When Poncho was tragically killed in an airplane crash in 1980, some said that Hazel would not be able to run the company on her own. Those comments only strengthened her resolve because she saw Sig Manufacturing as her family. She later married Maxie Hester, who was very involved with Sig, until the couple sold the business in 1998. Maxie passed away in 2009.

Herb Rizzo provided a tour to the author and EAA employees. Everyone was excited for a look inside R&D. With competition models, prototypes, and more, the place was filled with Sig history. Photo by Rich VeDepo.

Today, the company is in good hands under the ownership of Herb Rizzo. Herb owned Sig until a few years ago when he sold the company. He took back ownership in 2022 when the company was struggling. He has made a significant investment in Sig to ensure that the products are restocked and available and has many exciting ideas for the future. He is also close to Hazel and has her full support as he again leads Sig.

If you have purchased a lasercut kit made by Sig, this is probably the machine that cut it. A 30-year Sig employee inspects each piece of wood.

Hazel Sig proudly shows off an event shirt for the fly-in. Every registered pilot received one free of charge. The author had Hazel sign the shirt and donated it to the AMA National Model Aviation Museum.

Sig Fly-In

My first time attending the Sig Fly-In was during the September 16-17, 2022, event. To say I was excited is an understatement. Having a chance to tour Sig Manufacturing after being a customer for more than 40 years and attending the fly-in was worth the 8-hour drive alone, but seeing Hazel again, shortly after her 100th birthday, and interviewing her was special.

The first Sig Fly-In was held in 1974 and became a semiregular event. During each fly-in, Sig is open for tours. This year, the company offered several discounted items for sale, and I was one of many to take advantage of the sale.

The Sig Fly-In was held at Sig Field. This is a full-scale, private airport owned by Hazel.

Hazel celebrated her 100th birthday inside the hangar that once housed her Clipped Wing Cub and her Spacewalker. Paula Smith, Sig’s general manager, can be seen on the right.

Herb gave me a tour, and there was much to see. I saw everything from graphic design, to the laser-cutting, warehousing of products, and offices, but the place I was most drawn to was R&D. On the door was a sign: "Research and Development Authorized Personnel Only." I was as excited to pass through those doors as a kid being given entrance to Santa’s workshop!

As I entered, I thought of two dear friends who worked there in R&D—Scott Christensen and Mike Gretz. Both are sadly no longer with us, and how I wished they were there. They are gone, but not forgotten!

The R&D department looks much like the AMA National Model Aviation Museum. Most of the ceiling is covered with hanging aircraft. These silent creations of balsa, plywood, and covering have many stories to tell. Competition models, prototypes—you name it—the place was filled with Sig history. I wandered the large area lined with building tables, benches, and shelving, and I saw many recognizable aircraft, such as the Pitts, Spacewalker, Clipped Wing Cub, etc.

Beyond the author getting his Sig Rascal signed by Hazel, he couldn’t pass up on having her sign her pilot figure and a piece of balsa that came from one of the machines during the tour.

Herb, the current owner of Sig, addressed everyone at the fly-in.

I found a cache of iron-on covering with probably 60 rolls of every type and color imaginable. Not more than 10 feet from the covering was a shelving unit that contained a couple of stacks of Model Aviation magazine. I felt humbled to see the magazine that I have worked hard to produce for nearly 15 years there, along with Model Airplane News.

I spent most of Friday at Sig and was involved in a meeting with a group from EAA that flew over for a morning tour and lunch.

On Saturday, it was my time to interview Hazel. What better place to shoot the video than right in her hangar, where her Cub and Spacewalker were once housed and only 100 yards or so from the fly-in’s flightline.

Hazel is very approachable and loves talking about Sig, the hobby, and full-scale flying. She is one of the rockstars of our hobby, and it is clear that everyone in her presence appreciated the opportunity and was filled with respect. Nearly all who attended the Sig Fly-In took time to talk with her and share their appreciation. It was apparent that Hazel enjoyed the interactions as much as we did.

She has had an amazing life and freely shared stories with everyone who approached her. Most asked her to sign their Sig aircraft, of which I am also guilty.

Her first flight in a full-scale aircraft was with Charles Lindbergh in 1925, when she was only 3 years old. She has loved aviation her entire life and her passion for it is still as strong as it was when she was a child flying model airplanes, or at age 35 when she earned her full-scale pilot’s license. By the time she stopped flying full-scale aircraft, she had logged more than 7,000 hours.

After we finished the interview, which was roughly 1-1/2 hours long, she shared some amazing stories. I had the opportunity to have lunch with her in the hangar. I causally asked her, "Hazel have you lived in Iowa your whole life?"

She looked up with a smile that indicated to me that she had a witty reply in store. Her response was simply, "Not yet!" I laughed profusely at her humor. Hazel had turned 100 on March 3, 2022, and told everyone that she was working on being 200.

After lunch, I spent the entire day at the flightline. A rainy forecast impacted the attendance; however, those who were there made the most of their time flying at Sig Field. Control Line (CL) was even flown when the RC pilots took breaks and the field was turned into a CL circle.

Bob Nelson kept a watchful eye on everyone and had no shortage of stories to share about his experience owning a hobby shop from 1967 to 2003. He was frequently at Sig during that time and Scott Christensen offered him a job as an aircraft designer after he left the hobby shop.

The big finale was Saturday with a birthday cake and celebrations for Hazel. A flyover of a B-25, piloted by Sean Elliott and courtesy of EAA, was planned but the weather didn’t cooperate. Not discouraged, the B-25 did perform the flyover on Sunday morning, with many attendees present for the special moment, including AMA District VII Vice President Randy Gibson.

Most of the pilots in attendance were flying RC; however, CL flying was also welcome.

Many Sig aircraft were in attendance at the fly-in, including this Four-Star 120.

Representatives from EAA flew to Montezuma IA, to tour Sig and attend a meeting. VeDepo photo.

All of the wood, plans, and parts are arranged by kit and ready to be boxed up. Can’t you almost smell the balsa wood when looking at this photo?

I departed Montezuma at noon on Sunday with fond memories of the few days that I spent there. Everyone at Sig was welcoming, and the fly-in was laid-back and friendly.

In the end, it was the time I spent with Hazel that was the most special. This was the third time I had met her, but I had never before had the opportunity to spend so much time with her and capture many of her stories of 100 years well-lived on camera for all to see.

A big thank-you to Hazel Sig, Herb Rizzo, and all my friends at Sig!

SOURCES: