It is one of the simplest things that sometimes trip us up.  To my knowledge... shorter lines make your lap speeds go up. Your line tension is stronger. The aerobatic area the plane has to maneuver in is less?  The centrifical stress on the aircraft and lines are increases? The wind effect on shorter lines should be less and the drag on the lines would be less.

It the lines are long we decrease our lap spinning speed or time even if the air speed is the same.  We have increased our area for the plane to manuver in. Less centrifugal force on the plane and gear. Longer lines are more wind sensitive? And due to the plane not having as much centrical force the plane becomes light on the lines and tend to come in to us so we are forces to do a quick two step or more to back up and get line control back.

Myself I am really good at dizzy bat so faster lap times do not effect me much. Also I really only fly 1/2A size planes. Also I fly stunt.. not aerobatic yet... I do not fly that pretty I am just not plowing as much grass these days.  I also want to fly 1/2A combat so that has a 35 ft rule on lines and that is not 35 ft lines but 35ft from my planes bell crank to WHERE?  Logic would be the center of the hand grip.

So if I fly my 1/2A Magician's and Storks and Pathfinders and Pintos what am I loosing and gaining on 35 ft actual line lenght here.
Thanks for help on this simple question that I honestly need help on.

Tally ho team
Rosie

Appreciate the help on that Mike. Any good  and bad about flying with say 35 ft lines on 1/2A for stunt?

Well go ahead and laugh but mainly electric 2210 turnginy 1400 kV and a 30 amp ESC. Got them both from Hobbyking . I swing a 7x 5EP prop. Mainly fun flying and since I have not had anyone besides my kids to fly with at one time and then it was gas .049s so they were in the circle and I was thier pit crew for both.

Well Mr. Bob I do agree! I have to say the Habin FM-0c are just enough to pamper the single flyer. Push a button and walk out to the handle.  Out here in a farm community, well let's just say I would not lay bets how long I could fly my gas motors around here before the country folk take it as a new style skeet shooting competition. So far out here in Yelm WA which is slapped down in the middle of Ft. lewis McChord AFB 155 HOWITZERS range. When they practice I THINK I could get away with my gas planes if I had a flying buddy out here.

And folks say that size does not matter... lol. 52 feet sounds perfect. What would the effect be if you flew the same set up on 35 ft lines for a reason of say... you are in a confined space and 35 is as long as possible and still have a safe clearance. What would the effect be?

the biggest problem with flying a plane on shorter lines is first that your going to be spinning very fast to keep up with the airplane. The second is that if your trying to get the plane to do a pattern your space for a loop is a lot smaller.
There is a limit on how slow you can get a model to fly and still fly.

Ways to make a model fly slower.
1. reduce rpm
2. smaller propeller
3. less pitch propeller
4. propeller installed backwards.

I appreciate all the inputs on this. My 1st priority is line tension which transfers to control for me. The 2nd is speed which equals to maneuvers. 3rd is just have fun and try to not
 plow any fields with my planes. Lol
Tally ho
Rosie