I have an electric super clown with the recommended Brodak power kit (battery, ESC, timer, prop, motor).   Can flyers who are familiar with this model pls help me with line recommendations (length/dia)...

Thank you Mike... I am still wanting to get back into flying and returning to your field, but I started teaching the fall semester (and creating all the course content) and life got kind of busy again (my excuses :-). 

Somewhere in my garage storage,  I have a "Tatone" handle - and you're right, this may be from the late 60's.  It is kind of yellow plastic.  I think I need a new one.

The Brodak electric system parts arrived last week, so I have some incentive..

Yep, that handle is for the museum. Jim Berwick at the Alameda field makes very nice hard point handles and may be persuaded to crank out another one. You custom fit the balsa grip to your hand. Several makers here offer them as well. They last maybe literally forever (how long does stainless steel last?) and are essential to really being in control of the model. Whether you ever intend to fly competition or not the sensation of being able to "think" the model into the path you want is where the joy of the hobby is found. At least many people are saying that, some fine people.

But really, what is more important, your students or a good stunt pattern? Seems an easy choice to me.

:-)  these students are very eager to learn  - maybe I'll invite them to the field ...they need to get out from behind the computer..

Actually that's not bad! Do you have any info on the vintage of the handle pictured? If yours is like that and the metal frame is a one-piece thing (not just embedded in the plastic part of the handle) it may be fine. Never saw one like that before. Modern one have much more adjustability but that one looks safe at least.

The idea of getting kids interested in model planes is pretty much a lost cause, like perpetual motion machines and really good frozen pizza. Stories abound of model flyers knocking themselves out to encourage young people to take up model flying, but with sadly dismal results. Not to say you shouldn't try, and maybe treating it as an exercise in practical engineering could intrigue them. For some reason youth are attracted to model flying in Eastern Europe. May be fewer other diversions and fewer cell phones.