Looking to buy a new handle any suggestions??

[Steve Helmick]

Perhaps Keith Varley could be convinced to post pictures of his entirely homemade hardpoint handles? I can't find the pictures with the "lost" function, and didn't find them in my computer. The metal bits were cut from aluminum plate about 1/16" thick and epoxied into hard balsa. They passed pull tests...don't think there was ever a failure.
Keith is quite a good craftsman, and knows the way to the ER with his eyes closed.  Steve

[john e. holliday]

You forget that CLC/Tom Morris and Brodak now have hard point handles.   I have been using a CLC/Tom Morris lately I picked up at VSC in 2011.

But, as Pete C. and maybe a few others have stated a cable handle might be good to get back into it.  Also they are adjustable in many different ways.   But, don't you have a handle from the past somewhere?   

[Steve Helmick]

Howard had some old Hot Rocks and it cost him his first Impact. Cable handles can get ya.  Steve

[Matt Colan]

Howard had some old Hot Rocks and it cost him his first Impact. Cable handles can get ya.  Steve

Cable handles cost me a rudder and a motor run on my Trivial Pursuit.  I used a cable handle today when I flew my grandfather's P-47, I hated the handle compared to what I was using.  There's no direct feeling from the handle to the plane.  When I moved my hand up to do a loop, the plane didn't immediately respond, it took a little bit of time.  I did 1 square because I didn't like the 'feel' through that one maneuver.  I spent the rest of the flight doing loops and shallow wingovers.

I won't use anything but a hardpoint handle until the day I die 

[EddyR]

I flew the new Bearcat with a  heavy duty custom made cable handle for the first 8 flights as I though it would need a lot of adjusting. I locked the stab level and set the handle level never looking at the plane. It flew very well from the first flight,no adjustment was needed. I then used a hard point for a few flight and it never was quite right. Went back to the cable handle and it was right on. I retried the hard point and it was not as good. So I have settled on the cable handle. This plane pulled harder than any thing I have ever flown but is not fatiguing with the cable handle. Both handles are identical except the hard point has more overhand because of the point where the lines connect is farther forward. All my handles use very short arms on them.. I believe the cable handle is taking the harshness off the corners and making the corners look smooth but quick. My wife watched me fly last week and she said I looked relaxed and smoother than I have been in many years.  I am not a cable handle fan. I do not recommend them to guys who are at all serious about flying. But with this plane it is going to be used.

[Terrence Durrill]

YOU CAN'T GO WRONG WITH A "HOT ROCK/EZ-JUST" HANDLE..........UNLESS YOUR NAME HAPPENS TO BE HOWARD RUSH  .                    

[Geoff Goodworth]

The trusty Hot Rock still seams popular despite all that is said about hard points.

For those who are interested, here is a drawing that I produced with Marvin Denny's assistance for his version of the Hot Rock handle.

It is sized so that you print it on ANSI C (17" x 22") or A2 paper. Just tell the PDF reader to print full size and centred on the page in either of those paper sizes and you will have all the required info.

[Bill Little]

The handles that Windy U. made for years is a E-Z Just knock off.  He used brass tubes stacked in the ends of the arms to be able to adjust line size and possible offsets.  The neutral adjustment came by way of a socket head screw clamping an aluminum plate into the wire where the E-Z Just goes through the holes.

BIG Bear
RNMM/AMM