Another failure mode for handles

[Jim Svitko]

Yesterday afternoon I went out to fly one of my beaters.  An old plane but it flies well enough to be competitive in local events.  After one flight I noticed that it needed a handle adjustment.  I was using a cable-type handle.

The short carriage bolt broke as I was loosening the wing nut to adjust the cable.  I guess the gods were with me.  It could have failed in flight.  The bolt did not break thru the hole that is drilled just under the head.  It broke about two threads down from the hole.

I never had this happen before.  I keep that wing nut fairly tight, maybe too tight and that was the problem.  Or, it was a cheapie bolt from who knows where.  I went to Home Depot and one other hardware store to get another bolt but nobody had one that size.  I settled for the next size up, a 1/4, and had to drill out the bar for it to fit.

Now I am wondering about the other handles.  Does anyone inspect those bolts for cracks or other damage?  I never did but now I am thinking of replacing all of them.  Or, it is time for a hard point handle.

If there had been a crash due to this I would not have been to distressed over losing a plane that is about fifteen years old.  But I would have been very irritated to lose a nice running LA 46.

[Roger Vizioli]

Jim,
Try a hard point, I dont think you will use a cable  handle again.
Roger
[/quote]

[bob whitney]

 I did

[Motorman]

The hardware coming out a China is made from really poor steel these days.

MM

[RknRusty]

I'm about ready to graduate to an HP handle too. I can't help but believe the cables are flexing enough to affect my shapes now that I can fly some of them consistently well. Consistently enough that I expect to be able to see the difference. I use the unbiased Tom Morris cable handles now, so I can probably just swap bars.

I used an old yellow plastic-gripped Sullivan as a beginner, and the cables began to fray, so I quit using it. But I know those kinky old cables affected my shapes. I was flying a Goldberg shoestring with a too-small control horn and the plane was super twitchy, but I didn't know any better at the time. It reminds me of flying a 1/2A. I can't even fly a decent pattern on it now, it's no wonder I was winding up loops the size of a beachball Lol. Then I started buying the tall steel Sullivan horns to tame it down a bit, and  they don't flex like the nylon ones.
Rusty

[Motorman]

Don't throw away your cable handle too fast. Some planes like them.


MM

[Steve Helmick]

Don't throw away your cable handle too fast. Some planes like them.


MM

Hold that thought, Brett or Howard will be along shortly. I would guess your plane is deficient in some way if a cable handle is perceived as an improvement.  Steve