Get a handle on it

[Elwyn Aud]

De Hill brought out some of his collection of Control-line handles and stuff for show and tell at our last club meeting. How many do you recognize?

[Randy Powell]

Personally, I like this one. I think it's a Bob Hunt design.

[Douglas Ames]

Some of these handles are Museum quality and historically signififcant!! A couple are George Aldrich's personal handles.
Handling 60 years of Control Line history is a humbling experience.

[peter jurczyk]

I want to know more about that boat propeller looking thingy and the thing in front of it. What are they. Thanks

[john e. holliday]

I recognize a few of them, but how did the wind up starter get in there?  I remember one guy in our club having the starter, but never seen him use it.  That is quite a collection.

[Elwyn Aud]

I want to know more about that boat propeller looking thingy and the thing in front of it. What are they. Thanks

If I understood correctly it is a special handle to help with inverted flight. I don't think it was a success. The thing in front of it is a spring loaded prop spinner. The arms are hinged so that they will get pushed out of the way if a prop blade hits on the wrong side.

[John Ashford]

Dale Kirn also has and extensive collection of handles.  I wish I had known Dee was collecting them.  I gave Dale New Hot Rock and EZjust in grey and green (four or five of them) athe the VSC in 2004.  I also gave him a proto type of the original monoline handle from the Stansel brothers which was sent to the Hall/Massey speed team for them to try.

Later,  John

[peter jurczyk]

Thanks for the info Elwyn.I was quite puzzled. but how do you hold it

[Mike Keville]

That wind-up starter thingy looks like a "Spin-It"...advertised in Air Trails and MAN in the '50s.  Never saw anyone use one.

[Steve Helmick]

When I first started flying with a club in my Sr. year in HS, Eastside Model Aero Club (Bellevue, WA), I used one of the yellow/red things with the spike on the bottom. For some reason, I wasn't allowed to use it in combat contests.  I got it out of Dad's old box of model stuff. It was all metal, and pretty heavy. Would like to know who made it...but I don't want one!  Steve

[don boka]

Hi Steve.
The yellow/red (actually maroon) handle is a Melcraft handle which was fairly popular in the Detroit area  for stunt in the fifties. There were holes in the handle to feed the cable thru and even the widest setting was close together compared to other handles. I still have two of them and the name is clearly marked on one of them. Yes, they were a "NO-NO" for combat. I believe they could have been locally made and am sure were intended for C/L Speed and the spike would go in the pylon and not in your opponents shoulder.

Don Boka.

[Marvin Denny]

That wind-up starter thingy looks like a "Spin-It"...advertised in Air Trails and MAN in the '50s.  Never saw anyone use one.

   I used one quite a bit.  They were really nice.  I think mine got buried in a storm cellar that caved inon my parent's farm.  (along with a lot of my modeling stuff that my mother stored.
    Bigiron

[billbyles]

That wind-up starter thingy looks like a "Spin-It"...advertised in Air Trails and MAN in the '50s.  Never saw anyone use one.

I had one when I was a kid learning to fly control-line in the fifties.  It worked OK if you didn't have a spinner.

[Bill Gruby]

 I see there is a Development Engineering Co. (deco) 2-Speed Handle there. That is the only one I have seen besides the one I have. Dee do you have the whole thing, relay and all? This handle probably predates all of the others. It works off the points on an Ignition Engine. The Black dot on top is a push button switch -- up -- relay open for high speed, depressed -- relay closed for low speed. It holds 2 c-cells in the handle for 3 volts of input. The handle is from the early 50's I think and the plane sketched on the instructions is an AJ Fireball. Nice find Dee. I just got mine on the bay NIB.
 
  "Billy G"

[De Hill]

Hi Billy G,


I've got the relay with one of my other Deco's.

[Bill Gruby]

 Hi Dee;

  One of my others, how many of those do you have? When I got the one on the bay, I had never seen another. Do you have a manufacturing date for them. I would like to date mine.

  "Billy G"

[De Hill]

Hi Billy,

The only way to date them would be to find an advertisement in a model magazine between say 1946 - 1949. These are approximate dates. If you have a huge magazine collection, you can do it.

[Steve Helmick]

Hi Steve.
The yellow/red (actually maroon) handle is a Melcraft handle which was fairly popular in the Detroit area  for stunt in the fifties. There were holes in the handle to feed the cable thru and even the widest setting was close together compared to other handles. I still have two of them and the name is clearly marked on one of them. Yes, they were a "NO-NO" for combat. I believe they could have been locally made and am sure were intended for C/L Speed and the spike would go in the pylon and not in your opponents shoulder.

Don Boka.

Thanks for the info, Don. We used the spike to stick into the turf, holding the handle upright and more visible. I am pretty sure that was the intent. I still don't want another one!  Steve

[James C. Johnson]

The DECO handle was made right after the war. In 1947, the Nationals were in full swing. This opened the market for a prolific amount of growth for a Nation full of modelers willing to spend money on the hobby. I would say this handle was marketed between late 1947 and 1950. My reasearch couldn't pin point the exact date, they appeared in Air Trails ads.

I sold the only one I had on the Bay over a year ago and it went for a pretty penny. Over a $100. That doesn't mean it is worth that much.. I suspect I was in the right place at the right time to get that amount. I have seen three or 4 over the years on the Bay.. they are rare... The one I sold was for a exact recreation of a Model that flew at 1950 Nationals (Dallas, TX) in the Carrier Event.  Cal Smith (1915-1964) won the first Nationals carrier deck event in 1950 flying his AD-2 Skyraider.


Insulated Lines were sold seperately.

Here is his "Ole Slippery" one of the First Team Racers.

 



Here are some "Box Art" pics that Cal did for Strombecker, he did art for Aurora too.











Jim

[Ward Van Duzer]

Oddly enough I don't think I saw one of the "most famous" of handles in this post. You know, The Hunt, in flight adjustable handle with the huge overhang. Or did I just miss it?

W.

[De Hill]

Hi Ward,

You are talking about the Jim Hunt Handle. It's in another box somewhere.

[Shultzie]

Hi Ward,

You are talking about the Jim Hunt Handle. It's in another box somewhere.

No...That amazingly high tech Robin...The Bob Hunt lightweight handle with the adjustable locking screw on the bottom of that incased foam handle.
A lot of fore-thought went into that handle...that sported slightly longer line attachment arms...that on my Avenger series models seem to give a slight amount of "power-steering pop" in the square corners...however that extra arm length seemed also to really allow me to LOCK IN THE SMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTHEST LEVEL FLIGHTS that I had ever experienced.
Sadly...I got carried away..." shorted and sawed off the arms" when I started flying my new 1976 Chipmunk. I used that handle until...someone,( I am not naming who) talked me out of that handle and used it for about 6 months until some car racing across the Space Center parking lot....ran over it and turned that beautiful handle into foam dust and pieces. Perhaps  it would have lived to see more flying...EXCEPT AT THE LAST MINUTE...THE SPEEDING CAR'S DRIVER NOTICED US WAVING..... SLAMMMMMMMMMMMED N' LOCKED  HIS  BREAKS!
What a sad ending to such an inovative handle  concept.

It's greatest feature made it soooooooooooooo EZ to dial in just exactly the amount of up or down. Once you found the SWEET SPOT...just a quite twist of two fingers...and that setting was secure.

[Shultzie]

No... I don't think it was the other Hunt handle....

I think he meant...that amazingly high tech Robin...The Bob Hunt lightweight handle with the adjustable locking screw on the bottom of that incased foam handle.

A lot of fore-thought went into that handle...that sported slightly longer line attachment arms...that on my Avenger series models seem to give a slight amount of "power-steering pop" in the square corners...
however that extra arm length seemed also to really allow me to LOCK IN THE SMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTHEST LEVEL FLIGHTS that I had ever experienced.

Sadly...I got carried away..." shorted and sawed off the arms" when I started flying my new 1976 Chipmunk.
I used that handle until...someone,( I am not naming who) talked me out of that handle and used it for about 6 months until some car racing across the Space Center parking lot....
ran over it and turned that beautiful handle into foam dust and pieces.

 Perhaps  it would have lived to see more flying...EXCEPT AT THE LAST MINUTE...THE SPEEDING CAR'S DRIVER NOTICED US WAVING..... SLAMMMMMMMMMMMED N' LOCKED  HIS  BREAKS...and turned that handle into foam dust.
 
What a sad ending to such an inovative handle  concept.

It's greatest feature made it soooooooooooooo EZ to dial in just exactly the amount of up or down. Once you found the SWEET SPOT...just a quite twist of two fingers...and that setting was secure.

[De Hill]

Schultzie,

I was talking to Jim Hunt about 12 years ago, and He showed me the mold he used to make the Hunt Handle. It had a short in it and needed to be repaired, but I guess Jim never got around to it.

What I am saying is that Jim Hunt manufactured the Hunt handle.

[Shultzie]

Schultzie,

I was talking to Jim hunt about 12 years ago, and He showed me the mold he used to make the Hunt Handle. It had a short in it and needed to be repaired, but I guess Jim never got around to it.

What I am saying is that Jim Hunt manufactured the Hunt handle.

Thanks for the clarification....and history. All these years....I didn't know that Jim made those for Bob.
That was truly a very beautiful piece of workmanship.
Anyone have photos of that handle to post on Stunt Hanger?
I did find Hunt's old catalog and found a page with a picture...as shown attached here below.

[Mike Lauerman]

Quote from: don boka on March 10, 2010, 09:29:29 AM
Hi Steve.
The yellow/red (actually maroon) handle is a Melcraft handle which was fairly popular in the Detroit area  for stunt in the fifties. There were holes in the handle to feed the cable thru and even the widest setting was close together compared to other handles. I still have two of them and the name is clearly marked on one of them. Yes, they were a "NO-NO" for combat. I believe they could have been locally made and am sure were intended for C/L Speed and the spike would go in the pylon and not in your opponents shoulder.

Don Boka.


Thanks for the info, Don. We used the spike to stick into the turf, holding the handle upright and more visible. I am pretty sure that was the intent. I still don't want another one!   Steve

********************************************************************************************************

Never thought about that 'spike' going onto a pylon...maybe! But I flew Del Mar High School in the '70s, used a maroon/yellow handle like you, stuck it in the turf, and there it was! I ran right to it, picked it up, and 'up' was up! Lotta guys commented on it..."Good idea! Stands up and is color-coded!" I didn't like the metal handle (power lines across the street) and it was heavy and uncomfortable. And cold! Flew in the morning. LOL