Lost a model from a line clip snag?

[Curare]

Hey guys, it's taken me a few days to process this and overcome my embarrasment, but I lost my Cobra on the weekend, and it all came down a snagged line through a line clip on the handle.

I've been using Derek Moran style clips for years, and apart from the odd clip going 90° before take off, they've been infallible, until now.

I'd just gotten to the point where the engine run was good enough to start flying the pattern, and start trimming. I'd made a tweak to the model, and made the trim worse. I thought I'd keep flying and observing to see what needed to change, when at the top of the square eight I got knocked off line. In my evasive action it seems that I'd looped the down line over the up line connector, so when everything went taught I had full down.
The model did one outside loop, and then a figure 9 to go straight into the deck, and leave a sizeable divot.

I initially thought I'd broken a line, but noticed the snag when I when to get out of my handle thong.

I'm now a little wary of the connectors, and I'm wondering: did I do something wrong? Am I using these things right?

[Paul Allen]

Hi Greg
            This happened to a good flyer at the Hunter Valley Champs a few years ago
with the same result! Not sure how you get around it,I use the  same style clips.
Did you loose line tension?
Paul

[Mark Gerber]

Sorry to see the outcome.  I've also used the Derek Moran clips for years with no problems.

Can you post a picture of your handle and how the down line snagged on the up line clip?

Mark Gerber

[Dave Harmon]

I noticed how this could happen so I always place the hook end of the clips toward the handle and toward the airplane on the lead outs.
If the 'other' line goes slack or crosses over....it can slide under the hook if it is not pre-loaded enough to keep it closed both in the scissor direction and flush against the other hook as well.
Having a sharp point on both hooks is also important so the other line can slide over the hook....just in case.
Otherwise....really like these clips.

[frank mccune]

      How about a picture of this type of line clip?

      Tia,

      Frank McCune

      Ps. That indeed what used to be called a bummer.  My sympathies.

   

[john e. holliday]

Sounds l;ike in your moment of panic you moved the handle too far.   Maybe your handle spacing was too close.  You may try some tubing to slide over the connectors when you hook them up   I have shrink tubing on the handle end on a couple of handles.  Especially the cable handles.

[Tim Wescott]

That has happened to me exactly once.  I was using a hard-point handle, on a plane that was a bit "dead" and needed a lot of control input.  I got into some wacky situation and pulled full up, with the handle just about lined up with the plane, so the "up" line was lying along the "bottom" line.  When I came out of that, the up line was hooked in the bottom line connector.

Since then, I just don't do that any more, and about 1000 flights later I haven't had a recurrence.

You can certainly slip fuel tubing or heat-shrink over your connectors, and make that almost impossible to happen.

You can stagger the ends at the plane and make it less likely (and your connectors can't rub, which is good in itself).

I prefer those clips; I have a collection of clips, and a line bender in my flight kit so I can make them at need.

[Ken Culbertson]

I may be a minority voice but I always keep the handle at neutral when a plane goes rogue.  That way when it hits the lines, it hits both lines and the chances of a snap are much less.  Like the idea of heat shrink on the connectors.  I have had a couple of times where they got crooked when I picked up the handle.  I fly electric and I really don't need anything that will take more than 5 second to fix when starting up.

Ken

[Randy Powell]

I had a very similar thing happen a year ago with my classic Mirage. On a particularly hard turn, the line flipped at caught on the clip. Result: Bangerang. Whisk broom and dust pan. Shocked the heck out of me. I'd never seen that before.

[Curare]

Some interesting stuff here, I can say that I did have the clip with the crossed over section facing the aircraft, otherwise I'd never have been able to do what I did. With that said, I don't know how you have the clip "reversed" so the cross over is on the handle side with a hotpoint, the holes would have to be huge by comparison.

Paul, I got knocked off line, at the top of the square and the plane flew in, so no line tension at all. In the aftermath I would guess that the lines drooped far enough for me to snag up on the clips.

Ken, I agree with what you've said, i should have not flung my hand around so much, it's probably what caused the snag it the first place, you live and learn I guess.

I like the idea of the heat shrink slip covers, it might help.

Sorry guys, no pics till later, I'm currently at work.

[Howard Rush]

Old combat trick: Slide 1/4" bladder tubing over the clip. A toot of Windex or alcohol will let it slide easily.  You can slide it off onto the line to do changes or adjustments.  I got my tubing from MBS (Melvin in Topeka, not the prince). 

[Curare]

Thats a good idea, I'm a loooong way from Topeka though, but I think I may have some 1/4" surgical tube laying around.

I take it no one is doing this at the aircraft end, or are they?

[Howard Rush]

I take it no one is doing this at the aircraft end, or are they?

I'm not.  Cylindrical things have a lot of drag.

[Ken Culbertson]

Old combat trick: Slide 1/4" bladder tubing over the clip. A toot of Windex or alcohol will let it slide easily.  You can slide it off onto the line to do changes or adjustments.  I got my tubing from MBS (Melvin in Topeka, not the prince).

That one goes back to the days when the VooVoo was the king of the hill.  Am I really that old?  Sh**

Ken

[Randy Powell]

You can stagger the connectors at the airplane end so they don't come near each other.

[Ken Culbertson]

You can stagger the connectors at the airplane end so they don't come near each other.

I did that once but when I hung the plane by the leadouts to balance the CG it took 11 ounces.

[john e. holliday]

Use tubing at handle end.   I make lead outs at plane as close to even as I can.  So far after all these years no problems.