Safety

[Casey]

Hi Everyone

Is it safe to fly my .51 cu. in. 55 oz without fuel 60 inch stunter on .015 70 feet 7-strand braided stainless steel cables measured from centre of handle to centre of model?

[Perry Rose]

Yup. .018 would be a bit safer though.

[Paul Smith]

Apart from the rules, how much is the airplane worth to you? 
For me, I don't go over .40 on .015" lines. 
To some, the enhanced performance of thin lines is worth the risk. 
Not me.

[Brett Buck]

Hi Everyone

Is it safe to fly my .51 cu. in. 55 oz without fuel 60 inch stunter on .015 70 feet 7-strand braided stainless steel cables measured from centre of handle to centre of model?

   In almost all conditions, yes.  It's legal for competition that way, and almost everyone here would probably do it. I would probably test it with .015 and .018 and see which flew better, and use that.

    I think you should probably try shorter lines. I would suggest trying 2 foot increments, and seeing how it felt.

    Brett

[goozgog]

  As everyone has said, the .015's are good
by the rules and are reasonable for a 55oz
aircraft.

But here's how it breaks down for me in reality.

   When I've driven a long way to a contest,
and paid for my entry fees and living expenses,
I will almost always fly in conditions that would
normally ground me.

   Casey, when you're diving your valuable plane
at the ground in 25 knot winds and the sucker
is winding up like a kite, you will be happy that
you're using  .018's.

I practice and compete with .018's

Cheers! - K.

[Tim Wescott]

Brett alludes to this, I'm going to spell it out:  Sometimes a plane flies better on lines that are bigger than the minimum that the rules require.  It's not a safety thing, it's a matter of how springy the lines are and how that softens up the control of the plane.

So that's why he's suggesting that you try both, as well as trying different lengths.  Keep in mind that thicker lines will need the leadouts moved back (how much?  I dunno).  So the comparison won't be an easy A-B thing: you'll want to get the plane trimmed out for one size lines, then switch lines and get it trimmed out again.

As for safety, having lines that are in good condition (no kinks or nicks) and are terminated well is probably more important than having lines that are .003" bigger.

[Paul Smith]

2 points and a free kick.

[Gerald Arana]

2 points and a free kick.

    Good one Paul!

Jerry

[Casey]

Thanks everyone for the advice