Not your fathers handle

[scott matthews]

Well winter has finally settled in here in Cincinnati,so to kill some time I decided to make a copy of my dads handle that I have been using over the last few years.Not many changes except to widen the spacing to fit my hand and to customize the fit for me.I was extremely surprised at how little time it took to make a handle if you have a drill pres and a Dremal tool available. Pictures are inclose I hope, and just to set the record straight my dads handle is the black one I have not clear coated mine yet.

[john e. holliday]

Looks good.   But, myself I am converting over to hard point handles for serious work and also play.   

[Bob Reeves]

Hi Scott, handle looks great.. You are going to get allot of opinions and people telling you what's wrong with the design. Just shrug it off and be proud of your handle. Sometime back the worlds was won with a handle designed just like yours and if it works for you, that's all that matters.

[Bill Little]

Very nice work on that handle!

BIG Bear
RNMM/AMM

[John Fitzgerald]

That's a great handle.  I like the cable type like yours best because I use the same handles with multiple lines and planes. They are easier to adjust, especially when 1" or so of adjustment is commonly necesssary.  But, I am only a sport flier.

[Chris Wilson]

Well winter has finally settled in here in Cincinnati,so to kill some time I decided to make a copy of my dads handle that I have been using over the last few years.Not many changes except to widen the spacing to fit my hand and to customize the fit for me.I was extremely surprised at how little time it took to make a handle if you have a drill pres and a Dremal tool available. Pictures are inclose I hope, and just to set the record straight my dads handle is the black one I have not clear coated mine yet.

It is very satisfying making things yourself, well done mate.

Is that handle simply a solid one piece of wood or is it laminated with some grain going parallel with the lines?

And did you factor in any 'handedness?' As in, is the handle symmetrical on both sides and therefore will suit equally well both right and left hands?

Thanks.

[Larry Fernandez]

I know good and well I am going to get seriously flamed here but I'll say it any way.

If your just flying for fun, any old handle will make the plane go up and down. That said, if you want to get the very best performance out of your plane and compete an any level, you are going to need a handle that has adjustable line spacing and hard point connections. Yea, yea I'm full of crap.  But why is it that all top ten fliers at the NATs, fly with a Fancher type handle? They are surely not paid sponsor fees to do so. All competitors are looking for every possible edge and or advantage.
When I flew at an intermediate level, I recall the big boys advising me to upgrade my handle. I thought they were all full of crap, and could not imagine a handle making any difference in flight performance. I finally caved in and tried a handle loaned to me by Brett or Ted (I don't recall) But I do recall how much better the plane flew and how much more trim options I had. Needless to say I didn't fly in intermediate much longer after that.

Its advice to take or discount. But I would try it before I discount it.

OK gents flame away!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Larry, Buttafucco Stunt Team

[De Hill]

Larry,

Your advice is good for people who fly in contests.

The vast majority of Controline flyers do not fly in contests, and do not use a dedicated set of handle and lines for each aircraft.

So they use a cable handle, switch it from airplane to airplane and readjust the handle neutral as required.

[scott matthews]

I just copied this design because it was all ready available, but I do plane on trying my hand at making a hard point handle in the near future.

[EddyR]

SWITCHING HANDLE AND LINES FROM PLANE TO PLANE. 
Since there are several threads about handles going on now and it comes up all the time let me add my two cents about this issue. STOP STOP MW~ Do not do it anymore. Unless you are flying a fleet of Ringmasters you are stuck in 1950. That's what I did as a kid who had no money and no one told me it is counter productive. We have learned a lot in the last 30 years about CL models and most of what we did years ago is wrong. A good motor run is important but a well trimmed plane is a Joy. If you change lines every time you fly you will never have a well trimmed plane. I make dozens of flight on a new plane getting handle perfect. Let me give you an example. I flew with Richard Owens ,deceased last year,for years and he would use the same set of lines on four different planes at a contest. One day at the local field I told him to stop flying as his lines were unsafe, I was the AMA safety marshal for the TBLF. We sat down and had a long talk about lines and what ones to use on what plane. He was flying everything on 70' lines. The next week he had five planes and five sets of lines and he said after we were done flying that all his planes flew better. Richard went from a frustrated Advanced flyer to Expert in two years.  I couched Rill Rich for almost ten years and we would change line length 6" and fly again until we got what he wanted for that one plane. Then we would wait for a windy day and do it all over again to get that one plane to be perfect. I fly at the Huntersville field and see some of our club members changing there lines  from plane to plane and they never get good flights and these are the same guys who always have motor run problems. I don't bother to say anything as it is useless. Continue to do it if you want but MW~ MW~ MW~ DON'T WAIST OUR TIME ASKING HOW DO I TRIM THIS PLANE

[Chris Wilson]

Hi Ed,
          who is advocating switching lines and handles every time they fly?

There are thoughts along the lines of upgrading it, and that sounds sensible, and thoughts about using the same handle with a model that has already been matched to a set of lines and readjusting the neutral (hopefully to a known spot) or using neutral adjusted lines and their clips - and that's not that bad sounding either.

But I do agree with the wholesale swap out of both lines and handles seems a bit weird.

Talk soon mate.

[EddyR]

DeHill said "they switch there lines & handle from plane to plane". Example Fly three flights on Ringmaster the put the lines on Thunderbird. Bad engine run so put that same set of lines on Profile. I see it all the time. I have seen it at contest.

[Dick Pacini]

MW~

[Jim Kraft]

I use a hard point handle and cut all my pairs of lines the same length. I have what I call a standard length line clip. The others are either longer or shorter, and I leave the one that is not standard on the leadout on the plane. That way my handle and lines work with all my planes. I have three handles that I use for all my planes. Works for me.

[Chris Wilson]

DeHill said "they switch there lines & handle from plane to plane". Example Fly three flights on Ringmaster the put the lines on Thunderbird. Bad engine run so put that same set of lines on Profile. I see it all the time. I have seen it at contest.

Maybe I was reading it wrong but the exact quote is "So they use a cable handle, switch it from airplane to airplane and readjust the handle neutral as required."

The 'it' that is switched in that sentence is the cable handle but I see that in the previous sentence there is mention of they 'do not use a dedicated set of handle and lines for each aircraft.'

So point taken mate.

[Bill Little]

I was told a long time ago by a great pilot to use one set of lines and one handle for each model.  I have done so ever since.  I will admit that a good set of lines may get used for a while on a new model if an old one has been retired.

New lines are required every season or so if you actually get to practice very much.

BIG Bear
RNMM/AMM

[john e. holliday]

You know for new guys/gals starting out, the on set of lines/handle per airplane sounds great.   But, how many are on a budget.   Yes, if you buy lines in the bulk and make your own, I can see it.   But, with the prices of handles, I think one or two handles is sufficient.   I used to make one set of lines for a plane.  Tying my leadouts as close to neutral as I could I could also use the one set of lines on more than one plane.  The handle I used most was from Bigiron Marvin Denny.   It was easy to adjust for minor adjustments.  I now sit here with several sets of lines that I do not know what to use them on as the planes no longer exist.

Now if a  person is serious he will get one plane, lines and handle combination.  Stay with it and practice.