Over on the Barton site there is a lot of flack about how the Worlds was ran.   Looking at some of the photos I can see that the pilots were not very practiced in flying while using a safety thong/strap.  Back when the talk came up about the safety of it I did send in my comments to person I was told to send it to.  Seems the Barton flying site requires safety thongs/straps for all their control line events.  Being away from racing for a while I don't remember if they are required here in the states for our American racing.  I do know if you fly FAI F2C you must have a safety thong.  There was also mention of someone getting hurt by a model crashing.  Bits and peices every where and someone getting a bruise from a flying part.  At our Worlds 2004, I was sitting next to the Russian team manager when an engine came under the netting.  It stopped at our feet. 

Yes the event is getting way too fast for the soso pilot to fly.  Like in the last days of Rat Racing when we only had a couple of individuals able to fly them safely.  I know it would upset a lot of people world wide, but, what would it take to get the planes back to look like planes instead of a pod on a wing.  Could also increase the size of the plane in width and height as well as wing area.  Still keep the 2.5CC engines.   Larger dia. lines even still just requires more wig tip weight.   Keep the same length lines.  I guess that is why vintage racing is so popular in the UK and Oz.  My thoughts.  I do want to thank the individuals for all the pictures at the various sites.

The whole business of safety thongs in Combat and Racing is illogical.

In the pre-thong days, we saved a lot of equipment losses by swapping hands in Combat.  The thong triggered countless avoidable line tangles, some of which triggered flyaways, which invoked flyaway shutoffs, which killed Fast & Slow.

Meanwhile Racing got itself excused from the thong rule for (GET THIS) the ability to swap hands and get out of line tangles. 

I think a safety fanatic could make a case that swapping the handle from one hand to the other is an unacceptable hazard, too, even though we did it for decades in Combat with no reported problems.

Now that Fast, Slow, and F2D are all saddled with flyaway shutoffs, we're long overdue to dump the wrist strap rule.

That being done, I could see giving Racing a pass, too - as long as the race in flown within a caged circle.

Paul, your nonsense response only serves to show how totally out of touch with reality you are now and have been for a long time.

1) Shutoffs did not kill Fast and Slow: too much performance did. If you want to blame someone, blame Henry for making a too good motor.

2) Combat models are capable of maneuvers that a racing model is incapable of..

3) The ability to switch hands for a racing model is often the ONLY way to avoid a crash. Contrast that to an event where the model can be flown in any direction at the pilot's whim.

4) As evidenced at the recent WCHs, it's the crash and associated shrapnel from the model that defines the danger. As evidenced by the fact that the biggest insurance claim AMA has ever paid was from the shrapnel of a CL model after it crashed injuring a pit crew.

5) And on and on and on.....

Bottom line: combat was mandated wrist straps due to a demonstrated problem (Sparky at the Lincoln NATs), and F2D was mandated shutoffs due to a demonstrated problem (2005 Eurochamps).  Such cannot be said for wrist straps for F2C, which have in fact  created a demonstrated safety problem.  In spite of your angst towards anything that disturbs you, this is not a case for "good for the goose, good for the gander).

The whole business of safety thongs in Combat and Racing is illogical.

In the pre-thong days, we saved a lot of equipment losses by swapping hands in Combat.  The thong triggered countless avoidable line tangles, some of which triggered flyaways, which invoked flyaway shutoffs, which killed Fast & Slow.

you can argue this both ways.  At the '73 NATS in Oshkosh I saw 5 planes flyaway in the first 4 matches, including one double flyaway with the planes circling around the handles dangling below.  With higher speeds and heavier planes a LOT of people were letting go of the handle, like when they changed hands to get out of a line tangle.  "Finger tip" flyers were especially prone to losing the plane when just crossing the lines could pull hard enough to pull it off their fingertips.  The safety thong has prevented a lot of flyaways in combat.

Team Race is another animal.  With the high speeds and limited flying area it can be really easy for even an experienced pilot to get into a spot where changing hands could help.  But I doubt anyone documented any statistics for flyaways vs saves by switching hands during races before the rules were changed.

HI Doc,

In the NorthWest, we have to fly all the racing events with a safety thong as part of an airport field rule rather than an AMA rule. From what I have seen, it's not a problem & the thong has actually stopped the odd handle 'let go' from becoming a reportable incident.
That being said ALL the NW events are quite a bit SLOWER (rotation) than F2C. Slower events are WAY easier to fly w/ a thong than the very fast F2C models.
I suspect F2C will DIE before the models ever go back to the old layout. The flying wing is WAY SAFER to fly in the wind than the conventional layout. So, the problem is NOT the layout...it's the speed.  AND, until the podium pilots publicly say "this event is too fast for us"....well then IT'S NOT!
Bob Whitney has proven that an F2C model can very reliably fly on 60" lines. That's the easiest way to go, but it'll never happen...
Why not?? BECAUSE WE'RE DINOSAURS. The same reason we absolutely won't allow electric starters in our racing events....BECAUSE WERE DINOSAURS.
But, even though I think they're nuts to fly like that at those speeds....I'll be there front row to watch them...until it goes away which will certainly be in my lifetime, but maybe not yours.

Paul  (off to go vintage racing (for the last time) next week in Santarem)