Well, if we are on the topic of "just for the hell of it", the consideration to just drop the BOM and move forward could also be included in that conversation.  Now, before the hellfire gets rained down on me for bringing it up, Really, what are folks afraid of? I ask this honestly, with very little snark.  And if BOM went away, why would top level guys choose to boycott a hobby that has entertained them for a lifetime? 

     Because *that hobby had been eliminated by rule*. I am utterly uninterested in buy-and-fly contests using bought models. It reduces this event to a mere shadow, a pointless handle-waving exercise - just like FAI, which is now (for the most part) a meaningless exercise, starting the moment there was an "FAI World Champion" using a model built by someone else.

    You get a vote, I get vote, I will vote no, and I will also expect the 80% of the current participants will also vote no. If you decide to do it anyway, I and most other NATS winners will strongly push to retire the Walker Trophy - because the winner would no longer deserve it. To continue to award it under those circumstances would be a slap in the face to every name on there.

       Brett

Good evening from Spofforth , North Yorkshire.
I’ve an odd lines / handle problem. It goes like this.
1. My 60’ lines are exactly the same length.
2. When I connect up to one particular airplane , my handle is in the correct 90 degree position.
3. After take off , to maintain level flight , my handle is in the ‘climbing’ position , with around 30 degrees .

The flaps and elevators are in alignment.
The C of G is spot on.
Any suggestions much appreciated.

    If you have someone hold the airplane, pull some tension on the lines, and check the neutral position, is your handle still vertical or is it in the "up" position? If your handle is a cable type that can be adjusted, reset it so that the handle is vertical, and they recheck for neutral. Wiggle the handle up and down several times and go back to neutral and recheck it. If things look good, like elevator/flaps are neutral and handle is vertical, does the elevator and flaps have equal movement up and down? If they do, take a short test flight and see if anything changes under flight load. If not, you may have a pushrod that needs the length adjusted to get thing even both ways. If you have a hard point handle that can not be adjusted, then you will need to make custom attachment clips of varying lengths to even things out. One place to start with, is the flap pushrod from the bell crank to the flap horn, and see if the travel is equal in both directions, and if possible check that the bell crank is in a neutral position.  Then move back to the flap/elevator pushrod. Also, check the location of any control horns if they are the bolt on type, to make sure that the pushrod pivot hole is in line with the surface hinge line. If it is off forward or rearward, that greatly affects things. Is the airplane a profile or full fuselage? Most of this is easier done on a profile.
  Type at you later,
  Dan  McEntee

HI Bob ,  PM   sent  ,   Thanks   ,  Ron

Is the engine thrust line zero degrees?  The engine may have down thrust.

Mike,
You making that drive?

Not this time. Hopefully in the future when the kids are a little older.