Adjustable tip weight boxes and adjustable leadouts

I have got back into contol line flying after a 35 year lapse. So much has changed.

While reading the thread about the Twister I saw references to adjustable tip weight boxes and adjustable leadouts. Could someone enlighten me on how these are constructed. I would like to use them in my next plane.

Thank you,

Jim McConville

John Brodak sells both. The tip weight box is more of a no-brainer, though, just a hatch you can open to change the number of split shot (or maybe you are a shotgunner and use the real thing). Anyone, new or returnee, should get Brodak's catalog just to see what is available (since very little C-L stuff is on the hobby shops' shelves!)

The adjustable leadout assembly is a small plywood pc. approximately 3" x 1/2" with a sliding carrier for the leadout ferrules. An lock bolt fastens the slide. It allows fore and aft adjustment of leadout position for trimming.

It could be made up but the Brodak unit is relatively in-expensive.

Others may be available as well--I'm not sure how important it might be to be able to adjust each line individually.

Some say adjustable weight boxes and adjustable leadouts are the best thing since the bellcrank. I know I regret it every time I build an airplane without one or the other. The afore mentioned Sig Twister is not a bad airplane to learn the stunt pattern with (should you care to). It has square wingtips with 1/8 liteply wingtip ribs. On one I buried a little plastic pill bottle in the wingtip and could snap the cap on and off to change wingtip weight. On another I put a 4-40 bolt through pennies into a blind nut on the back of the tip rib.

On the inside tip, I cut a 1/8 wide slot in the lite ply and made a slider out of another piece of ply with a 4-40 blind nut on the inside between two long grommets about 1/2 inch apart for the leadouts to go through. The grommets stick out through the slot and a 4-40 bolt with a washer holds the slider in place. If your leadouts come out this close together, It's a good idea to make them different lengths so they, and the line clips, etc. can't hang up while flying. The virtue of having the leadouts come out close together is that the airplane yaws very little when you give it up or down control.

You do have to trim the holes in the ribs so that the leadouts don't touch anywhere you move the slider. Start out with the slider back enough that the airplane hangs out a little when you suspend it from the leadouts. Then, if needs be, I move the slider forward, 1/8 in at a time, until I'm looking straight down the wing when flying.

For some reason this forum won't accept my username & password since I upgraded my machine & I can't get your email address without it. If you'll email it to me I can send you a scanned picture of an adjustable leadout guide.
Nils

This is actually rather strange, I can post, but I can't edit the post or get past the username/password to get to other users email addresses. I sent you an email Leonard, can you help me out please?
Nils

>For some reason this forum won't accept my username
>& password since I upgraded my machine & I can't get
>your email address without it.

Nils, Mr. McConville elected to not include an email address in his profile, so whether your own password situation was straight or not, you couldn't get an email address for him from what is stored where the regular users can see it!

Kiwi

>If you'll email it to me I can send you a
>scanned picture of an adjustable leadout guide.

>Nils

Additionally, RSM Distributing (Eric Rule) sells plywood sliders and cute little plywood weight boxes with bolt-on lids. I glue the box to the outboard rib next to the spar and flush with the surface so it is not visible to the casual observer. Windy Urtnowski sells a fabulous composite leadout slider if you want the very fanciest. I not sure my time is worth the effort involved to make these pieces. Both Windy and Eric have easily found websites and have given me great service.