Kinks in lines Question

How bad do a kinks get in lines before you chunk them?

Thanks
Paul

As far as I am concerned.......
A quote from a film called "Ronin "
If there is any question, there is NO question.
In other words..... if you have the SLIGHTEST doubt about lines throw them away... they cost how much ?..... and your Plane cost how much??

Paul....

Pretty much, "kinks" cannot be "un-kinked"....time to toss the lines.
That said, line care is something that you begin to learn quickly...
I always try to wipe my lines with alcohol (sometimes a little RAINX in there), poured into a paper towel....the towel cleans and also catches on any kinks that will cause problems.

I would bet that a large line reel would be a help, too....less likely to have the line "spring off".

Making people aware of the fragility of lines is a good idea, too. A "pit" area that keeps folks from stomping them into the grass is almost as important as a safe flying site.

See Ya

You might want to look at Tom Morris' 19 strand lines. I got some a few months ago, and they seem to be much less prone to kinking than the others I've used. They're very flexible (not as flexible as 'Tuff-Strand'), but slice through the wind a lot better than 'Tuff-Strand'. They're a little 'pricey', but well worth it.
Just a suggestion.
Glen

I really like the 19 strand lines Tom Morris sells. The .018 kept on a large reel seem to last forever if you take care of them.

Someone on a CL mailing list said they're susceptible to abrasion from asphalt, so be careful with them. This makes sense - the thinner the individual wires, the more fragile they are, but the more flexible the strand. Definitely not something to use in Combat.

Incidentally, don't look over a combat fliers' lines unless you want to be sick.. Ever see what just one line tangle does to a set of lines? Most combat fliers won't use lines with more than a few curlicues in them for Fast Combat, but they'll get relegated for use in Speed Limit.

ISKY,
It all goes back to control line useage, care & Maintenance. Flying over asphalt isn't anymore damaging than flying over grass. If a flyer will use common sense when moving arround and out to the circle to fly he or she should not have any problems. Oh No, except for those with BAD PIT MANNERS, and you know who you are!

Do I think Tom's lines are more prone to damage when used at a asphalt circle, certainly not. It boils down to the individual user and how he or she treats a set of lines.

By the way, I have been told that some combat flyers after buying a new pair of lines, will drop them onto the street and run over them with a truck. They say that it gives the line that recently crashed look!

Yeah, if people don't drag their handles around the circle by moving the plane like Combat people do, Tom Morris lines should work fine. You can always tell the Stunt fliers in a Combat circle because they'll insist that someone pick up the handle, and another person pick up the plane before moving either.. (Combat people do things to lines that would make Stunt fliers blanch..)

Boy howdy, You hit the nail right on the head

>Boy howdy, You hit the nail right on the head
>
>MikeC

Yup,

Taking care of them includes not dragging them over the flying surface and using some solvent on them to clean them once a month or so.

Then you can put 10 gallons of fuel thru your stunt ship without changing lines.

Along those lines, I remember one summer when a young Bill Rich decided to get serious about competing. He used 56 gallons of fuel that year up in West Chester, Pa. I think we flew 3-4 nights a week after work and all day on weekends.

Ron B.
F4Fguy

Paul:

If you can feel a kink while running the lines through your fingers,TOSS them, combat flyers notwithstanding.They don't normally spend days/weeks/months building their airplanes. They also use heavier lines than we do,precisely because they abuse them more in the normal course of their usage.

>If you can feel a kink while running the lines through your
>fingers,TOSS them, combat flyers notwithstanding.They don't
>normally spend days/weeks/months building their airplanes.

That goes without saying. Add to the fact that even a .46FP powered stunter pulls much harder than even a Fast Combat plane, flies much longer per flight and is expected to last hundreds of flights, not 20 or so (not counting midairs).

>They also use heavier lines than we do,precisely because
>they abuse them more in the normal course of their usage.

For equal engine displacement, yes. But our .018s are as heavy as the .018s used on larger stunters.

Well, you guys might poke fun at my Ureelys, but I check my lines at home, go to the ring and fly, check them afterward. My lines do not lie on the ground for anyone to tramp on or snag and snarl and kink. Set of lines lasts me 12 or so years with careful attention. I reel out, fly and reel up each flight.

>How bad do a kinks get in lines before you chunk them?
>

If you have a kink, chuck the lines.