Stooge Design

I have to equip myself with a stooge so that I can practice when I like. It would be very useful to understand the experiences of people who use these and even better if a sketch and/or picture could be posted

Regards

Mike

>I have to equip myself with a stooge so that I can practice
>when I like. It would be very useful to understand the
>experiences of people who use these and even better if a
>sketch and/or picture could be posted
I have been using the CSC, now Brodak stooge for the last 15 years with no issues at all. Its safe and and well built, requiring low maintenance. Suggest you get one from your Brodak dealer.
Thanks
Wayne Buran

Thanks Wayne for the info

In the UK the price is double the US price =$28 plus postage also I really like making things and understanding what has been done before is part of the joy. so I am still looking for a picture or several

Regards

Mike

LAST EDITED ON Nov-11-04 AT 07:16 AM (CST)
 
I've been using Tom Morris' stooge; it's his adaptation of Bob Baron's design, heavy and non-skid. No need to "nail" it to the ground. Very popular around here. See:

www.tomsbuildingservice.biz

LAST EDITED ON Nov-11-04 AT 08:11 AM (CST)
 
Mike-

I know that this will not have the appeal of a craft project, but my stooge for flying off grass is cheap and simple. I use three straight pieces of clothes-hanger wire (d about 3/32" or 2.3 - 2.4 mm), each with one end twisted into a closed loop (like skewers for cooking, which may themselves be useable). Two of these are about 6" long, and the third is about 12" long (15 cm and 30 cm would suffice). I stick the two shorter ones into the ground about 1" - 2" apart along a radius of the flying circle so that the upper (looped) ends slant slightly rearward to the flight direction and protrude just to the level of a clip connected to the model's tailwheel/skid or the reinforced hole I drilled in my SkyRay's profile fuselage. With its loop toward circle's center, the longest of the three pieces then passes, through the two protruding "eyes" of the other two and the clip or fuselage between them. A string attached to the looped end of this longer piece is unrolled to circle center, where it can be pulled to release the plane. I always push the long piece all the way through the othes so that its loop is against the others, leaving most of its length against the grass/ground, where friction prevents it from vibrating out. It could also be slanted downward toward the outside, although I have found that precaution unnecessary. I always check for movement before leaving for the center of the circle to release the model and have found no problems.

For flying off hard surfaces, you could do a variation of this with eye bolts attached to plywood or iron, large or heavy enough to prevent movement by thrust. In this case though, spring-loaded pins wouldn't be all that difficult and would be preferable. On grass, however, this simple technique has worked reliably for me with no indication of any dangerous tendencies.

SK

Thats what I like - a really simple method. Now, where is the wire coathanger

Thanks

Regards

Mike

http://www.mike-nelson.co.uk

My stooge is a 2'X 4' piece of 3/8 plywood. At the back edge, I attached two small hardwood blocks. Into each I screwed an eye screw. A peice of coathanger rod about 8" goes through the first, then the clip(loop) from the plane, and then the second eyescrew. The lanyard is "hot pink" seine twine from Wal Mart for visibility.
The plane sits on the plywood, so there is no need to stake anything down. When the lanyard is pulled, the plane gets about a two foot run before it's on the grass. I have two other 2'X 6' pieces of plywood(from the same 4X8 sheet) that I have used in tall grass to make a runway. I just lay them out in a slight arc with the back edge of the one in front UNDER the forward edge of the one before it.
Of course, on a mowed field there is no need for the extra pieces.
Glen

LAST EDITED ON Nov-11-04 AT 09:04 AM (CST)
 
The CSC/Brodak stooge is the best. I had a home made one using pieces of corner brackets until I got the CSC. Have never had a problem with it. If on solid surfaces have to have bricks or a block of cement to lay on the plywood my stooge is anchored. Later, DOC

PS: If you a heavy steel plate of about 10 pounds or more no problem on any surface.

My grass stooge is a long nail, @ 12 in, with wire wound around the top with two loops. I have a wooden handle with a piece of chalk line ending in a 6 in long pin made from coathanger wire. I have a small hammer I use to drive the nail in and I lay the hammer by the stooge so I can find it. I have not had a failure in 30 years. I visually check the stooge before starting, pull the airplane againist the stooge before starting, and hold the airplane while starting. I pick up the control handle first, then the stooge handle. After I pull the stooge handle, I throw it away. I have had one incident, long ago, of my feet becoming tangled in the stooge line.

I made my own. It is two pieces of brass tubing, mounted on 1" platforms above a square piece of wood, maybe 8" on each side. Two holes are drilled into the square, and I use two larger screwdrivers to attach the square to the ground (the ground is soft here from rain, so you simply push them in with your hand).

The release pin is a piece of music wire with a C hook on the end.

On the airplane side, if the fuse is a profile, I just drill a hole, usually. If a full fuse, I make a little loop out of flying wire, and attach to the tail (maybe the tail wheel, or skid).

I like those Matty Sullivan Aramid fiber lines for the stooge. That is about all they are good for. You always can spot it (yellow, on a green grass background) on the ground. It helps you find the model's lines too.

It works pretty well. For carrying it to and from the car, I Velcro the thing to the top of my flying (tool) box. Also, I drilled a small hole in the square, and put a 3/16" wooden dowel in it. This allow carrying three or four sets of lines on your stooge, too.

Someone posted a picture of Windy's stooge. It was real nice. I have the picture on my computer at home. I will try and remember to post it tonight.
It had two post that stuck up in from of the tail feathers, pull the pin and the post drop. No holes in the plane or nothing to attach to a little wheel.

Thanks
Paul

Man, you got green grass up there?

Usually ours is...you guessed it....Kevlar brown..

Here is a picture. I made this stooge from the picture in the AMA rule book. I had some scrap 3/4" plywood so I made several, 1 for me and about 5 others to sell. You can make your own I think the picture can explain it better than me. Used a very weak spring. I make my own spring from wire or use a spring from a edge of a note book. Use a control line cable as the release line. Attach a 12" string to the tail of your airplane. Do not tie the string to the tail wheel unless your 100% positive the wheel will not pull off the airplane. I like to cut a tiny 1/8" slot in the tip of the fuselage and insert a piece of 1/8" plywood glue it in place. Drill a 1/8" in the plywood for the string. Use strong string something like nylon fishing line. Make a loop in the tip of the string and attach it to the stooge. Put 3 screws in the stooge plywood so the screws stick out the bottom about 1/2". Fill an empty 1 gallon plastic fuel container with water and set it on the stooge to keep it from sliding. The 3 screws will stick in cement, asphalt, dirt, grass, sand, and the airplane will not drag it. 3 screws work great, a 3 leg table will never wobble.

My stooge is a gallon milk jug filled with sand and water. I bend a u shaped piece of coat hangar with loops at the top end of the u and the bottom of the u. I then tie the bottom of the u to the milk jug handle and the other side is placed around the tail gear or the keeper on the plane. The stooge "pin" looks like a big safety pin made from the remainder of the coat hanger. This all gets tied to a long length of stout cord that I wind onto an old fishing reel I have. The safety pin stays clipped until your ready to run to the handle. It actually takes more time to describe than to use or make - I've had two of them. the first one the milk jug finally gave out after 6 or 7 years of use - big pile of sand in the car.

LAST EDITED ON Nov-22-04 AT 05:39 PM (CST)
 
I think this is one of Windy's.

Thanks
Paul

I have one of Windy's stooges and it works just fine. I am leaning toward the Tom Morris stooge for the simplicity and ability to work on any surface. When I used the Windy stooge with a Trike gear, I was suprised at how close the tail is to the top of the posts.

I also have a simple 2x4 with a large nail for an anchor and a release pin that goes through the top of the board. Simple and cheap and works great off the grass.