ATTENTION STOOGE USERS

If any of you have experience with stooges, particularly an incident involving safety, please share it with me. My next Stunt News safety article will deal with stooges and precautionary measures. My experience with them is minimal so I cannot input much. I received a few notes but due to a computer swap here at work some data may have been lost.
So, let's hear from you with just about any story - I'll try and use all I receive. Anonymity is yours for the asking.
Bob Z

Maybe my address would help!!

Bob Zambelli, 559 Mininger Rd, Souderton, PA, 18964 or <[email protected]>

Bob,

I've really only had one bad incident. And it wasn't the stooge's fault directly.

Let's just say that if you're flying with a stooge, it behooves you to insure that there are no weeds sticking up that could catch the lines as the stooge releases.

It just never comes out well.

Bob:
No problems personally with the Tru Launch stooge from Brodak through hundreds of launches in short grass, tall grass and hard surfaces.
My reason for posting is to remind you of the stooge arrangement described here at one time by a highly adventuresome and creative modeler.
He simply drove a peg in the ground about half the length of his lines , ran the handle and lines past the peg and then brought them back to the airplane, fired her up, grabbed the handle, and released the airplane. Supposedly when the airplane passes the peg, the lines will continue to straighen and, viola, he's airborne.
I would almost pay to see this in operation.
Best stooge tip is to peg the down line at the handle as added insurance against a malfunction. Hopefully the airplane will nose over if something bad happens.

>Best stooge tip is to peg the down line at the handle as
>added insurance against a malfunction. Hopefully the
>airplane will nose over if something bad happens.

Good suggestion. I have made hundreds of flights and have only had one problem - I accidently stepped on the release line, which released the plane.

Since I was taught to walk the Down line out to the handle, the model simply nosed over and stopped right after it released. You don't have to worry about cutting your hands or anything. The model has very little pull until it accelerates.

My two cents,

Ron King

>He simply drove a peg in the ground about half the length of
>his lines , ran the handle and lines past the peg and then
>brought them back to the airplane, fired her up, grabbed the
>handle, and released the airplane. Supposedly when the
>airplane passes the peg, the lines will continue to
>straighen and, viola, he's airborne.
>I would almost pay to see this in operation.
>Best stooge tip is to peg the down line at the handle as
>added insurance against a malfunction. Hopefully the
>airplane will nose over if something bad happens.

Done it many times. Not as tough as it sounds. Use a screwdriver and the line reel as the peg. It is important to stay low and keep the airplane low so it does not Twang off the peg. Easier for a lefty. There was an article called "The better Mouse Trap" in some short lived mag in the 1970's (sport modeler?) Wish I still had it.

I have heard of combat fliers using a 55 gallon trash barrel and hand launching the airplane.... that takes guts

LAST EDITED ON Dec-10-04 AT 08:57 AM (CST)
 
>I have heard of combat fliers using a 55 gallon trash barrel
>and hand launching the airplane.... that takes guts

I first saw this scheme in the Sketchbook page of Model Airplane News.

The author advocated a wood stake driven into the ground. It later escalated into a fence post.

The 55-gallon drum is much easier in the lines.

This is a thing people do when nobody else is around. If some else was there, why wrap your lines around a post ??

Though often suggested ( hopefully in jest ), I've heard of anybody actually doing it. If I did, I would never admit it.

Yes those dandelions can quickly change the direction of the plane.

John Christensen

My last crash was due to the lines getting snagged on some grass. Not smart!

I had a "fun" experience with my stooge which I shared in another thread. I had the bright idea of using 50lb. test mono fishing line as the lanyard. It worked great, except that I couldn't see it very well. One day, after about 4 laps, I felt something tugging at my feet. I discovered with a quick glance that the line was wrapping around my feet as I turned. I tried hopping and stomping; luckily, no one was watching, but the more I tried, the more it wrapped. Finally, I went down, and strangely enough, so did the plane. I wasn't hurt, but the plane was. My next stooge flight was with "hot pink" seine twine from Wal Mart, and I made it a point to toss the spool in front of me the second I pulled the pin out. So the real "stooge" was the human one.
Glen

Ah... You gotta learn to do them Lazy 8s when this happens. They aren't called Lazy 8s for nothing!

Yeah, I know. I need to learn "Lazy 8's" so they come automatically. I wasn't thinking that day. Glen

I just can't help myself. Heres a picture of Gary "Rainman" Tultz and his stooge . It's reliable and safe but sometimes requires re-training as seen here. Sorry Dave Johnson, I just couldn't resist.

Also.... this is a serious subject and this post is not intended to demean it in any way.

I am not the only one to have the stooge line end up in the flying line. The only other problem I have had was when the stooge line holding the plane caught in the elevator on release, I had to stay at the handle for the half tank before the motor quit. To let go was to definately have the line let go, to hold gaurenteed it to be solid. As for the stooge line, it was a reflex to pull and let go. I simply rethought and now pull the line and let the airplane roll away before releasing the stooge handle.

My primary flying for over 10 years has been on a stooge, hundreds of flights a year at least. Like using a table saw, you use care and thought to overcome any danger. The most damage I've ever seen at a flying site was when there were a bunch of people standing around, not when I was flying alone.

Perhaps it forces one to THINK just a bit more?

Only once did I have the release line get tangled in the flying lines. That's one time too many.

I fly a lot with a stooge and have not had any problems.(knock on wood) The only advice that I would submit would be to remember when you leave the plane to go to the handle, always walk out on the back side of the lines. This keeps you from being hobbled in the event of an accidental release. This advice also applies when you are flying with a pit man, they have been known to premature release. I hope that didn't offend anyone.....(Divot Dick)......RRRRRRR

I fly most of the time using my CSC stooge mounted to a board that is staked to the groung with long spikes. On pavement I have a square of cement block to lay on the board. My incident was trying to be in a hurry, as the area I was flying in was surrounded by geese. They get very nosy at the wrong time. It was while I was going to a telephone school in Lisle, Illinois. Had every thing set up and started the engine. As I ran to the handle I caught the stooge release line. Lucky for me it was over the flying lines and caused the plane to nose into the ground. Also I was lucky no one was around to witness my goofup. Basically, I have been hurt while having a live stooge hold the plane. I now hold the airplane myself while starting and adjusting. Later, -DOC:)

The major problem with using a stooge and flying alone is that you are completly responsible for what goes on; the safety of yourself and others. This means that you have to have at least some degee of situational awareness of what is going on around you. You cannot put your entire attention on flying the airplane. This is particularly true if your are flying in a public place. I have had a kid ride a bicycle into the circle while I was flying in a little used public park. Another time, while doing the fourleaf clover I realized that a car had driven up and parked directly behind me. This in a closed parking lot.

The only stooge related injury I have had occured while a friend was helping me and I wasn't using a stooge. I had been used to flying off a stooge, and waking around behind the wing to reach under and unhook the battery. Well my friend holding the airplane was right where I was used to going to unhook the battery. So I reached for it through the prop.

My Stooge Story

One day I was doing some goodyear practice (that's a real difficult event when you are pitting and flying too!), when after the third pitstop I felt a tug on the handle (felt like 6 pound 13.369 ounce largemouth bass) when I picked it up. Well I thought one of my clumsy feet had tripped the release. I use a homemade stooge with two eye-bolts and a pin attached to a big nylon cord. It has worked many times for stunt, racing, and just plain fun flying. On the plane I use a 1/16 inch wire skid with a loop in it.

Well, when I ran back for fourth pitstop I was amazed and shocked to find the pin still inserted with 3/4 of tailskid loop. I was flying at a school without permission. Several kids were watching and there was at least a quarter of a mile of windows looking at me. So the situation could have been a lot worse.

Moral of Story: Check EVERYTHING!!! I never thought about the wire wearing through until it happened. Now I try to fly with someone else, it is safer and more fun too.

I do say this again and again, how I got involved in flying control line, is I got tired of "being" the Stooge! (yuk, yuk, yuk)

Guys, it's not a joke. Safety needs to come first and I know many of you practice and can't always get a hand, but please, whenever possible use the buddy system. A stooge is a great thing, but it can't have a conversation with you or tell you your clover wasn't entered at 38 degrees, or was that 45?...

LAST EDITED ON Nov-19-04 AT 00:43 AM (CST)
 
My best stooge story ...
I have an old profile stunter that I used to fly on the stooge a lot. One breezy day the plane nosed over on takeoff, grinding off the prop, but not killing the engine. The plane sat there nosed over on the ground, screaming away with no prop.
Being alone, I stood there for a few seconds thinking, what to do, what to do? I didn't want to put the handle down while the engine was running. Finally, I ran toward the plane, still holding the handle, just in case.
So, what's wrong with this picture? THERE WAS NO PROP. What was I worried about?
Just to show how hard it is to break habits, though, when I got to the plane, I carefully got behind it and reached in gingerly to pinch off the fuel line. Why did I bother to be so careful to stay behind the prop? THERE WAS NO PROP.
Yeesh.
(I know, Dan is going to say, another one of Thompson's bizarre engine stories. There are more yet. As a matter of fact, the engine was just fine afterward, still flying the same plane (after repair of a few vibration cracks caused by the shaft run.)
--jt

John Thompson

Here's an idea - you know that RC set you've got lying around gathering dust? Put it into your stooge! No more lines to get tangled over. Of course, if you fly within 3 miles of an RC field, don't do this - or you want to use a ground frequency. If you fly AT an RC field, you could always go get the appropriate frequency pin...

I had wondered about canabalising a car remote locking set and having the activating fob on the handle.

Regards

Mike

And what about the slightly wider issue of 'engine starting' safety whilst flying alone.

Tony

It's about the same as running an engine on the bench, albeit a bit lower. Do you REALLY lower your defenses because someone is standing there to run you to the hospital? I've seen people do it, but they were distracted by other people not planning on the trip.

At our club night this tuesday one of our more experienced C/L flyers had the index finger and thumb of his left hand well bandaged. apparently he was running a .29 racing engine on the bench to settle in a new piston and had reached to tweak the needle forgetting that the prop was an 11" rather than the 9" he normally used - 4 slices across the tip of the index finger down to the bone and a 7 stitch gash in the thumb

Regards

Mike

LAST EDITED ON Nov-19-04 AT 08:06 AM (CST)
 
Yes but if you do have a prop accident in a field you've driven to in the back of beyond it's a different kettle of fish to having it happen in your back yard!

You may not be able to drive to get help!

LAST EDITED ON Nov-19-04 AT 10:07 AM (CST)
 
Elmores,

If you only fly when there are others to launch for you, it is not likely you get enough practice in to be a real threat at competitions. Serious practice is pretty much a solitary effort. Flying with other flyers is a nice social occasion but interferes with getting in all the practice you need each session to be competitive. I consider stooge flying much safer than hand launching, particularly safer for the airplane. I always walk out to the airplane ahead of the flying wires. The stooge release is on the other side, but then, I always fly off hard surface. Stooge techniques, and safety, like everything else, improves with practice. What I fear is that someone who flies less than fifty flights a year decides something is unsafe and he is the one to propose rules for everyone else to correct our practices to conform to his vision.

I am very uncomfortable with discussing stooges as a safety issue. There is always someone anxious to improve safety by legislating rules. Whatever hapens, people are always going to fly with stooges. Making rules against their use will only cost us our insurance coverage. The emphasis has to be on safe design and use.

V12: Most of my flying is with a stooge, and here are a few things that I have learned.

1. After a flight, never walk the model back to the stooge and place it on the ground near it, without hooking it up to the stooge. Do this immediately. Otherwise, you will (later, when starting) think that the model is in fact attached, and, when the motor starts...

2. Don't be lazy like me, and use a 70 foot stooge line to launch a model on 60 foot lines. This increases the liklihood of getting your feet tangled.

3. An aramid fiber line, such as the ones made by Sullivan, is an effective stooge line. They don't stretch, kink, and you can see them on grass really well.

4. My stooge uses a simple release pin made from music wire. On a profile, you have at least two choices for attachment:

a. Drill a hole through the profile. You can bush it with a little stub of brass (or aluminum) tubing if you like. This is the preferred approach, since less can go wrong.

b. Attach a small piece of flying wire, with a small loop for the airplane side, and a larger one for the stooge pin. Use a wood screw, and CA it into the wood. You do run the risk of the loop pulling out of the wood, although this has not happened to date.

5. As an obvious point, make certain that your pin release operation (if this is your type of stooge) is as smooth and interference free as possible. My earliest stooge design would occasionally allow the loop, upon release, to hang up on the stooge base, so the model would sit there precariously, motor chugging away. If you left the handle to investigate, there was the risk that the plane suddenly would free itself.

Currel,

I might add that all stooges should be spring loaded in the closed direction to prevent accidental release.

What a great buch of responses - thank you all.

Now, I can begin to cut and paste to integrate the responses into my next article. Keep in mind that the real purpose of the colunm is safety so a few items may be edited or deleted but, beleive me, I'll try and use everything.
Bob Z

Al: This is, of course, a design feature that enhances safety.

Choosing to go with a simple design, I didn't design in a spring release, however. My pin engagement is about 4" on the OB side of the model, so it takes quite a deliberate (and lenghty) tug on the release line. The pin releases completely, and, for the next flight, I have to fetch it and reinsert it into the base. Sometimes the pin is as much as 5 feet or so from the stooge base.

But you are right, and my next one will have the spring feature, retaining the longish pull that characterizes my present stooge.

LAST EDITED ON Nov-20-04 AT 12:00 PM (CST)
 
My stooge is made from disgarded aircraft parts. My original had a safty lock that had to be unlocked prior to launch, in case someome tripped over the release line while I was starting the engine. I use an enlarged tail skid for my attach point. On my profiles, I cut a groove in the lower surface of the rear fuselage, I drill a hole at the foreward end of the groove, I bend a 90* tang on the front of the skid wire, fill the groove and hole with epoxy, squeeze the skid wire into the hole and groove, then use either a large cloth hinge or small piece of fiberglass to cover and reinforce the area. It works well.

A few things

make sure the stooge line cannot blow back over the lines or airplane in any way after release. I use a leash on the airplane now rather than have the stooge lines close to the airplane.

Safety thongs are especally important when using a stooge.

stake the down line with a screwdriver at the handle if possible.

a 3 oz dandeline will win the fight over a 22 oz airplane almost every time. Take time to cut or mash the weeds!

On grass use 2 stakes so the stooge can't rock side to side.

Dave,

How does a thong affect stooge operations, good or bad, and, for what its worth, having a stake in the ground near the center of the circle is just something else to trip over while flying. Logical, but over safe ideas aren't always good practice, either.

If there is a stake anywhere on the flying field (especially the circle center), my feet will find it, and it's Trip Time.

I normally pit the plane off the center of the circle a good 10-15 feet, then back away from everything while flying and landing. I've stopped on a screwdriver that I had pinned the stooge the the ground before. Of COURSE it was my competition ship. You don't think I'd put a hole in the wing of a sport ship do you?

The safety thong line doesn't hurt a dang thing while flying, but it does nose your airplane over on takeoff if such a thing occurs before you are out to the handle. I've never had that happen before.

It IS impressive just how small a weed is necessary to alter the direction of your airplane on takeoff. But being quick on your feet will take care of that and has happened on grass field takeoffs with a human stooge. The worst launch I had was from a guy who launched it into the circle so hard that the lines were touching the ground before it left his hands. Why he didn't just point it at me and throw I don't know. Looked pretty flying by my nose, smacked the ground on the other side of the circle.

>Dave,
>
>How does a thong affect stooge operations, good or bad, and,
>for what its worth, having a stake in the ground near the
>center of the circle is just something else to trip over
>while flying. Logical, but over safe ideas aren't always
>good practice, either.
>
>Al

I stake the down line with a screwdriver, and pull it out when I fly, I can't trip over that. I also back up 10 feet.

The safety thong is always a good idea. When you stooge, there are more things out of your control and the potential for a problem is greater. I had the stooge line get caught on a the tail hook. When the stooge line went tight, it jerked hard enough to pull the handle out of my hand. When I have a launcher, the lines are always tight and out of the grass, sometimes on a stooge, it isn't always so. That is why in my opinion that a safety thong is more important when you use a stooge.

LAST EDITED ON Nov-19-04 AT 11:50 AM (CST)
 
My stooge has a 40lb steel plate in it so no staking needed. So far, I haven't had a plane that could pull that stooge anywhere. Down side is if I have to carry it very far.

I use a 2 piece stooge line. 60 feet with a line connecter and 9 more feet. So if I'm flying a smaller plane with shorter lines, I take off the extension.

When releasing the stooge line, I squat down so that the handle and stooge line are near the ground. I pull the stooge line and let the plane roll away 4 or 5 feet before putting down the stooge handle. Never had a premature release from a stooge with probably 300-400 stooge flights a year.

edit: typo

The stooge I use is the little unit bought from RSM. It is mounted on an 8"W x 12"L x 3/8" steel plate with a 3/8" round handle on the end. The stooge is mounted on the center inside edge and on the ouside edge is a tapped 8-32 with a lare washer. I attach about a 24 > 30" piece of bright yellow construction string line to the screw and a loop onthe other end has the knot covered with heat shrink. I Run the release end over the top of the outside elevator, under the fuselage, then over the inside elevator to the release pin. To me this avoids the problem of adding hooks and loops to every airplane or drilling holes in the fuselage. Note: I haven't used it on a trike gear yet. The release line is also bright yellow string line. One thing I like about this set up is that once you get the to the handle, the slight amount of give in the retaining line lets you check to make sure you have the handle and line connected correctly as it will allow the tail to move up and down slightly without stuffing the propeller n the ground. Because of the spread between the release mechanisim and the and the fixed pint on the retaining line I've never had anything catch as the plane as it is released. The plate is so heavy it can be usedanywhere without nails or stakes. I often use it as a hold down to run engines after they are installed in new planes to get the tuning close and for final break-in, mounting bolt checks etc. before flying.

It works for me.

BRUCE

Friends,
It is interesting to note how previous experiences affect current behavior..Flying with a stooge in 1984 w/a brand spanking new untrimmed model that I was planning on taking to the Reno nats W/Chris McMillin-(Not a good decision to begin with) flying alone on first flights. I was using the old T.Dixon stooge, which you afixed to your own choice/platform..I recall I had it fixed to my flight box, good choice, the box wasn't going anywhere..Except, the ply/platform was 3/16 & extending about 6-inches out from my box, so of course the metal stooge was set 3/16 off the ground leaving the tail of my model canted off the ground..... I chipped a prop because the tail wheel was proped up on the metal of the stooge, and during the release the prop hit the ground..Well the rest is history, I had to watch my brand new model disintergrate in the air..I felt totally powerless, just watching it destroy itself..Now every time I use my stooge I think about it, and I make sure everything is in place and checked prior to takeoff..I have watched in the past 3 months a local flyer not once but twice have his model come off the stooge-(on consectitive flights) and fly across the circle and hit something!!!!That is my take on stooges.They are so handy when you have to practice etc.However I would rather fly w/partner for obvious reasons..I only use the stooge if I get their-(field) early and no one is around..My mind always goes back to the incident 20 yrs ago..Now I use the T. Morris one, excellent stooge, no problems so far..Thanks David...

LAST EDITED ON Nov-20-04 AT 08:28 AM (CST)
 
This is my experience with a stooge. I built my first stooge in high school. I invented it myself and it was not a good design. It had no spring to keep it shut and I had to be careful not to let it release on its own. I used a kite string as a release. Kite string stretches and does not work well. After getting back into flying after 30 years I build a better stooge. The spring was too strong and I had to jerk hard to make it release. It would drag the stooge across the ground and pull the tail of the airplane with it. More weight on the stooge would keep it from sliding but it often broke the kite string trying to make it release. A better spring solved the problem. After experementing with several springs I discovered a 2.5" long spring 3/8" diameter made from small diameter wire works best for me. The spring needs to have only about 1 ounce of tension to stay in place and not release on its own and still be able to be pulled and released without dragging the stooge across the field. The kite string had to be replaced because I was having several problems with it. A gust of wind would sometimes blow the release string off in left field and after I walked to the center of the circle the string was no where to be found. I attached a 3/4" dia x 4" dowel rod as a handle to the release line this solved the problem of not being able to find the string. I replaced the kite string with one of my extra 60 ft. control line cables and this solved the problem of the string being stretchy. The wooden handle on the end of the release cable solved the problem of not being able to find the release line once I walked to the center of the circle. I later discovered the round handle on the release line is not good because it is round and it rolls. I gust of wind will blow it all over the place and if your not watching what your doing you can step on it, fall and bust your butt. I changed the release handle from round to square. A 1/2" x 3/4" x 4" wooden handle solved the problem of rolling. The next problem I had to deal with was the airplane pulling on the stooge, its like a tractor pulling a plow. In wet grass the stooge will take off like a water skii. On dirt, cement, asphalt it will drag like a sled with a large powerful engine. A one gallon jug of water setting on the stooge will keep it from dragging. Just as an extra safety I put 3 metal screws through my stooge sticking out the bottom about 3/4" so they will stick into the cement, dirt, grass, etc. Just in case I ever trip over the gallon jug and knock it over the screws will keep the airplane from dragging the stooge across the field. 3 screws work better than 4 because a 3 leg table will never wobble. I am always careful not to step on the release line while walking to the center of the circle I would not want to accidently make the stooge release before I am ready. I make sure the string on my airplane is only about 12" long and attached well to the airplane. On my profile airplanes I drill a 3/16" diameter hole through the 1/2" balsa fuselage about 1" from the tail end then squirt some CA glue on the hole to make the balsa have a hard surface so the string can not cut its way through the wood. On my full fuselage airplanes I glue a small piece of plywood to the surface of the 1/8" balsa then drill a hole through it for my 12" line. I use nylon fishing line, I beleive its 150 lb. line it is the same stuff I use to use for a trotline for fishing the Wabash River. Nylon string is slippery so I have to tie a special knot to keep the knot from sliding like a slip knot. I want the loop in both ends of the 12" line to say in place. A drop of CA glue on the nylon string knot will probably do the same thing and keep the knot from slipping. My stooge release cable attaches to my stooge just like attaching control lines to my airplane. The release pin on my stooge is 1/8" diameter strong enough it will not bend from the pull of the airplane and not bend from ever day use. The pin slides through a hole that is a slip fit. I discovered the hole needs to be a good fit on the pin if the hole is too large when you pull the release cable the string on the airplane will not slide off the release pin it will drags up inside the hole and become trapped. I also discovered the release pin needs to have enough stroke so you can pull it completely out of the release slot. If the release slot is 3/4" wide and the release pin will only pull 1/2" that means the release pin is always sticking out 1/4" in the slot and from time to time the string to the airplane will not release. It is best if the release slot is not too wide on the stooge that way you don't need a lot of stroke on the release pin. Another problem I have had is, after walking to the center of the circle and pulling the release cable the airplane does not release. I pull the release cable several times and it still does not release. I walk back and find the loop on the nylon string to the airplane has gotten itself looped over the metal part of the stooge and it can not release. During the process of getting the engine started the string sometimes gets moved probably from the air stream from the prop blowing over the string and stooge. I have learned to double check the string on the stooge before I walk to the center of the circle. I think it would be a good idea to make the metal parts of the stooge out of a type of metal that will not rust.

My stooge is attached to a piece of plywood large enough to allow me to place my flight box on it. Because it is heavy, I have never had the airplane pull it away.

Hi Bob,
My mishap was very minor, but nerve racking to say the least.
It occured the first time I went flying with a stooge.
I had built a stooge like one Windy was using which captures the elevator and falls for release. I had it secured, cranked the engine, and launched. All was well for a minute or two when I suddenly realized that the release line was tangled up in my feet.
I believe I gave a very good "Clogging" exhibition for what seemed like forever! I did get the line free enough to fly level and land. I threw the line well away from me on the second flight, but noticed I left the plug driver attached. After that the rest of the flights were uneventful.
1. Toss your release line away from you
2. Remove the plug driver before you go to the handle
Bill <><

My release line is yellow cord that doesn't stretch much. The cord terminates in an early large red EZ Just handle that dosen't get lost easily in the grass.

True Story
Jim Tate flew frequently, using a stooge which attached to his tool box and had the usual pull release.
All went well until one damp day when Jim went out to fly alone;naturally.
Jim was flying on wet asphalt.
he hooked his plane to the stooge ,ran out his release line and proceeded to fire up his tuned pipe stunter.
As his walked to the center of the circle , he heard a strange noise.
He turned around just in time to see his plane pulling his tool box
over the wet surface and the release line snagging thus releasing the plane.
The plane made a left turn ,headed straight for Jim and broke ground.
Jim dropped down and as the plane passed over him ,he grabbed the control lines.
One of the lines wrapped around his finger and when the plane pulled the line taunt, it SEVERED his finger then crashed not damaging the plane too badly.
Jim called his wife on the car phone and told her what had happened
and to get his friend to come to the field to pick up his plane and stuff.When his friend arrived at the field the plane was gone ,never t
to be seen again.
They were able to reattach the finger , but how much usefullness was regained I do not know.

On the lighter side.
There was a guy that was so strange ? he wouldn,t let any one hold his plane.He used a Jim Walker handle that allowed one to crank the lines in or out while the plane was in flight.
He would hold the plane by the inboard wing and reel out the lines
to fly his fox 35 powered smoothie by applying and releasing the handle brake.
One day he had about 10 ft. of line out when the handle jammed.
The resulting flight was best described as a mad bee.
From then on he let someone hold his plane

I was talking with A friend of mine at the weekend - Brian Turner - he was in the British international stunt team around 1971 before motor racing stole his heart. He was recounting a couple of stooge related incidents when he was practicing every day for the competitions:-

He flying using his modelbox as a restraint he had a loop of string tied to the tailwheel and just looped it through a wire hook with a pullout pin to release. this worked well until one day when he forgot to step back after launch and destroyed the outside wing of his Nobler by hitting the model box on landing.

The second was using a more conventional flate plate and release mechanism fo use on tarmac. he was walking out to the plane when he felt the lines pull against his leg. When he looked round the plane was towing the plate and had turned in towards the centre of the circle. It continued to rotate until prop met lines and wrapped them around the front of the plane.

[photo not recovered: brian_at_impington.jpg]

[photo not recovered: brian_at_impington2.jpg]

Regards

Mike

There was a story in one of the magazines sometime recently about some guy in Australia who flew a seaplane with a U-Reely, and the same thing happened to him, except I think he only managed to get six feet of line out.

LAST EDITED ON Nov-23-04 AT 10:27 PM (CST)
 
One of our local flyers had been anchoring his stooge with a large nail into the asphalt. Even though he kept reusing the same nail hole, he was chastised for the practice, so several of us looked for alternative methods. One friend built a stooge using a large block of steel, and used it succesfully for dozens of flights before an incident occurred.

Even though I was there to launch for him, one day he insisted on using the stooge to show me how well it worked. Well, just before he pulled the release, the thrust of the prop overcame the coefficient of friction between the steel block and the asphalt (my theory is that the pebbly asphalt texture lubed with castor created a very slippery surface). After the steel block started sliding, the model accelerated and arced into the center of the circle toward my friend. I chased after it but it moved a little faster than me...until it caught the lines in the prop and jerked the handle out of his hand. That stopped the engine, but pulled the lines across the wing fast enough to cut through the leading edge.

This episode reminded me of the time I watched a mechanic do a runup on a full-size twin Beechcraft, apparently parked on an oil spot under the left main tire. Suddenly the airplane spun around the locked right main tire and hit a fence. It happened very fast, and I remember seeing that mechanics face in the window as the airplane whipped past me...he had the same expression as my modeling friend did as his steel-block-towing stunter arced toward him.

Bill Groman

THANKS TO ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Unbelievable - so many responses on this controversial subject. Besides here on SSW, I probably received over 30 in my personal e-mail. I will endevour to use as much of this fascinating feedback as possible but please don't be offended if I miss a few, as many are quite similar. If the article turns out to be as long as I think, the next issue may be called "Stooge News" instead of "Stunt News".
THANKS AGAIN,
Bob Z.

LAST EDITED ON Dec-07-04 AT 12:58 PM (CST)
 
Automatic self-launchers (sometimes called "stooges") -- NO PROBLEM.

Letting go of handle --- NO PROBLEM .

Suggest you study 35-pound Radio Control with 5-cubic inch engines and gasoline fuel.

Possible problems;

1. Pilot error.
2. Radio Interference.
3. Mechanical failure.
4. Crashing miles from protected area.

Much more pay dirt here. Sub-topics,,,,

1. Why the 35-pound limit weight was made fuzzy.
2. Legalizing turbo-jets.

Bob,

Had tried not to jump into this one, but couldn't resist...

Key things mentioned, with some additions, tho scattered throughout the thread.

1) Lay out the stooge line BEHIND the model and flying lines, and 10-15' further away than the edge of the circle you intend to fly. (I use RC glider towline cord, on a large yellow line reel, and only unroll enough to reach the handle when model is on the stooge baseplate. Spike or weight the reel to ITS position.)

2) MAKE SURE the stooge release pin IS ENGAGED before heading for the handle.

3) CLEAR the lines from weeds AND when on pavement from the small snags and whiskers that are usually present, by raising the handle so you can see the lines are off the ground all the way to the model -- BEFORE reaching for the stooge trip-line.

4) Squat, pull the trip to let 'er go, then DROP the stooge line. As the model takes flight, do what racers do from their pit stops - circle back to the intended center. (Mark it some way, if on an ad-lib site. One friend squirted an X of fuel on pavement as a marker. I usually fly on paved and striped parking lots. E.g.,pick a parking space stripe intersection for flight center, and place stooge w/regard to that.)

5) Keep the stooge reel in mind as you fly. It is safely far away, particularly if you check it occasionally to be sure.

6) When you land, safely away from the stooge, put -preferably stake or weight- the handle with the stooge line reel. Walk the lines off the ground to the model. Then carry the model back to the stooge baseplate area.

I generally walk/wipe/untwist the lines back out to the handle, next, and place the flying lines and stooge line as in 1), above. I also usually start the engine out of the stooge, for a bit more flexibility with plug cord/battery, etc. Then placing the model's stooge loop into the device - a bit awkward, yes - is a powerful reminder to make durned sure the stooge release pin IS ENGAGED.

LAST EDITED ON Dec-10-04 AT 05:38 AM (CST)
 
Hey guys, cool it with the war stories.

You'll give this Ralph Nader wanna be all the rope he needs hang you.

Next year he'll have a 38-page regulation on "self-launching" devices.