Line diameters

I need to buy some new braided control lines. The older lines I have been using are all 0.018. For a plane like a Flite Sreak with a FP-20, how much difference is there between 0.015 and 0.018 lines? I have been using 0.018 on 60 foot and it seems to fly well. For a plane with a FP-15, is it worth while to have a seperate set of lines using 0.012 lines, are 50 foot lines too long? What about a plane powered by a 0.061 Norvel? Thanks for the advice.
Jim

I think that you will be real pleased switching from .018's to .015's ......a noticable difference, even to a flyer of my capabilities.... I have found .012's to be significantly more fragile than .015's.
I would imagine that a .15 would work okay on 52' of .015.
The Norvel would probably work well on 45' of .012's.
I hope this helps.... most that I know have a dedicated set of lines as well as a handle for each airplane........with proper care, lines last a long time.

See Ya

Thanks for the recommendations. I know that well cared for lines can last along time, mine are over 50 years old ( just got back into our hobby).
Jim

You can get lines with connectors mounted ready to fly on big reels from Tom Morris.
http://www.tomsbuildingservice.biz/

Just specify your requested dimension and lenght.
Include his handle as well.
Norvald Olsvold

Our Flite Streak with FP 20 flies well on 61 feet of .015 cable.

Our 15 size birds like 52 feet of .012 line. They will fly on .015, but the extra drag is noticeable. If you think .012 lines are a little fragile, you should try .008!

Planes with engines larger than 40s should use .018 lines.

Second the notion about Tom M's lines. You can get cheaper lines, but the wire he uses is silky smooth and seems less prone to tangles and kinks than anything else I've used. To save money, Tom will sell you the wire in bulk, and wrap your own ends.

After I saw this post I went to this site because my lines were looking kinda shabby and I wanted a better quality set then the pre-made sullivan's I had bought that were like 3 inches longer on one length then the other. I went ahead and ordered 2 sets of .015 60' and 2 handles and I haven't heard anything back yet and this was like 2 days ago.

Is Tom still doing buisness on this site?

http://www.tomsbuildingservice.biz/

>After I saw this post I went to this site because my lines
>were looking kinda shabby and I wanted a better quality set
>then the pre-made sullivan's I had bought that were like 3
>inches longer on one length then the other. I went ahead and
>ordered 2 sets of .015 60' and 2 handles and I haven't heard
>anything back yet and this was like 2 days ago.
>
>Is Tom still doing buisness on this site?
>
>http://www.tomsbuildingservice.biz/
>
>Robert

I've always gotten very quick e-mail responses from Tom. But if you didn't have any questions for him, just hang loose and your lines will show up in a few days with an invoice inside. Hope you like the lines. Anyone who handles mine stops and feels of them again. They are a whole different critter from the old Sullivans, that's for sure.
Kelvin

Welcome back Jim. You are fairly close to three good areas of activity. Tulsa Glue Dobbers, Oklahoma City fliers and Wichita KS Wichihawks. Any of which can help you out with a lot of the new stuff.

Bigiron Wichita KS

Jim,
Stillwater, OK!!! I have 2 daughters and a granddaughter (and son-in-law) living in Stillwater...we get down there (from MN) once or twice a year. I oughtta throw in an airplane and look you up next time??
--Ray

LAST EDITED ON Nov-29-04 AT 06:42 PM (CST)
 
>For a plane with a FP-15,
>is it worth while to have a seperate set of lines using
>0.012 lines, are 50 foot lines too long?

I think 50' is WAY too short for a 15FP. I flew my Skyray 35 on .015x60's and a 15FP with acceptable performance. It wasn't great, but it was OK, and the problem wasn't the lines. Smaller planes like the Ringmaster (s-1) on a 15FP are fine on .015x60's. And it's a lot easier to make them shorter than it is longer.

I've flown Medallion .049 planes on .008x52' lines, and it was fine, in fact, any shorter and it just screwed me into the ground.

brett im curious...can you do nice overhead 8s in a mild wind with an .061 on 52 foot lines?

I've never had a problem following the AMA and manufacturer guidelines. 15 engines need 012's at 52 feet. 015's go to 60 feet with larger engines, 018's for bigger than 40 engines, and another jump at 60 engines. The decision to go from 60 feet to 70 feet is more of an issue.

I have not found 012's to be any more trouble than 015's, especially at the shorter length of 52 feet.

Combat planes usually go up one line size for the same size engine, but you're talking such high performance and speed that it doesn't matter.

1/2A's are a totally different issue - it's probably whatever you can get away with.

LAST EDITED ON Dec-01-04 AT 11:01 AM (CST)
 
>brett im curious...can you do nice overhead 8s in a mild
>wind with an .061 on 52 foot lines?

No problem with a moderately weak .049 on 52 foot lines! Cox Medallion .049, straight out of the box, Cox Racing fuel, Cox 6-3 "Competition Gray", Lou Wolgast 1/2 Mirage straight from FM plans. Lap times about 4 seconds, as I recall, and line tension was *no issue* - and at the time I was flying overly tight sizes.

I might also add that this was no "sea level special" (used to justify me and my buddies 'erroneous' ideas about engine setup). This was in central Kentucky in the middle of summer.

To be honest with you, based on my observation of Norvel .061s, even the "sport motor", is so much more powerful than the old engines that they can't even be compared. But I am not overly impressed with the run quality. It's my considered opinion that a straight out-of-box Medallion 049 in an appropriately-sized airplane (maybe 32-36" span, 5:1, and 10-12 oz) is still BY FAR the best 1/2A stunt motor.

LAST EDITED ON Dec-02-04 AT 03:29 PM (CST)
 
>>For a plane with a FP-15,
>>is it worth while to have a seperate set of lines using
>>0.012 lines, are 50 foot lines too long?
>
> I think 50' is . And it's a lot easier to make them
>shorter than it is longer.
>
>
>
>
> Brett

Brett,
What do you mean, you have never been turned on to the line length-ners --It is sold by the same fo Co. that builds the board straight-ners" for carpenters..Regards David.....Is there really a word like "lengthners"???It is called using "neologisms"

LAST EDITED ON Dec-06-04 AT 12:07 PM (CST)
 
>Flite Sreak with a FP-20, how much difference is there
>between 0.015 and 0.018 lines?

When FAST Combat went from .015" up to .018" it knocked speed from 120 MPH to 100 MPH, at least on my Voodoos with the Supertigre C. It also reduced the "flyaway" rate by about 95%.

I got these numbers from the wire source;

.012 = 25 pounds per line
.015 = 40
.018 = 55
.021 = 80
.024 = 99
.027 = 125
.030 = 154

You can double those numbers if you promise to absolutely never hang the model from one line. Of course, this all assumes the lines are in perfect condition.