New 1/2A handle

I am proud to announce that RSM will be kitting my new 1/2A handle design. It is all laser cut parts. If you do a really, really nice job of assembly, it takes about 10 minutes (not counting paint, you are on your own there!)
The handle weighs in at .52 ounce (20 grams), so that the handle is not heavier than the plane for a change. Line spacing is adjustable without changing neutral setting.

A special feature is non-linear control that is smoother around neutral while still giving the kick you need for squares. A conventional handle loses about 13% of its line spacing at 30 degree deflection, this one actually gains about 5%! There are spacers for 7 different line spacings, and new configurations are easily made from lite-ply. You can easily change the non-linearity to normal function by changing the end contours of the line spacers. They bolt right in and out.

All parts pull test a minimum of 40 lb. so I think the strength will be quite adequate for any 1/2A, including Netzband's Cyclon powered beastie. Actually, I wouldn't hesitate to use it with a .15 powered model.

Contact www.rsmdistribution.com for price and availability.

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Larry Renger
1/2A's my thing, but 4-strokes ain't bad either

Thank you for doing that, Larry. Just two nights ago, I started toying with sketches for a better handle to replace the, well, junk, that we have now. We enjoy 1/2A and love our Coxes, so a nice accesory is welcome.
Kelvin

is there a photo?

...what he said...

I don't currently have any photos of the finished handle, but if you send your e-address, I can send you a jpeg of the instructions. You can get a good idea of it from that.

The instructions are too big a file to put on here, it seems.

Let's see if this photo can come through.

[photo not recovered: 3d593036153b0253.jpg]

Very nice, Larry. Like I said, a brilliant design, and a true contribution to the hobby!

News FLASH!

I got the price from Eric Rule, and it will be $5.98. That does not include the hand-braided safety thong, sorry! However it does include the Spectra leadouts and the ultra-light clips.

>News FLASH!
>
>I got the price from Eric
>Rule, and it will be
>$5.98. That does not
>include the hand-braided safety thong,
>sorry! However it does
>include the Spectra leadouts and
>the ultra-light clips.

Larry...is the leadout "Spectra" as in Spectra/Dyneema..?
if so , I recommend that the "Spectra" be sleeved... it's
common practice in the Kite world because Spectra is very weak
abrasion wise..the sleeves are Dacron. Sleeve kits are available
from most kite sites...cheep, too.. This may not really even
be much of an issue for our application though...I'll buy a
handle, sleeve the leadout, and let you know....Thanks...Tony

Let me know how that works out. I think this is specially fray-resistant line. We can certainly switch to Nylon and have adequate strength. The key is to keep the line really supple so it will follow the spacers and give the non-linear response repeatably and accurately.

Well, I used the handle in its first competition outing. I had two on the lines for my Stork and Baby Clown. The Stork, unfortunately suffered a failure of the elevator horn to stay attached to the elevator on the down leg of the Square Eight. Splat city! Happily, the engine wasn't damaged other than the needle being faintly off center when rotated.

HOWEVER!! Flying the Baby Clown in OT and Classic, it was upper middle of the pack in OT. The exciting news is that it managed to take 3rd in Classic, being flown against all "full size" stunters. And, yes, there were lots more than 3 entries. Score for 3rd was 487.5, 4th was 487, and 5th was 486.5 ...Phew, that was close!

I think that the non-linear response of this handle lets me fly without hunting on the level parts, smoothly in the rounds, and really kick the corners where I need to.

"I think that the non-linear response of this handle lets me fly without hunting on the level parts, smoothly in the rounds, and really kick the corners where I need to. "

I think it's the pilot.