Line tangles help

Hi guys,

We, son Mikey and I, are new to controline flying. Today (Wednesday) we went out to Sepulveda Basin to fly and had a terrible time unwinding the lines: kinks, twists, etc. This is only our second time out with the Ringmaster. We had some help the first time we flew, someone had a handle/wood dowel combo winder for the lines which Mikey used to put the lines back onto the red Sig reel. We left the handle connected. What is the drill on unwinding the lines? Do you hook them to the plane and then try to unwind or what? I'm sure this is something that you old timers have figured out but we were by ourselves. BTW, 60 foot lines .015 braided or do you call it stranded?

TIA

John in the PRC

Welcome to the sport, John! I hope you and your son have many fine times together at the flying field...

Everyone has their own method of handling lines, so there's no universally right or wrong way. Some folks prefer to have larger or wider reels, while the small plastic reels are just fine for others. I try to keep one set of lines with the same handle for each plane I'm currently flying. Reduces swapping, neutral adjustment, etc.

When it's time to fly I set the plane down and walk out the approximate distance with the reel. The handle is already attached to the lines, so I set the handle on the ground. My finger is through the hole in the middle of the reel, and the lines unwind as I walk back to the plane. If I've been practicing I can usually get the lines to completely unroll just at the wingtip. (Yes, I'm easily entertained.) After flying the previous time I will have left one line clip on one leadout, and the other line clip on one line. That let's me know which line goes where.

Next is a paper towel or cloth slipped back up the lines to clean them and remove any twists. Be especially mindful of any kinks which will weaken your lines. Line care will pay off in the long run.

When finished flying, unclip lines at the airplane, put the ends in the reel and wind up using two fingers while walking back to the handle.

Some flyers do their line ritual the other direction -- attach lines to plane, unroll walking to center, attach handle.

Find a method that works for you and try to do it the same each time. There are an amazing number of ways unusual things can happen that might make for a bad flight. Repetition will reduce the chance of something going wrong. I like to keep to a routine for setup, lines, checking up is really up, fueling, starting, checking wind, etc. Nothing special, just my own mental checklist to relax me so I can focus on trying to make each flight worthwhile and fun.

Good luck!

-Jerry Eichten

What Jerry said....

Plus when unrolling, keep a finger riding on the spool so there is a little drag in rotating. Otherwise, the lines can hop off the spool and create a mess. Dont go too fast.

Have a great time.

Hi!

Actually there is one thing universal about how guys unwind their lines. And that is that they are spooled off, not allowed to come off the side of the spool. If the spool is held still and the lines come off the side, you will get all the tangles you mentioned. Same applies to winding them back up. Don't try to overhand them back onto the spool like winding up an extension cord. Reel them back on in a manner like they came off. It takes a bit of practice to put your finger in the middle and wind them back on, at first it's easier to grasp the spool with the fingertips and twist the spool about a 1/4 turn, let the other hand grab it, twist a 1/4 turn, etc.

So remember, wind them out, wind them in. Keep a little tension on them going both ways so they don't "overspool" and get tangled up. If they do tangle, do like mentioned and inspect them very carefully after the mess is resolved. A few little curlies here and there aren't a big deal, but ANY kinks will almost certainly result in a line breaking while you're flying or during a pull test.

By the way, I fly off grass and stick a screwdriver in the ground to hold the spool while I pull the lines off. When I wind them back up, I disconnect them at the plane and stand there and let the handle pull through the grass while I wind. I also leave my handle attached to the lines.

Have fun!

When you walk your lines (sounds like a Johnny Cash song) you should have the end you are walking toward loose so they can twist as necessary to remove any extra twisting stress. Some flyers use a rag (with or without cleaner/lube) so they can inspect the lines for broken strands and kinks while they clean them.
You can mark one line with a dab of paint at the connector to identify up or down. This makes it easier to keep handle adjustments.
Some folks prefer to keep the connector on the plane for one of the lines to identify up and down.
When you fly with others there is usually a designated area to prepare your ship so you don't "hog" the circle when someone else could be flying. When entering this pre-flight area be very careful to not walk on someone else's lines.
Whether flying by yourself or with others, pull test your system often.

Good luck,
George

What Jerry and the others said plus, before winding your lines back up, run them out to take out any twists resuting from loops. If you have done a bunch of loops in one direction, it promotes problems and kinks winding up and unwinding the lines unless they are run out to straighten them before winding them up.
You mentioned something about a dowell rod being used to wind up the lines which was not too clear to me but could have been the source of the problems you encountered. Like Jerry said, plastic line reel and fingers only, roll up slowly with tension. DO NOT hold reel stationary and wrap the lines around it as this will cause a huge amount of twisting.
Good luck!!

LAST EDITED ON Jun-26-03 AT 11:40 AM (CDT)
 
John,

This is how I do it:

I set the plane down either in the pits or on the takeoff spot.

I connect the lines (still on the spool) to the plane. No handle is attached yet.

Holding the spool vertical with my index finger in the center spool hole, I walk away from the plane and keep a light drag on the edge of the spool with my thumb. This way, the lines are always under tension and I do not get any backlash or tangles.

Once I get to the end of the lines, I set the spool down next to the end of the lines.

I walk back to the plane, take each line between the thumb and index finger of each hand and "walk" the lines back out the the spool. This way, it untwists each line and I can check for kinks.

Then I attach the handle, check for neutral and I'm done.

Rewinding the lines is done in reverse order. I remove the handle, attach the lines to the spool and slowly rotate the spool (held vertical) with a finger through the center hole and my other index finger in the outer hole - keeping tension on the lines as I slowly wind them up. The most important thing is to never keep the spool stationary and wind the lines around the spool. You will put a twist in the lines each time they go around the spool. It is a disaster when you come to unwind the lines.

This is for stranded lines. I've never used solids but they demand MUCH more care. I saw a guy take out a set of solid lines and as soon as he unclipped one end from the spool, it acted like a big spring and all the coils jumped off the spool. He never did get the mess untangled.

The larger (5" or so) spools do make it easier but the 4" ones will work OK.

I use the same system as Jerry Eichten, with the bigger spools that Brodak makes, and the Tom Morris handles (excellent and cheap!). A handle and set of lines for each model, a line clip left on the model, etc. Works very well. I think the small red spools are a PITB. I buy line in bulk spools of 1,000 feet from RSM. Make sure you get shiny silver lines...the bronze color just is too hard to see in the grass or on pavement. Steve

My usual method (remember, I'm a Combat flier) is to hook up the lines to the airplane, walk towards the middle of the circle allowing the lines to unwind off the spool (the spool spins - the lines don't come off the side of the spool), then I take each line end and pull on them to figure out which is up and which down, then attach them to the handle. I cut my lines to be exactly the same length, so I don't need to adjust neutral and use one handle for all my airplanes.

>This is for stranded lines. I've never used solids but they
>demand MUCH more care. I saw a guy take out a set of solid
>lines and as soon as he unclipped one end from the spool, it
>acted like a big spring and all the coils jumped off the
>spool. He never did get the mess untangled.

Bud Bodzioch used an old set of solids to make circlips.

The windup handle you describe is available from Tom Morris. He also sells lines cut to length and both ends wrapped ready for use. I use the large blue plastic reels sold by Brodaks. These keep the lines neatly stored. I too walk out about 60 feet then unreel the lines toward the plane. I mark all up lines blue ( I use heat shrink tubing here) and the top or up part of the handle red. Lines are cheap compared to a wrecked plane, so do not hesitate to destroy old lines that have kinks in them. Don't give them away or loan them out. If they are bad, destroy them. No sense getting into a hassle because "your" lines broke while someone else was using them, with or without your permission. Inspect them every time you walk out to the handle before each flight.