>
LAST EDITED ON Jul-18-01
>AT 07:05 AM (EST) >
>Mr. Fancher
>
>Your handle did impress me, more
>for what it lacked than
>what it had. The handle
>is indeed a key component
>of the total package that
>makes you an expert flyer.
>
Good point. I am an advocate of handles that are minimalist in nature...light, reasonably adjustable and as symetrical as possible.
>
>First off, your handle has no
>adjustment that I could see
>for a longer or shorter
>up wire. You must build
>your planes and wires nuts
>on, and feel no need
>for a line length adjustment
>in the handle. Most people
>aren't that good.
>
Aha, Larry, you've got to look a little closer or, perhaps, you only videotaped one side of the handle. Both the up and down attachment "clips" can slide in and out of the handle approx 3/8 to 1/2 inch. They are retained in the desired location by two set screws each that "squeeze" the plywood core onto the snuggly fitted brass "clips". If you look closely you'll see that the amount of "clip" showing is slightly different. The reason for this is a bit interesting.
I work very hard to make my lines exactly the same length. This allows interchanging of lines on the same handle with little or (preferably) no adjustment. I also prefer a very vertical handle position in level flight which should show up in your videos of my flight. The reason that, notwithstanding the prior statements, one clip is longer than the other is that the airplane during the trim process required an adjustment between the flaps and elevators for equal turn rates. Because the control system is quite "slow" this resulted in one leadout being slightly longer than the other although they were originally equal length at neutral. Thus, the handle clips mirror this inequality. Although I would have preferred no difference in overhang the amount is so minor as to have little or no effect on inside/outside feel.
>
>Second, the many holed line attachments
>suggest that you change line
>spacing as a control factor.
>
Yup, exactly.
>
>Third, you have essentially no overhang
>-- kind of a Hot
>Rock mentality. The more expensive
>handles have adjustments for overhang.
>
Both true statements. I have a very modest amount of "overhang" adjustment (I believe I coined that word definition in a column on handles I wrote for Model Aviation a decade and a half ago, by the way.) Large amounts of overhang increase the "load" at the handle for a given amount of control input. I am mostly a finger and wrist flyer and prefer just enough "load" to provide feel, ergo, the modest overhang.
Not only is it reflective of a Hot Rock mentality, it is a scarcely concealed rip-off. The basic handle shape was traced around that nearly perfect control device. IMHO the Hot Rock is the perfect symetrical configuration for a control handle. My only objection to the handle(other than the wear factor that causes the cable to fail periodically) was its lack of spacing adjustability. To give credit where it is due I ripped off the clip idea directly from Bomber Boy after burning his handle configuration into my memory banks during the Shanghai WCs when I often "caddied" for him. In turn, the only thing I didn't like about Paul's handle was the lack of neutral adjustment about which we've already talked.
The ultimate refinement of both Paul's and my handle in terms of flying performance is the use of "hard point" line attachments vice the heavy and sometimes distorted heavy cable for attaching the lines. Going to a hard point handle is roughly the equivilant of going to solid lines in terms of improving the pilot's connection to the airplane...without the worrys of sticking at inopportune times.
>
>Fourth, you have no grip problems,
>and there is nothing in
>the handle to increase grip
>factors (bike handlebar tape, etc).
>
Actually, you should look just a bit closer, Larry. There is some grip tape on the handle. The gauze tape is a long term resident and has soaked up a lot of dirt, sweat and some oil over the years so it probably isn't very prominent in the video. It's there, though.
>
>I have some video close-ups of
>your hand during flights, and
>they make it clear that
>you, your handle, and your
>plane are all one.
>
Thanks, my personal pattern goal is to provide that impression to the judges. A smooth, connnected rule book style pattern that flows from beginning to end. The purest way to that end is a properly trimmed airplane and an interface with the pilot that disappears as an individual entity...sort of a USB port to the mother board. (sorry about that)
>Since you volunteered to answer questions,
>what are your handle priorities?
>I can see some factors
>that are not priorities, but
>if you were to build
>a new handle today, what
>would you do?
>
I think we've pretty much covered that in the discussion to this point. The only thing I would change about new handles (I try to have one for each airplane with which I actually compete) is to replace the brass clips with steel. Making the things by hand using files and saws made steel out of the question. A friend has made some laser cut clips for me that I'll use in the future.
Again, IMHO this is the nearly perfect handle for my style of flying and my physiology. It fits like a glove and once my grip is properly applied (like the golf grip, it must be comfortable, functional and repeatable) it pretty much disappears.
Hope this is interesting and helpful to you.
Ted
>Larry Fulwider