RE: CL Big Changes coming
Just to update this thread - the RC on 2.4 gHz for control line (any function except elevator) has passed in the US General Control Line rules "where allowed by the individual event". It was immediately allowed by the Scale contest board and the Navy Carrier contest board, it has been proposed as an emergency change to the Stunt contest board. I have no info on whether Racing or Combat will be proposed or not, nor
do I know what the FAI will do regarding their rules.
As a Carrier flyer, I was interested in how this would play out in these events. Several of us have put some time and energy into converting Pistol-grip car radios to control handles that would take the pull tests that are required - I will append a couple of photos of what I came up with. It is an old Fox control handle which I've had for many years and never took out of the package. It is a steel strap with adjustable cable leadouts and wooden grip. I needed more room for the trigger/throttle control, so I cut the strap into two pieces and extended the inner dimension by about an inch and a half, which gave me enough room to also make an improved grip from wood.
I have had this installed on an old profile MO-1 and I can't really tell much difference from the three-line system that I used to have installed on it. I haven't had much time to fly it, amounting to two short flights, but it is evident that it will work just fine, the response and control is adequate, and I am now building a new plane that will have this system embedded in the wing. (The 9v battery in the 2nd pic is just to show the relative sizes of the airborne components.)
Total airborne weight mounted in the plastic box is 3 ounces - using a 2 cell, 800 mah Lipo for the receiver/servo. Total cost was $30 for the transmitter/receiver, $5 for the battery and though I already had servos, they are available for less than $5. The transmitter conversion included pitching the 8 AA batteries and their box and using a 3 cell, 1000 mah Lipo ($9 or so) in a small box mounted on the bottom of the handle.
Total cost is less than the cost of the 3-line handle from Brodak (last I looked, they were $55) and the bellcranks are about $25. Oh, when I get around to converting my other planes, one can find a 4 pack of receivers on Ebay for about $30, and a 4 pack of servos for about $20 so one handle can talk to as many planes as you want - each plane will have its own receiver and servo.