LOL...

Point taken. Fortunately, no skin grafting will be required and the stitches will be out in 2 weeks.

Actually, my "routine" had been the 2-handed approach I outlined in the original post. That routine served me many a year and I can't
say I won't "slip" back to it again when flying smaller models, :-)

As for my future "teather" plans, I'm considering a device that won't require lifting the aircraft off a table, untying a clothesline or spending a lot of money on a commercially available product.

My club pres uses a nylon rope, looped over the tail or sometimes one with a slip knot that he releases once his engine is "just right".

I'm thinking of a pickle fork arrangement, sort of an upside down goal-post that I can stick into the ground, (grass field) just in front of the stabilizer. Aluminum rods long enough to be secure but thin enough so as not to be bulky. Once the engine is purring, all I have to do is pull the fork out of the ground and taxi out of the pits.

If I had a fancy stationary place at our field, I could sink a couple of pipes into the ground and simply drop the fork into these. Either way, I'm thinking this method provides quick and safe teather control on any sized model.

I'll let y'all know if it works out the way I envision, lol...

PM