Hello All,

Hope Santa was good to ya'll.

I've in need of some help with a problem I really want to find a solution for. One of the club members where I fly has a disability that causes his hands to shake. Not bad, but enough to make flying a real challenge. This guy is a Leonardo Di Vinci when it come to building airplanes, you know one of those guys that put their heart and soul into each model. Anyway after a couple of years of stuffing planes he is getting pretty dejected. He's taken a flying course, buddy boxed with some very good instructors but still has the same problem, landing. I've suggested Coroplast, along with setting up the transmitter for lite throws and heavy exponential, about 75-80%.

Anything else you might be able to pass along? I really want this guy to make it in the hobby. He has so much to offer in return. I'd hate to see the hobby loose him.

Have a great new year and keep the rubber side down "when landing"! :-)

Bruce Bennett

if he has Parkinsons his condition will only worsen i know i just lost my dad to it last week and there's nothing we can do right now.
perhaps you can try to sit him down where he can brace his arms on a desk (like a high school desk) that may help.
best of luck he must be a nice guy for you guys to go to this much trouble for him. i hope everything works out

Bruce,

Perhaps the unwanted effects of the shaking can be reduced with a change in control setup and use. I'm thinking, adjust rates to give only enough throw needed to fly around, like a gentle trainer. Use only a modest amount of exponential to smooth out center stick reactivity. Too much expo creates over sensitivity at high stick deflections. I recommend this in general anyway. Many modelers have way too much throw in their setups. Take the setup as far "soft feel" as you can for your friend. Make full aileron just enough to do a modest roll. Make full elevator just enough to do a lazy loop and flair for landing.

You might also try having him use a transmitter tray. Add extended length control sticks to give even larger range of motion. And crank the stick return spring tension all the way up. Maybe even add stiffer return springs. Have him fly by holding the ends of the sticks between thumb and forefinger.

Basically if you can't stop the shaking, reduce the problem it causes. He probably has reduced feel/perception of the stick movements he's making. All this should improve that too.

Hope this helps?

Multiflyer

A Transmitter Tray may also help some in conjunction with what has allready been posted above. This will keep the radio in against his body and may help him gain a bit of control. I agree that a heavy set of gimble springs would also be beneficial. Just a thought......

I use the "joystick" knobs from this page:
http://www.qualityrcproducts.com/pro...tterknobs.html

and the transmitter tray from here:
http://www.urgear.com/cgi-bin/store/...1&ck=&cat=RRAT

Due to spinal cord problems I have very little feeling or range of motion in my hands and arms. I got the transmitter tray because I couldn't keep my hands on the sticks without something to support them. When I found the web site with the custom knobs I ordered them and they do make a difference.

Even with these aids I may always need to be on a buddy box. Since I cannot always feel the sticks I have to glance down at the transmitter occasionally. I have "lost" the plane before and had to ask my brother to take control. For a long time I was sure I'd eventually be able to fly solo but now I'm thinking it might not be a great idea from a safety standpoint. Crashing the plane is certainly a $$$ issue but I'm more concerned about safety.

You might try rigging up an arm REST off the tray to help steady his arm and in turn help steady his hands.
In respect to using the thumb and finger system on the sticks, if that doesn't help try using just the thumb on top of the stick and the rest of the hand laying solid on the transmitter. ENJOY !!! RED

Carrellh, in my opinion, don't quit flying. If you enjoy it, who cares if you have to have a co-pilot. As long as he doesn't mind, where's the problem? Besides, as many boaters/fliers/drivers say, "A day out playing with my ________________ is better than sitting home." I go out to Scale Hydroplane races (till I get my boat finished) just for the fun of watching and talking with the other club members. It's surprising how much you can learn by talking to people. I learned 90% of what I know by talking with and helping other boaters. What is more surprising is how much applies to airplanes as well.

Another idea to help out with the shakes would be to get a computer radio that has exponential on it. You can set the expo so that there is almost no movement around center stick so that the plane won't be affected by small movements from shaking.

Hope this helps.

Ken

You might also consider looking at the FMA co-pilot. Depending on how you set the gain, it can allow you to get "close enough" to level and it will fine tune it. And if it's set up right, it will almost automatically land a trainer.

(as you pull the power back, the co-pilot keeps the fuse level, which basically does an auto-flair).

Too much gain, and you're fighting the co-pilot to even make a basic turn, not enough and it's almost off, but it's really surprising what happens in between. If you have a TX with an extra channel on a knob, having the gain adjustable in the air is really nice.

I'm definitely not quitting. My first instructor taught me some basic aerobatics and I like practicing them. I'm not real smooth at everything but I can do loops, rolls, inverted flight, Split-S, Immelman, and Cuban 8. I could do all of these with my PT-60 but my Astro Hog does them better.

I have a student that I have been working with for about a year now. He's just not getting the hang of it. He can't fly below @ 50 feet without the plane being in mortal danger, let alone landing. I told him though that as long as he needs or wants me out there on the buddy cord, I'd be there for him. And I will be. A couple of the other guys have tried working with him too with no better luck. Oh well, he's having fun.

What type of plane is he flying? If it is a typical 4 channel, consider going to a more gentle flying 3 channel, such as a Sig Senior Kadett. It might make enough of a difference to help him successfully land.

Give him a few swigs of some Canadian Mist. It will knock the edge off of the shakes. It works for me when I shoot my rifles in competition. Steady as a rock. Just don't get carried away as your mileage may vary with a fast craft. I have a touch of a nervous condition myself and the key is not to indulge. Anyway, best of luck with your endeaver. The best recommendation I heard was using the exponential of the radio.

Wes