Just a thought for any CLer that has a yen to fly any kind of competition or even just sport CL may enjoy same.

The AMA Contest Board has authorized the use of 2.4 GH RC for use in any CL model airplane in competition. Retracts, flaps, bomb drop, throttle Control, etc. will now become standard fare.

If you have any leaning to that side of CL, I strongly suggest you check it out. Several CL forums and the AMA web.

What a race it will be for the CL stunters to have throttle control. Whole 'nother world out there. [:-]

A great new for scale c/l flyers!

Will we now call it CL/RC scale?

Having a radio link is a lot better than mechanical options (Robert 3 lines handle)for scale which only allow throttle with a lot of potential problems in adjustment. Signal down the lines is a good alternative but requires insulated lines, as unit sold by Clancy Arnold!
The good thing with allowing 2.4 Ghz radio link is that the antennas are very short on Tx and Rx and there is many cheap systems around to customize. The primary control will still be c/l just like any other c/l plane.

I guess it is better than three line, less drag.  I still like the fact that there is no battery in control line though.  KISS (keep it simple stupib)  Good for shutting off a lean run too.

I have been flying two CL scale models with 2.4 Ghz controls and have been flying with the down the lines electronic controls for the last 21 years. This will be a great change and allow for better controls for CL scale and carrier.

Look on the Stunt Hanger forum the CL carrier guys have make some new handles that use the 2.4 Ghz controls, I presently fly with the transmitter on my hip with no problems.

3-line and down the wire electronic controls will be replaced by 2.4 Ghz controls very quickly. You still have to have a bellcrank in the model to control the elevator but all other functions can be controlled by a 2.4 Ghz system. Also makes setting up electric powered models really easy....

Have fun,
Fred C.

There is still the extra weight of the battery for the RX, If you need a battery, you may as well go brushless....  That would be a big change for most people.

About time. I know the purists will probably disagree but Ithink this is the best thing to have happened to Control line for years. I'm not completely convinced it is the right thing for Stunt but for Control Line scale it can only be a good thing.

I don't think it will make much impact on stunt maneuvering because I think the reaction time will not be fast enough to make changes as needed.

I can only see a use for it in Scale, it's probably illegal in Carrier but I don't know.

Unfortunately for anyone marketing such gear, these are the least popular classes of CL. I can't see any use for it in Speed, Aerobatics, Racing or Combat.

Good luck with it, it possibly could make Scale stunt a possibility, but a stunt model would be severely compromised by the extra weight of scale features.

Greg

I believe F2D combat will use it as a manditory shutoff.  There is a shutoff now, but they want one to end the match, because it can drag on at a competition.  Speed would be useful to change a needle setting and shutoff, but I couldn't imagine fitting the stuff inside the fuselage. I could envision a monoline handle without the thimble.  The market is small in control line for sure.

Carrier legal I HOPE here in Ossie at least
OH MAGIC fun to come if so,

Cheer's

Croc,

There's nothing to stop anyone from going ahead and trail blazing.

Make & fly what you like, get it perfected and see who wants to take it on. Rules always start with someone wanting to compete. If you don't want to compete then it's just for fun, and the sky is the limit.

Greg

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.

After flying with electronics for 21 years now the thing I noticed different from 3-line to down the lines electronics is that you have more precise control and if you loose line tension you still have control of the throttle. The 2.4 ghz system makes the down the line electronics wireless, same response. also much easier to set up and adjust items with servo travel electronically. Electrics are almost plug and play....

The electronic controls also allows you to have an idle trim adjustment, I put the throttle stick to idle during flight and the engine idles, pull the idle trim back to engine kill and the engine is off.

Servos get rid of the sloppy systems on the 3-line models (depending on how it's set up).

I have my 3-line handles in my CL museum and haven't used them in 21 years.

Fred C.

Its been a long time coming and an appropriate decision by the contest board. As a Wheechair (sport only) flyer I have been using the Bill Young over the wire system now for twelve years and it was wonderful for its time but now I have flown my first ship a magician which I converted over to 2.4 from over the wire simply using a Hitec strapped to my chest with the sticks pointing at the airplane.

This absolutely is going to retire my over the wire system. Set up is a breeze and far easier as well. Although the contest board decision made no differance to us as sport flyers. The old rules did affect us when fellow RC pilots would imply that we were breaking rules. Our circle is on our club field and one that I paid to have poured.


John[8D]


definately long time coming

This might be a good alternative for Electric C/L engine control. Instead of using a Timer (and the bother of programming it) just plug the motor controller into a feather weight receiver (same as in an R/C plane) and you have the advantage of speed control as well as controlling when the motor stops yourself (and starts of course) = Win Win Win

I have been thinking of building another Stunter (for sport flying only) and reckon I will try the Pistol grip controller idea (as above ^^^) as having a trigger controlled engine "Start, Speed and Stop" on the handle sounds cool