HI,

I want to start my kids off in the hobby and would like them to start of with control line. I have 2, the texan and corsair. My 2 questions are, what line should i use and how long should it be, they are the cox .049 control lined planes. I think i will look for a ringmaster ready to fly on ebay if they like it.

thanks in advance

Eddie

[link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_4362469/anchors_4362469/mpage_1/key_/anchor/tm.htm#4362469]http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_4362469/anchors_4362469/mpage_1/key_/anchor/tm.htm#4362469[/link]

I recommend Spiderwire fishing line, discussed here. I'm not sure sure how long for the Cox RTF planes. I've heard they fly like bricks, anyway.

Good luck!

Phil

Agreed !!

And I reckon 30 feet would be about right.

Also the non stretchy kite string would do.

The Cox models are not a good trainer for youngsters and are more likely to put them off the hobby I an affraid.
They are too heavy, underpowered and break.

I would recomend a strong Balsa trainer for learning on.
There are plenty of plans and kits and even rtf (ready to fly) choices, post back if you need pointers to some examples.

Good luck

Most of the Cox 049 airplanes do fly like bricks. Especially the "scale" ones. And the Cox 049 is a great little engine, but the Cox airplanes that are usually strapped on the back really are overloads for it.

The engine also is not really a beginner's engine. They're way too hard for the average beginner to start by himself and not easy to adjust. Too sensitive. I've got experienced flying buddies who can't get them to run.

It's good advice to look around for a trainer.

Hi guys,

my local hobby store carried the line, i bought 4 spools, string and non stretching (each 56ft.). he said 25 ft. should be good. i also have a bratco flying wing with a norvel .061 but figured it would be a little too much for them to start of with. i have used the .049 cox planes, they are easy to fly in a straight line, they are older planes, so i think they are better. i just want to get them started in the hobby, next would be the an rc trainer. i'm into the cars, boats, planes etc. i would like to get my hands on a built kit for a .19 or larger.

thanks
eddie

Back in the day, I made Cox rich by crashing and repairing and finally trashing the lead sleds they sold (five or six, as I recall). I doubt that the law of gravity has been repealed, and suspect that their CL models remain obese...

The Cox planes did allow me to figure out the basics of CL flight, but looking back, lighter woulda been MUCH better. Finally had great success with a Carl Goldberg Jumpin' Bean... quick to build, much lighter, would fly slower and was aerobatic, and my last .049 airplane - FWIW, my next airplane was a Veco .19 Papoose that was terrific... FFWIW, I never had problems with the Cox engines as long as it had good fuel, 2-3 turns open on the needle valve, a healthy glow plug and good battery, but that was then...

Good on ya for getting your kids up and flying [sm=thumbup.gif][sm=thumbup.gif]... Let us know how it goes!!

go check out this web page

http://www.aeromaniacs.com/

They have a trainer plane that you can build in an evening, without a lot of tools and is very tough. It should only cost a few bucks to build, even less if you are a good scrounger.

The cox airplanes will fly under ideal conditions, but not that well. A balsa, foam or coroplast airplane will be lighter and not so brittle.

As a kid I'd hunt rummage sales crashed planes for the motors and buid balsa planes. I had a lot of motors then...

1/2A control line is great bang for your buck, and a great way for kids to learn.

I use 30 to 42 feet of stainless steel line from the hobby shop, depending on the airplane.

Dave

My suggestion would be to get a couple of Brodak trainers and build the first with your kids' help. Then let them build the second one with your help. Bite the bullet and get a good .049 like the Brodak. That way, they get to train with an engine that is similar(regular venturi/side exhaust/detached tank, etc.) to the larger ones (.15/.25/.35/.40) that they will move up to as they progress. This is what I plan to do with my grandson in 4 or 5 years, if I'm still around. FWIW Glen

Just use what you have, save money.

If the kids like it buy a good trainer that can use what you have in engines. The less you spend the more rewarding the pleasure. The Cox bricks can make you want better, so train them on those things first. That way when they try a trainer with more sensitivity they will know the difference between good and bad models.


Luke.

exactly, i have 3 line control planes and will let them try that first. i was going to get em going today and i cant find my glow plug ignitor, all i have it the regular type (have been using for my cars, boats and planes) not the type for the 049 plug. oh well, will go to the lhs and see if we have time to try tomorrow.

thanks for all the advise,

i will write when we try em out,

eddie

Remember, you can simply use two alligator clips if need be ..... or make up a couple make-shift clips from music wire and / or tin can stock in a pinch!

<i was going to get em going today and i cant find my glow plug ignitor, all i have it the regular type (have been using for my cars, boats and planes) not the type for the 049 plug.>

thanks for the info, my lhs had a clip made by du-bros. got the string set up on 3 of them, started them up and i am ready to go. will let you know how things go over the weekend.

thanks

eddie

figures, 2 rainy days, saturday and sunday

So did you ever get the kids some handle time with the Cox planes? FYI - you can make a simple sheet balsa profile 1/2A for about 10 bucks. 24-30 inch X 3" wide wing from 3/16" sheet sanded to an airfoil. fuselage about 15-18" long with 1/8" tail surfaces. Dick Sarpolus has published about a dozen 1/2a planes like these in Flying Models over the past 10 years. You can also grab a Coroplast election campaign sign and cut it up to make a trainer. Either one will fly better and bounce back quicker than the Cox plastic. If you wanted and the Cox are in decent shape, put them on E-bay and take the cash from that to buy a .15 size trainer.

[link=http://www.balsabeavers.ca/begginers_page.htm]Here's a nice quick coroplast trainer[/link] -- with the elections coming up, there are plenty of planes sticking up in folk's yards.

Plans are at the bottom of the page in PDF.

hey guys, havent had a chance to go, there is either rain, work or stuff to do. gonna try for this weekend, everything is ready to go, just need good weather.

thanks
eddie

You sound like me of late. No matter what I can't seem to get out there when I want.

And me too !!!!

And here in the UK, this year has just been so flippin windy ( especially at the weekends [sm=angry.gif] )

i havent done anything in the last 2 months, i have 2 boats i havent tried out, and one plane. i have fooled with my electric heli's a little in the house here and there, the double main bladed rotor is easy, the collective pitch one is really hard, not fun at all. This is going to be the weekend to try the kids on the planes unless it rains!!!!!

didnt get to go last weekend either, will try for this weekend. Need another 3 days in the week.

eddie


the best plane to star out in my opinion is an a.r.f from brodak posobly the baby clown u can get lines,handles any thing you need from them and great advice to.

www.brodak.com

Actually, Brodak makes a 1/2A trainer that costs significantly less than the Baby Clown. It seems like ehroof has been having some difficulty finding the time to go out flying. Eventually, time will pass and those kids may never experience control-line flying, unfortunately. My parents had the same problem: Too busy, can't find the time to spend. So, I took up rockets instead and did not complete a single airplane kit until I was 35. I just can't count the amount of money that was wasted in kits that never got done or were botched during my childhood, I'm sure it was over $100.00. With nobody to help train, the needed building skills were never acquired, so the projects never got finished. Thankfully, the existence of the plastic models from Cox and Testers helped maintain some interest, even though I never had the chance to learn how to fly one.

Getting enough time to spend with the kids flying C/L. I guess that must be a real toughy. Well, you can't just try to find the time to do it, sadly. If you keep looking, it may never appear. Like building a model, if you want it bad enough, you have to MAKE it. Back in the day, if you didn't BUILD your model, you were stuck either buying someone elses or settling for something made out of plastic. So, people taught each other how to MAKE stuff instead of BUY. These days, you can BUY most anything you want. But time is something you have to MAKE, because it's not something that you FIND under the couch some place. I wish you the best of luck.

NorfolkSouthern

we sent racing the cars at floyd bennett field last weekend, it was too windy to fly the planes, gonna try this weekend, sunday since they are saying rain here for this weekend.