Control line stooge

What's the technical specification for the brick?

Ivanhoe wrote:What's the technical specification for the brick?

Heavy enough so you wouldn't want to drop it on your foot... or your plane!

Breeeeeeeeze block good enough.

It occurs to me that the rubber grip may damage a traditional silkspan covering. You'll have to judge that because I'm a new fangled Ultracoater and I don't know anything about the other coverings. It doesn't even scratch the new stuff, even better if it has a thin residual film of castor on it. If you're concerned about damage to more fragile coverings you might want to choose a mat with a fairly soft nap and use that side instead of the rubber. That was my idea when I bought it, but the top side was a bit rough so I just tried the rubber side as the grip and liked the way it worked. The plane wing is held tightly, but it pulls out with what feels like about a pound of pull. That way it won't damage the control horn mount.

Man that sure is an innovative control line plane launching contraption. Your planes must be well powered, if I had an underpowered plane I could raise the legs.
If I do try your launching device will surely tape it and it will be entertaining. Do you have any tape of the device in action?
Thanks Doug

AhHA! You are the one I need to thank!

I use an old towel, and for planes like my Lil Wizard I use some thin insulboard to pad the wing up and protect the towel and wing projections from each other. My jumping bean does not need the added padding.

I also am unit the frame of an ancient trash compactor as my table, and vise grip welding clamps to secure things to a piece of plywood, and the plywood to the heavy steel table...and a brick on the wing. I can easily adjust the angle of launch using brick under the end of the board, a lil wizard needs some "up" to start with or it eats sod.

Phil

My favorite stooge(sorry).
Bob

Here is one I built. Works well with planes with landing gear such as the wizard.

Very simple to build. I can take a better pic if needed.

Click on the link if the pic is too big

https://i.imgur.com/EpE31.jpg

Here's my version, similar to Ron's, made from pegboard. It works well with planes that need a take-off roll to get in the air...such as my plastic RTF's and larger stunt models.

It uses an R/C nose-gear steering block (had several laying around) and pin with thick white nylon cord for easy visibility if used in grass. I unroll just enough cord to reach the handle, then step back after launch to keep it from lassoing my ankles! I use strips of wood as "side chocks" to keep the plane aligned on the board as I head out to the handle.

Cheap wire tent stakes anchor the peg board in place when flying larger planes, and I occasionally also use a sheet of insulating foam to extend my "runway" on grass. The stakes also work when flying my planes on the concrete airport ramp...I just align the pegboard with some handy cracks in the concrete...OR park the van with one of it's tires pinching the board.

Since it seems that I'm always packing all of this stuff somewhere, the pegboard also serves double duty in securing the planes in the back of the van. I CA the "hook" side of some vecro strips to the bottom of the board, plop it on the carpet of the van's cargo box, and nothin' goes nowhere!

Lately, I've started using C-clamps to lock the pegboard to the top of my adjustable shooting table. This puts everything up at a comfortable "work-height" (on an even keel with my field box) for the inevitable mechanical messing around and adjusting...not to mention allowing a safe harbor for my can of soda).

My "stooge" is usally a neighborhood kid attracted to what I'm doing with my "toy" airplane.

SuperDave wrote:My "stooge" is usally a neighborhood kid attracted to what I'm doing with my "toy" airplane.

I keep trying to convince my wife...I even want her to try flying since our daughter who is 4 is already flying with me. I think she read "stooge" over my shoulder at some point.

Kim, that is a sweet idea with the pegboard. I have been stumped since I fly over grass, currently exclusively.

Phil

Phil:

If you thought up a less condescending title like: Flight Manager or Flight Engineer you wife might jump at the opportunity to assist you especially if you bought her a jump suit with her name and title on it and covered with airplane logos.

Just a thought mind you.

Ha! In one of my Stuntman23 Tube videos, my wife is heard saying, "Who you callin' a stooge?"
I usually use the term "Pit Crew.'

SuperDave wrote:...especially if you bought her a jump suit with her name and title on it and covered with airplane logos...

Hey I need a pilot suit like that! Still waiting for my yaller hard hat with the Bee on the front of it.

Rusty:

The "yaller" hard hat has been delayed because I can't find one large enough to accomodate my large "dome". "One size fits all". HA!

BTW, "real life" drome pilots wear flight suits so you can too! Check at a military surplus outlet

OR...you could go brand-new manufacture:

http://www.flightsuits.com/

This is my setup. If you look closely you'll notice the milk crate is zip tied to the expanded metal drain cover. Works great as long as tue plane isn't under powered.
https://i.imgur.com/TAtPn.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/eRI8j.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/XTmZH.jpg

You can let the plane slide off the handles of a wheelbarrow....but you'll still need to make a way to keep the model centered on the wheelbarrow handles.