JC's Planes and Projects
I recently made the
transition to a thumb and forefinger method of holding the TX sticks. I was
inspired by watching Frank Noll Jr. , Jason Noll, Sean
McMurtry, and other world-class flyers use this
method. It was awkward at first, as I had been flying with thumbs for two
seasons. I transitioned with the help of the RealFlight
G2 simulator and have flown all winter with thumb and forefinger. After the
awkward transition, I now feel that I have greater control over stick movements
with this method. Give it a try - you might like it!
Well, after
changing the way I hold the sticks it became more difficult to hold the TX and
the sticks at the same time. This sent me looking for a tray to hold the TX
away from my body and at a comfortable angle. I found some great ideas on Cliff
Griffin's site www.rcfaq.com. I got most of my ideas from an article on this
site, but I did make some modifications to make it more to my liking. I tested
it out over the weekend and it works great!
Picture 1: Here
is the completed TX tray shown with Futaba T6XA transmitter.
List of
materials:
Two 8"
1/4-20 eyebolts (shorter bolts can be used if you can't find this size)
One
12"x12" piece of 1/4" aircraft plywood ( I
used Sig wood from my local hobby shop)
Four 1/4-20 hex
nuts
Four 1 1/4"
fender washers
One yard of
3/4" nylon strap
Snap buckle
Assortment
Velcro straps and self-stick pads
One piece of
anti-skid material
Wood finish of
your choice ( I used Minwax PolyCrylic)
I won't go into
great detail on the construction because the pictures should serve well as a
guide. Place your TX over the plywood and center it near the top. Mark the positions
for the slots that will hold the handle of the TX to the board. While you are
at it, estimate the curvature of your stomach and mark the concave shape of the
base of the board. Mark the location of the eyebolt holes beneath the bottom
corners of your TX, being sure to leave enough room for the fender washers. Cut
the TX tray to shape, round off the corners, and cut the slots to accommodate
the Velcro straps.
Picture
2: Front of TX tray showing bend in eyebolts, Velcro loops, and strap.
Now that your
board is cutout, chuck the eyebolts up in a vise and put about a 20-30 degree
bend in them. Make sure the eyes are aligned as shown in picture 2. The less you
bend the bolts, the flatter the TX will sit when in use. This will take some
trial and error until you find something you are comfortable with. Remember to
have your TX antenna extended because this changes the CG of the TX and will
affect the lie angle of the tray.
Mount your
eyebolts to the board using the hex nuts and the fender washers. No need to torque them until you are comfortable with the tray.
For a strap, I
went to Hancock Fabrics and bought a yard of the nylon strap. The beauty of
this strap is that it is really tough and you can "de-fray" the end
with a flame - just melt it! I wanted to be able to get out of the strap easily
as well make it adjustable, so I put in the buckle. It is a light plastic
buckle similar to those found on backpacks. I got this at Joann Fabrics. By the
way, I hadn't been in a place like Joann's in 20 years! Not since "home-ec" class in the ninth grade. Can't say that I will
spend much time there but it is a great place to get Velcro too!
Picture 3: Shows
the back of the tray with the fender washers and Velcro self-stick pads.
I sewed my own
strap by hand with stout upholstery thread. Since then I have seen some straps
that would work very well attached to camera cases. Maybe a camera shop would
have them, but they would be more than the three bucks I have in my strap.
Put a couple of
coats of polyurethane finish on your board and mount the eyebolts using the hex
nuts and fender washers. Mount the Velcro pads at the back of the board as
shown in picture 3, and strap you TX on using some Velcro straps. Extend the
antenna and see how she feels. Adjust the bend in the eyebolts to get the
correct TX angle and adjust your strap to set the height. You'll soon find what
feels best. When you have it dialed, go ahead and tighten the eye-bolts and
mount a little anti-skid matting under the bottom of the TX where it contacts
the tray. This will keep it in position.
That is all
there is to it. Cheap, easy, adjustable, light, and it works great. I hope this
tray adds a little precision to your flying - I know it is going to help mine!
