Author Topic: Keeping you hand Warm.....hopefully!  (Read 4901 times)

Happy Days

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Keeping you hand Warm.....hopefully!
« on: December 26, 2010, 07:23:10 AM »
For months prior to xams my “other ‘half” kept, almost demanding, that I tell her what she could get me for christmas.
Eventually I told her I’d like a Muff. ( :shock: No rude comments from Mr. Boyd please! :oops: )


Although this seemed a good idea I was concerned about aspects like…

a/ Will the top of the muff be too close to the tops of the controls to enable proper and comfortable operation of the control sticks and switches?

b/ Will the muff be big enough for my Tx?

c/ How do the manufacturers know exactly where to make the hole for my  particular Tx’s antenna?

d/ Will the “Inlet” parts of the muff,…….the bit where your hands go through……be large enough to accommodate my forearm while wearing a thickly lined jacket?

In fact, the more I thought about the fitting, and using of my Tx inside a wind proof and warm muff, the less I thought it was a good idea.
But it kept “ ‘er ” quiet and gave me something to look forward to on xmas morning.


Well…………………………

Concerns about not being able to fit my Tx inside the muff proved totally wasted.




The hard base is 46cm wide at it’s part closet to the pilot, (or the pilot’s tummy I should say.) and narrows to 22cms at the part farthest away. The “walls” of the muff are 13 cm high.
There is enough room for my Tx to get lost in!

But how about operating the controls? How does it feel?

The short answer to that last question is, “Different.” I fly “Thumbs Up” with the sticks at their shortest height and there are moments when parts of  the back my hands come into contact with the clear plastic window on the top of the muff. However, it doesn’t seem too much of an encumbrance or obstruction to flying operation. Possibly someone with larger hands and using sticks with a longer setting might find more contact.
I must admit that at the time of writing this I haven’t actually flown a plane using the muff but I don’t think this aspect of control operation will be a hindrance.

So, where does the antenna go? The simple answer is, “Wherever you like!” Supplied with the muff are a couple of plastic grommets. The idea is that you cut a small hole in the fabric of the muff wherever your particular antenna needs to be, and then the plastic grommet “snaps” into place around the hole. One part of the grommet outside the muff, one part inside, to stop the hole that you cut from tearing further. It’s very simple.



So to the question of hand/arm access.
Supplied in the “kit” of pieces of this muff are two “Inlets” see here



These have elasticated parts that your hand and forearm pass through.  Around the outside of the inlets is strong Velcro which attaches it to the main part of the muff.
(It’s a little difficult to see from this next picture, but the inlet is in place, and the main muff is wrapped around it, being attached by Velcro. There is part of the back strap in the bottom of the shot as well)




With these in place you could only use the muff if you were wearing a very light coat or jumper. Certainly access while wearing a thick, lined  jacket would be virtually  impossible. The thick part around your forearm wouldn’t pass through the elasticated part of the inlet.

The answer, I found, was to not use the elasticated inlets at all. Simply use the muff without the inlets, and access even with my thickest of flying jacket, was quick and easy. So launching a plane and returning my hand to the controls will be no problem at all.

Of course, the real “proof-of the-pudding” won’t come until I’ve flown with it. That can’t happen till this snow has dissipated.
I’m hoping that there might be a window of opportunity on Wednesday. So, like christmas, I’ll have to wait and see!!!

Keith
Try not to run out of airspeed, altitude and ideas....... all at the same time.

Fred

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Keeping you hand Warm.....hopefully!
« Reply #1 on: December 29, 2010, 14:09:01 PM »
Hey Keith,

Looks like the RaydioWarm one no ?  :?:

That's the first thing I bought when I arrived in Ireland !!  :roll:
That was ssssooooo cold here!! (Sad.. I'm used to it now!  :(   )

Anyway, if that's the one, mine was supplied with a "O" ring, that allowed you to put the antenna exit wherever you want.

Have the full option one, with GliderIreland embrodded in and the full gears to strap the muff to yourself (never used the back one though!)

Anyway, rarely use it I have to say!
Feels great and confortable, but the problem is that alone, I had issues putting my right arm back inside after launching the model  :?  (I'm mode 1, I need my 2 hands to fly!).
That need a bit of training...

Even more confortable with a hand warmer inside for the really cold days! (cheapo hand warmers from Lidl...).

Great piece of equipment, good to have, just in case, and looks a bit more pro than the Tesco plastic bag around the TX !  :lol:

Next buy for me for the cold days, will certainly be a Windshield for the radio, still because of the issue I have putting my hands back in when I fly alone (have to launch the gliders).

Fred
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Fred

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Keeping you hand Warm.....hopefully!
« Reply #2 on: December 29, 2010, 14:26:47 PM »
Oh, and I just read your entire post !  :oops:

Ok, ignore my comments ! (if not done already!  :P )

I need a drink!
Education is important, but flying RC planes and gliders is importanter!

Happy Days

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Keeping you hand Warm.....hopefully!
« Reply #3 on: December 29, 2010, 15:27:13 PM »
Yes, you cleaver ol’ pilot you, it is a RadioWarm muff. :clap:

I actually used it today for the first time.
No, unfortunately not on Big L, it’s covered in cloud :evil: . But I flew a couple of little hand launched foamy, powered planes.

The weather isn’t really cold enough to warrant using the RadioWarm but I wanted to try it out.

By leaving the hand inlet rings off the muff I had no problem launching and immediately flying the planes. I fly mode 2 and have taught myself to launch with my left hand ever since I started flying, er………however many years ago that was. (Not that many actually, now I come to think of it!)

Using the muff definitely feels different, although it only took me a couple of minutes to get used to it.

The benefits of a muff are obvious,……..the disadvantages I found were,

a/ My hands became quite sweaty. And I don’t think that was because of my flying but  because of the temperature being 10degrees C

b/ Condensation misted up the plastic ‘window.’ Not really a problem because I don’t normally look down at the Tx while I’m flying anyway. I operate the switches by feel, as I’m sure most people do. However, if anyone were anticipating getting a muff it could be something to think about.

Other than that it was fine.

I’m looking forward to trying it out on a bitterly cold windy day, while standing on the north ridge of Big L. (It’s got to happen one day, surely!)

K.
Try not to run out of airspeed, altitude and ideas....... all at the same time.

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Keeping you hand Warm.....hopefully!
« Reply #4 on: January 02, 2011, 16:39:10 PM »
Finally got out onto the Big L this morning! Boy, did it feel good. 8)  Only a gentle north breeze at first so only very light wing loaded planes flew, but after about midday the wind picked up a little to about 20Km/h, then everything flew.

So how about that muff? :?:
Well I shall certainly be using it during the colder months of the year.
Although it doesn’t make your hands any warmer, it does stop them getting any colder,………if you get my drift. So to that extent it helped to improve my flying enjoyment. Today’s temp was 3 C at the top of the north slope with a 20Km/h wind. So a wind chill of about minus 1 I’d say. It was a case of carrying the gear out to the slope, then hands in pockets to warm up, and then fly the model. (Although, as Fred suggested, if you were to put a couple of chemical hand warmers inside the muff they might well raise the temperature of your hands while you were flying.)

The actual flying with the muff is very much like driving a motorcycle with handlebar muffs. If any reader has tried that. I found I very quickly got used to it.

The only ‘problem’ is getting your hand into the muff after launching the plane. And the knack to that is to leave out the two elasticised ‘inlet’ attachments, as shown in previous photos.
I flew my 4mtr ASW today and because the winds were relatively light I found I could launch the model with just one hand, and have the other hand already inside the muff on the elevator/aileron stick. Had it been a windier day and I’d have needed two hands to launch the model then I don’t think using the muff would have been a sensible option.
The other models I flew were all 2mtrs wingspan or less so could be launched easily with one hand.

If you can master the launching of the model while using a muff then I think muffs are a very useful tool in the fight to maintain warm hands during winter flying.
The only real downside, (I.M.O.) would be the misting up of the window, if you were the type of pilot who likes to look at the Tx display whilst flying.

So, all-in-all it’s thumbs up for the flying muff! :lol:

Keith
Try not to run out of airspeed, altitude and ideas....... all at the same time.

Fred

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Keeping you hand Warm.....hopefully!
« Reply #5 on: January 10, 2011, 10:41:49 AM »
Education is important, but flying RC planes and gliders is importanter!