Persons with use of only one hand

[Zflyer]

Now there is a title to grab your attention. I was watching a flitetest video on youtube and noted there was a young person there who had there arm amputated from the elbow.

It struck me that they may not be able to use a TX without modification, If its already been done then I apologise. My thoughts were having the elevator and aileron on a stick with the slider being used for the throttle and a two poisition momentary switch, (neutral in the middle and left or right rudder by flicking the switch one way or the other. I am pretty sure this could be done on an edge TX operating system with suitable transmitter. Just think it seems a shame those disadvantaged by lack of hand operation dont get to enjoy the hobby.

That said one of you may already know of some cracking device to enable the less abled to join us.

[Denis Watkins]

You guessed it Zf, it has been done, and there is a chap in a wheelchair, with virtually no hand input.

The Tx is mounted on the back of the wheel chair, connected by cables to the Tx sticks, and movement by leaning back and side to side, against hinged plywood pads, connected to the cables. He flies.

[J D 8]

  Mike Ridley at modelradioworkshop.co.uk does such conversions. It is usual for aileron and elevator to be the normal way but a twist knob on top of the stick now does the rudder. Check site "showcase" section.

[Geoff S]

Each year we get sent a calendar with some astonishing pictures painted by artists using only their feet or mouth, so I guess anything is possible.  There was also a French Horn player, Felix Klieser at this year's Proms who is armless and played with his feet.

[Martin Harris - Moderator]

We had a member who lost the use of his right arm (nerves torn from his spine) and his right leg in a motorcycle accident in his teens.  He joined us in later life - turned up at the club with a Puppeteer that he'd built with the aid of varous jigs.  He went on to build many more models with minimal assistance and gained his A using a Mike Ridley conversion - elevator/ailerons on left stick, rudder on a twist knob on the top of the stick and a side slider throttle.  Early buddy box tuition was straight forward - taking control of his transmitter rather more interesting!

[Robin Colbourne]

The American manufacturer, Kraft Radio Control, were making transmitters with a single stick which had a top that was twisted for rudder control, back in the 1960s.

Here is a more modern conversion:  Single stick transmitter conversion

[Peter Jenkins]

Idris Francis launched Flight Link control which had a stick with rudder bar on it way back in the early 70s I think.  Don't know if anyone still has a set.

[Paul De Tourtoulon]

I modified a gaming stick ( right name ? ) for one of our members,( 50+) but now he has it all on one stick on a radio, and did his first solo last week.

[Brian Cooper]

Way back in the 1960s, single stick conversions were being done. 

Mostly they consisted of havingthe usual left-right-forwards-backwards for aileron and elevator control but had the addition of a twist knob on the top of the stick for rudder control. 

 

A further development of the theme was a stick which could be lengthened and shortened (like working a trumpet) to work as throttle control. 

So all four main flight controls were on a single stick. 

 

All highly ingenious, but it makes me grateful for having two fully functioning hands.