The never ending use for VACU-TITE caps

[A VIKING]

I'm a thumber not a pincher and have never liked the contact between my thumbs and TX sticks. I didn't see anything I liked for aftermarket stick covers but I am sure I haven't seen them all.
Had a scare a while back with a sweaty thumb slipping off a stick nearly costing me the Warp so I had to make changes.
I use bullets for electrical connections on my other ship so to cover the positive bullet and prevent shorting when not installed in the ship I use VACU-TITE rubber vacuum caps from the auto store to cover them, works perfect.

Well, it just so happens they work great for TX stick covers for us thumbers . I used a 3/8" cap and a 5/16" cap. The 5/16" cap has the round end cut off to use as a sleeve inside the 3/8" cap to fit the TX stick as seen in the photo. Nice and snug, no slipping but can be removed if necessary to adjust stick length.
Fits my fat thumb perfectly and really gives me a better feel of the stick as I roll it around. You can see in the photo I used 120 grit sand paper to rough up the round end of the cap to allow a greater tack to my thumbs.
If you use these or experiment you may have to cut a small amount off the open end of the cap to allow clearance for full stroke of the TX stick, I did not have to do that.

For what it's worth.

[dannylightning]

i hate when you thumbs slip off the sticks. i can remember once or twice when doing some 3D moves low to the ground i had a thumb come off the stick. thank goodness i was able to get my thumb back on the stick in time to save it.. its usually always my left thumb that slips off. some times when on the sim ill get a thumb slipping off too..

i am not sure i would like how wide the sticks are with those but if they work for you awesome. i got some sticks with really sharp points and i dont think my thumbs have slipped off since..

[Mojappa]

To me sharp points would do better than solid rubber tips, especially once the thumbs get a little sweaty. If they work for you that's great and if the tip helps other out then that's even better. Personally I leave the sharp point sticking out and slip a rubber skid nut in the stick to rest a little below the points so that it's there as my thumb rolls closer to the extremity of the sticks travel.

[uiron]

one day I noticed I developed callus on my right index finger and thumb (I hold sticks with two fingers), similar to those you get on your left hand finger tips from guitar strings. It's sort of a status mark to be proud of

[A VIKING]

Thanks for the posts guy's.
It does feel very different than the straight sticks, I'll be giving it some time to weigh out the pluses and minuses with my thumbs. They give a broader sensory contact area on my thumbs...that's a fancy way to say I need bigger sticks for my dead thumbs just like I need stronger glasses for my old eyes.

[A VIKING]

That didn't take long, after a few flights it became obvious I created a pair of comfortable slippers for TX sticks. Good for easy park flying but not for 3D.

So I took your advice and installed a small screw in the crown of the rubber caps...now I have a pair of track shoes with spikes. No more slipping off with sweaty fingers, perfect tactile feel for precise quick movement. I like it!

I also ended up cutting a little off the length of the rubber caps as they did bottom out at the corners a little...found that out in flight also.

...they are not as painful as the photo makes them look.

Thanks again!!

[chrismechanic]

looks like you are going to be doing some bloody piro flips.... painful
chris

[A VIKING]

Originally Posted by chrismechanic

looks like you are going to be doing some bloody piro flips.... painful
chris

No pain...no gain.
Born and raised on a farm + aviation mechanic for 37 years equals really numb thumbs from the countless blows with heavy devices...believe me my thumbs don't feel a thing, and feel like leather.

All kidding aside, I really...really like the points sticking up from the rubber caps. The caps I have since dropped down to a 5/16" Vacu-Tite cap to provide a better feel and I have a shorter screws with less protrusion from the cap but it still sticks my thumb but not to the extent the originals did (my wife made me shorten the screws as it mad her ill to look at them)

If you want a sure grip and precise movement of your TX sticks you can't beat it. Wish I would have done it earlier.
....and they are not wood screws but machine screws with flat ends.

[pinguin]

On one of my Tx, the spikes on the stick is hurting my thumb, so I file a little on the spikes.

[chrismechanic]

just like the man said, no pain, no gain
chris

[A VIKING]

In my experimentation and flight time accumulated with the single point TX sticks, this is my observation and why I like them so much.
My skin may be a little thicker and harder than most on my hands.
With the multiple pointed castellation's on a normal TX stick I don't get perfect tracking of the stick with my thumb.
Try this yourself to see if single point sticks may benefit you.
Hold your TX in the normal position and go through the thumb movements for repeated fast elevator flips. How many could you do before you had to reposition your thumbs? If you are hard skinned like me you may have only gotten a few done because your thumbs "walked" off the sticks. For me I could do very few in a row before repositioning my thumbs.
Now with the single points I can do elevator flips or any other maneuver requiring repeated same track stick movements without loosing thumb position and accuracy for as long as I want or until I run out of battery without having to stop the maneuver and reposition my thumbs.
Gone are the days of hitting stick center and quickly repositioning my thumbs before I slip off the sticks all together.

I'm not saying it will work for everyone but if you find yourself doing the same thumb dance on your sticks you may want to give it a try. 5/16" Vacu-Tite rubber caps and a couple of short machine screws (in my case extra fuselage screws from my Align 250).
Just don't get screws that are too long or pointed.

I have also found in my own case that higher spring tension on the sticks has a tendency to make the sticks "walk" under my thumbs during repeated quick movements. So reducing spring tension has helped me with this also. I have to have some spring feed back in the sticks however.

Any one else have a different approach to slippery sticks?

[Mr-Mike]

Maybe you just need a girlfriend

[A VIKING]

Originally Posted by Mr-Mike

Maybe you just need a girlfriend