Need help identifying part

What is it suppose to do?

Hold the elevator in neutral? I am not too sure, but am thinking one of two things:
1. To lock / hold the elevator in neutral during storage or transport, or....
2. To lock / hold the elevator in neutral for beginner pilots?
These are both hypothetical guesses, but am leaning more to my second guess, as when I was younger , a lot, my dad put a screw into the bellcrank of my Testors Fly Em' plane to hold the elevator in neutral after cracking it up a lot of times.

Number 2 sounds right. The first time I flew my PT was engine off swinging it around me with short lines just to get the feel of it.

It was made to help set up the lines for even length to the handle. When your way out on the
other end its hard to see if the elevator is spot on neutral with the smaller planes.  With acro
planes getting a premium setup is important. If you have ever flown acro with one line to long
its a frustrating fight to keep in the compensation through out the entire flight.

cox logo:

My ME-109 Super Stunter manual says it is for beginners to limit the control throw so you don't over-control on the early flights.  It's 3 AM here, so I don't want to wake the wife digging around for my copy of the manual.  If I remember tomorrow, I'll dig the manual out and scan the page that talks about it.

But, I like 1/2A Nut's idea for setting up lines.  I have about three of those things, so I'll pull one out and put it in my tools collection to use for that purpose.

The Good Hubby Mark

Okay, so I dug out my Super Stunter instructions.  Here's Page 5 with the instructions for using the travel limiter:




I don't know that I'd use this as a travel limiter. The spring seems awfully tight for the flimsy plastic and the plastic control arm on the elevator. I'd be afraid something would snap if I did this. Maybe pre-bend the spring so that it had a little less stiffness to it. But, that's just me.

The Fount of All Knowledge Mark

I used a pair of binder clips to hold the elevator while making the hinges, might work for setting up the lines too?

The picture is of the second attempt, first I had unsuitable glue, hence the marks on the elevator. The clips worked well while stitching on the elevator on my other plane.

You could also use it (or make one..) to set elevator-neutral, for accurately measuring the pushrod length hole-to-hole from the bellcrank to the elevator horn if you're building a model.

Expanding on Kari's photo.. I use those binder-clips with "pads" (top/bottom) which would prevent denting soft balsa.

As Brad mentioned; this is a great method of easily and accurately setting your handle for neutral, before a flight. You don't need to look at the model for reference.



I use the small binder-clips with popsicle-sticks..



but you could also use rubber bands wrapped around two pencils.

I like your thinking roddie. You beat me to the punch. I do similar but use 2 pieces of balsa held with rubber bands at each end myself.

DOH!

Could have simply read the Super Stunter instructions

Thanks for all the replies