Flight Controls
Control Stick, Torque Tube...
20-25 Feb 2010 Started work on the flight control parts inside the fuselage. For the torque tube I cut a 40 3/4" piece of 7/8" tubing. I then cut 1" pieces of 1" tubing for the collars. I cleaned these up on the grinder and 3M wheel. I think the plans only call out brazing the collars to a mounting piece, however, I don't think this is sufficient, and I have seen numerous others use a bracket for extra support, and I decided to do the same. I cut several pieces of 5/8" steel (.063) and tried to bend one piece around a piece of tubing, it did not go well. So I decided to make a jig. Using a piece of similar size chrome moly tubing and some large bolts I fashioned a bending jig. After several attempts, I was producing acceptable brackets. These will be welded to the collars, and bolted to the bottom of the fuselage at the correct places. I noticed the middle bracket called out in the plans (called a safety bracket?) is much larger. I am not sure of the purpose of this, and may just use another collar and bracket, similar to the end brackets. I've posted a question to this effect on the net.Hours: 2.026 Feb 2010 After several tries (6 to be exact), I finally got two good torque tube brackets formed.Hours: 1.027-28 Feb 2010 When I went to fit the torque tube, I realized I had to widen the seat holes quite a bit. I realized what happened. The plans seem to indicate two ways to build the front seat back. One way has the "Vee" on the front, the other picture seems to indicate the Vee is built in the back. What this does is at the bottom, the Vee comes together on top of the cross brace using the first technique, and behind and below the cross brace using the second technique. Using the first technique (as I did) requires notching the bottom of the Vee, which is what I did. Then the torque tube aligned pretty well. I made the metal pieces for under the torque tube brackets using 13ga 5/8" 4130 steel. I also made a base piece out of 1/8" plywood, which I sanded to an angle compensating for the bottom of the fuselage.Hours: 3.01-2 March 2010 After looking at the angle for the torque tube bracket bolts I changed the bracket. Instead of the angled plywood on the bottom, I made another bracket, but this time I bent the bottom pieces so they would sit flat on the plywood, and made a new flat plywood piece. This way the bolts and lock nut would be flat on the top and bottom of the fuselage wood.Hours: 1.08 March 2010 I ordered more tubing of the proper dimension. 7/8" torque tube going into 1" bushings still left around .024" difference. I think with 1" tubing but with an inside diameter of .884, the 7/8" torque tube will fit better, with less play.Hours: 011 March 2010 The new tubing arrived and the 1" tubing with thicker inside diameter made a much better fit. I made two new busing for the ends of the torque tube.Hours: 0.227-28 Apr 2010 Made a template for and cut out the torque tube control horn pieces. I then ground them to identical pieces. Have not had time to weld these yet.Hours: 1.01-12 December 2010 Restarted work on the torque tube. cut out the tabs for the pulleys and welded them in place using a jig made of several flat pieces of steel. Drilled the holes thru the torque tube for the control stick bolts. Installed (temporarily) the pulleys, they have a good fit. Used some cable to test the alignment. I welded the aileron horn and welded this to the torque tube. The side warped slightly, however, I decided to finish welding them as is, because it should allow a slight off-set of the aileron cables were they cross. I then started priming and painting these pieces.Hours: 8.01 Jan - 30 Jan 2011 I welded the pulley brackets in place and fit them for a small washer on each side and between the double pulley. I finished the control sticks and made small wooden knobs for the top, similar to the simplistic Piper Cubs control sticks. I made one with a piece of mahogonay from my boat and a piece of spruce. Once complete, the torque tube would not fit inplace and the rear seat had to be modified slightly (see lessons learned). Once in place, test fitting with orage twine seemed to work pretty well.Hours: 3.0
Rudder Bar (for the aft cockpit)...
27-28 Feb 2010 Started the rudder controls for the aft cockpit. I cut the rudder bar out of 3/4" x 20ga 4130 steel tubing. Then I started the Rudder Post using 1" x 1/8" (.125") 4130 steel. I drew a pattern as per the plans, then I bent the piece of metal on my vice.Hours: 1.0 1 March 2010 Drilled the hole for a AN-4 bolt to go thru the top of the rudder bracket. Then drilled like size holes for the hold down bolts. I am using AN-4s here as well. I then cleaned and polished the whole piece.Hours: 1.026-27 March 2010 Worked on the rudder peddle a bar, rudder post and rudder peddle support tube.Hours: 2.01-5 May 2010 Welded the rudder bar center tube which will rest on the rudder post. Welded the rudder post bolt. Not a pretty weld, but I got the metals to mix and it looks like a strong weld (certainly not a cold weld). I primed the rudder abr and a few other small pieces.Hours: 1.0
6 March 2010 I used a scrap piece of 3/4" tubing and practiced heating and flattening the end. In order to reduced the number of scratches to the rudder tube I took a pair of pliers and ground off the teeth to flat grips. This helped squeeze the tube ends. Mainly using a vise and hammer to flatten the ends, the rudder tube cam out pretty good. I primed the ends.Hours: 1.0
Rudder Pedals (for the front cockpit)...
22 Sept 2010 I cut out the front cockpit rudder pedal pieces out of 1/2" 4130 steel tubing 20 gage. Seven inches high and six inches across. The table cut off blade worked pretty well. I mounted a piece of 2 x 4 which I had cut at a 45' angle as a guide, then ran the tubing thru, nice clean cuts for welding.Hours: 1.01-2 October 2010 The rudder pedals were built according to the plans, using 1/2" 4130 Steel. I welded all the parts, then primed them. I then installed them and drilled the appropriate holes.Hours: 2.014 October 2010 I decided to connect the front rudder pedals to the aft cockpit rudder bar using 3/8" 4130 steel tubes. Much stronger and eliminates the need for springs to maintain tension on the front rudder pedals. These are held in place with pins. I have to shave the cross brace on the front of the front seat a bit to have these fit between cockpits. This was the 1/8" vertical plywood which runs across the front of the front seat and angles down approximately 45' on each side.Hours: 2.0
Elevator Bellcrank...
7 March 2010 Started planning for the elevator bellcrank. I have a piece of 3/4" tubing for the bearing shaft, but the length will depend where it is mounted on the fuselage stringers. Looking at the plans I see a discrepancy (I believe) where one page calls out the bell crank at 7" above the fuselage bottom and another callout at 9". A close look at the plans seems to indicate the 7" is correct. However, my research on-line indicates most people mount the bell crank higher in oder to ensure the elevator cables clear the HS. My plan is to construct everything and then mount it when the cables can be test fitted. I also ordered more tubing of the proper dimension for making brackets and bushings similar to the torque tube.Hours: 0.011 March 2010 After several attempts, I was able to fashion (2) brackets for the bellcrank rod. The new tubing for the bellcrank is a 1' piece of 1.36" streamlined tubing, and a length of 3/4" round tubing, and some 1" tubing for the bushings I will make. The inside diameter of the 1" tubing fits nicely over the 3/4" rod. Holding the 3/4" tube up to the streamlined tubing shows it should fit pretty well when drilled and welded.Hours: 2.013-14 March 2010 Using some hard wood, I fashioned a two blocks which I used to squeeze the ends of the bell crank. A little too much pressure, the vice gave out before the wood. I finished by using large bolts drilled thru the blocks to finish squeezing. Then I heated and flattened the end ground and rounded the ends and primed it. I test fit, but will not bolt everything until the cables can be test fit.Hours: 2.01-10 Feb 2011 Finished welding and installed the bellcrank. Made simple brackets on the side (similar to the torque tube brackets), using AN-3 bolts and stoppers to keep bellcrank between the brackets.Hours: 2.0
Rudder Control Horn...
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16 March 2010 Cut out two sets of rudder horns. The first one for practice, unless it comes out good.Hours: 1.018 March 2010 Marked the rudder horn bend lines for the edges and the middle. I cut the slot for bending the pieces which get bolted to the rudder, using a dremel tool metal cutter, but in my cordless drill (can't find my dremel). I drilled holes in the corners to stop cracking (I did this after the fact should have done this first). I bent the edges using a 3/8" metal dowel in the vice bending the edge around it using a block of wood and a small ball-pien hammer. I then put some bend across the middles of each horn side, using my brake. The bend in the center is a little too mch, but when I squeeze the two sides, in preparation for the center support bracket, it reduces the bend quite a bit.Hours: 1.0
Elevator Control Horns...
16 March 2010 Started cutting out two sets of elevator control horns.Hours: 1.016 February 2011 Finally got back to the elevator horns. Began welding these with extra steel welded to the inside of the opening going on the wood to provide more support.Hours: 2.0
Control Cables...
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1-10 February 2011 Installed the control sticks and rear seat pulley. After several attempts, I settled on one pulley for the cable running to the top elevator horn. The other cable runs straight to the lower elev. horn and did not need a pulley.Hours: 2.0