Hi,
I just completed mod 77 (rudder drive mechanism). I was surprised to
learn that I'm the first one to apply it to a finished airplane. Here is
a couple of reasons why you could do this mod:
1) Your built has long finished and you want to retaste that nostalgic
feeling? Mod 77 has it all: Some hardware assembly with rivets,
bearings, nuts and bolts, some foam carving, floxing and BIDding, and
plenty of "I can see it, I can touch it, but not at the same time"
deja-vu's, and last but not least the occasional confusion (text and
pictures both showing different rivets, parts in the bag that are not
listed or used in the project at all). It is the entire built of your
ship in a nutshell.
2) If you, like me, have the weight of your feet resting on the rudder
pedals, consider that it is the lower rudder hinge which is carrying all
this weight, and it is even offset this pulling force. Mod 77 takes all
weight from this hinge and transfers only the differential weight of
your feet to the rudder.
3) The original rudder stop works as a lever mechanism to execute a
massive pulling force on the hinge, especially if slammed to the
starboard side. Mod 77 removes the stops from the rudder and instead has
it incorporated inside the drive mechanism with much more robust parts.
4) Always had this feeling that this control wire running outside of
your ship belongs more on a piper cub than on your sleek Europa? Mod 77
eliminates this control wire, horns and stops and improves the cosmetics
of your ship.
5) This outside control horn and wire seemed to capture all the mud and
grass that the prop and wheels are slinging to this area, and then the
control wire did its best to draw it into the wire opening in the
fuselage, waiting there to jam or freeze itself stuck. Mod 77 reduces
maintenance quite a bit, the entire rudder drive is now inside the ship.
6) The control wire, control horn angled in the airstream, stops, and
rudder bottom cut-off, must create quite some aerodynamic drag. Mod 77
removes all this clutter and as a bonus you can blend in the bottom of
the rudder with the bottom of the tailpost. Probably woth a knot or two.
Oh, for those concerned about weight: The components weigh about 500
grams. But I could remove a good 350 grams of old hardware. Remember the
absurd weight of the original rudder plate, the stacks of washers, etc?
Frans
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