Hello again,
Me and our local mechanic are still working on getting SE-XRX airworthy.
During the process, I've spent some time reading up on modifications and
service bulletins. After reading about the mod 73 and SB-15 issues I
went to the hangar and found that the port side stabilator sure could be
moved a little bit after the counterweight hit its stop. The starboard
one is solid though.
I put a short video of it on Youtube:
https://youtu.be/_LzkvIJ9T5o
The video shows the stabilator being held so that the couterweight is
against the stop and then moving slightly when more force is applied.
When measured using a metal measuring tape from the floor up to the
trailing edge of the stabilator, the movement is somewhere around 6-8
mm, which is at least less than the 0.5 inch limit set forth by the PFA
FSB006. Still a bit worrying though.
SB-15 (the application of loctite) is supposed to have been done
according to the builder and it also looks like there is loctite along
the edges of the parts that should have it. Please see the attached
photo taken through an inspection port, showing the stabilator drive
train assembly. At least I suspect that the green-ish stuff around the
edge of the TP 12 drive plate cylinder, sticking out of the TP 10
bushing, as well as what (from this angle) is visible on the left side
of the control horn tube, should be the loctite.
Also, what puzzles us is that we cannot actually see anything moving
when looking through the inspection port when the stabilator is moved,
as in the video. We even taped a marker pen onto a stick to let us draw,
well, not a straight line, but at least some marks for visual reference
on the parts (to the right in the image, which was taken before the
drawing). Still, when externally looking down between the fuselage and
the stabilator, onto what should be the TP 12 drive plate cylinder (if
I've understood the design correctly), it looks like that "axis" is
moving along with the stabilator. So we kind of fail to understand where
this movement is happening. Weird...?
Any thought on this would be greatly appreciated.
/ Erik
|