Rudder Balance weight Question.

Guys and Gals,
I am just about to install the fiberglass tips on my rudder. The elevators are balanced with the lead weight in the horn tips but my rudder does not balance, even before paint. Is that the way it is supposed to be or should I add more weight on the horn for a static balance like the elevators?

Thanks,
Pete

I remember seeing this discussed somewhere before but can't find the reference. The conclusion was that the rudder was not to be balanced the same as the elevators, that the weight included was the design weight and sufficient for balance.
Can't remember exactly why this was but the explanation made sense ...

Hope that helps...

Thomas
-8 flaps

Adequate

The rudder weight as kitted is fine.

Gravity is the reason. The rudder swing is unaffected by gravity (when you're right side up. But when doing acro?). Up vs. down forces at the stick would be very asymetrical if not balanced. The combination of these related effects, lifting forces generated by the tail plane, and high airspeeds leads to flutter in some fashion; like the last chap, I can't recall precisely how. I think the answer was published in Sport Aviation.

BTW, Thomas, I found that I needed most of the left elevator weight. Don't trim the lead per plans until you get it all together, then allow extra for paint. Overbalanced never seems to have caused problems. Slotting the counterweight to allow its sliding in after riveting the arm is helpful.

John Siebold

Roger on the Elevator weights

Thanks guys for the quick response.

Back to the elevators, right on, about not trimming the weight on the trim tab side. I did it according to the instructions, and then I had to bolt to removed portion right back on to get it close to balancing.

I was contemplating doing the very same for the rudder until I got your posts, thanks very much. It all makes sense, about the gravity effect on the elevators, although if you are knife edge, the rudder now becomes the elevator but we probably will not pull too many Gees during knife edge flight!
Cheers, Pete

John-

How did you know about slotting the counterweight to put it in after riveting ? It sure looked to me like it would go in easy, and I thought riveting without it there would be better!!
Other than the above, I haven't removed any weight from mine - haven't done the fiberglass work yet.

Thomas
-8 flaps

Prescience

Well....

Actually, I foresaw this trap and/or convenience since I'm a repeat offender, and have learned to look for opportunities for future adjustment, access, question authority... But more often than not, I earn the double-cheesy grin ( ), particularly when I do something really, really stupid, like driving a pan head rivet into a hole countersunk for a flat head rivet (watch out for those aileron brackets!).

John