Really Really Cheap Gust Lock

[bluemaule]

http://Flexible plastic sheet, 3/8 hardwood dowel, 1/2" clear poly tubing.... roll in into gap at top of rudder and roll into gap at elevator and H Stab...

[RickWoodall]

the same idea with a piece of scrap aluminum (stiffer than plastic) and a couple piece of stiff poly tube/pipe) instead of wood works well and is a little softer on skins.

[Bavafa]

Originally Posted by bluemaule

http://Flexible plastic sheet, 3/8 hardwood dowel, 1/2" clear poly tubing.... roll in into gap at top of rudder and roll into gap at elevator and H Stab...

the only issue with the rudder in an -A modle is that, you will need to be tall enough to put this in place.

[precession]

Originally Posted by bluemaule

http://Flexible plastic sheet, 3/8 hardwood dowel, 1/2" clear poly tubing.... roll in into gap at top of rudder and roll into gap at elevator and H Stab...

Do you have any pics of the item in place?

[bluemaule]

I will have to take a couple of shots with them installed... there is no risk of scratching the skins/paint, as the poly tubing covers the hardwood doweling. The plastic sheet has some flex, so I roll the tubing over the rudder counterbalance or the elevator until snug. So far, has worked very well. I fly a 7, so the tail is low enough to reach easily.

[ExtraKatana]

There is potential for a lot of force on a very small area. I'm not sure I would have wanted dowels in that spot when I was at Rain N Pain with 75 mph+ winds. I did something similar with my ailerons (between aileron and wing-tip) but put gasket maker in the tubes instead of dowels. Still holds fairly firm but will give before damaging a plastic part or skin.

[Greg Arehart]

I built a similar setup with thin Al and plastic tubing to put between ailerons and flaps. Add a small bungee cord with a hook at the end (catches the aileron hinge bolt) to keep them snug in place.

Greg

[Taildrgr]

I made some gust locks that I used on my RV-4 for many years.
I don't have any pics but will try to describe them.

When I cut the lightening holes in the wing ribs, I saved the circles and used a few of them for gust locks.

Basically, I took the 3" and 4" diameter aluminum disks and glued a piece of 1/2" foam to one side. Then I put a 3" #6 screw through the holes in the center of the disks and a wing nut to hold them together.

I put a piece of duct tape around the screw in the middle section of threads so only the end inch or so had usable threads showing..

The gust lock then slips above and below the aileron, elevator tip, rudder tip, or whatever, with the foam side of the disk against the paint and the duct taped threads in the slot between the surfaces.

I put one on each aileron and one on each elevator tip and one on the rudder top. I used the 3" disks for the elevator and rudder.

They are a little bulky but very light. I carried them in a cloth bag with my tiedowns.

[rocketbob]

As someone who has had an airplane destroyed by a tornado and was able to watch it happen, my school of hard knocks opinion is that a gust lock like this one is completely inadequate.

The elevators were destroyed because they were travelling one way while the counterweights were going the opposite way.

[bluemaule]

Tornado huh... a flight school I used to own at BNA was hit by a tornado. Ripped the iron tie-down rings out of the concrete ramp with the 5/8" nylon tiedown ropes that were connected to a very nice Piper Arrow... picked it up about 30' and dropped it straight down vertical on the spinner... totaled, along with 4 other A/C. You are right. These gust locks would have been completely inadequate. Likely needed 3,000 cubic feet of concrete (20 x 25 x 6) enveloping the A/C to prevent wind damage.

Few years later, we learned that some builder bought the engine and installed it in an experimental A/C without a teardown... just replaced the prop. He called to ask about the history of the engine...