Control Stick Installation

[apatti]

OK, I've searched the forums and looked at several websites and no one seems to have had any trouble installing the control sticks. Well, I have!

First, the AN4 bolt won't fit through the brass fitting. Am I supposed to drill that out? I didn't see this on the drawings or the instructions. Now, of course, I need a new brass fitting.

Second, the control stick/brass fitting will not fit on the control column. I have messed up a lot of the powder coating trying to make this happen. Am I doing something wrong or do I need to get out the bigger hammer?

Thanks,

[LifeofReiley]

You drill out the brass bushing then file or grind the bushing to fit the control arm. Remember, the stick pivots on bushing.

[jlfernan]

I had the same problems on my 9A. Drill out the inside of the bushing to 1/4" for the AN4 bolt. I don't remember the outside diameter of the bushing. Using a micrometer measure the diameter and using the same size drill bit clean out the inside of the control stick. According to Vans, when these parts are welded together, the weld can intrude into the tube the bushing slides into. When installing the bushing, it needs to be I believe 1/64" longer the the tube in the control stick. This way when you mount the stick to the control column, the column secures the bushing so the stick can pivot on it. You need to start by fitting the bushing to the column. It needs to fit snugly between the flanges, then make the adjustments to the stick.

[MCA]

Tony, I used a reamer for a tight fit with the bolt.

[craigvince]

Originally Posted by MCA

Tony, I used a reamer for a tight fit with the bolt.

I destroyed 2 of these bushings trying to "drill" them to fit. Buy a 1/4" reamer and it'll be perfect!

[apatti]

Originally Posted by craigvince

I destroyed 2 of these bushings trying to "drill" them to fit. Buy a 1/4" reamer and it'll be perfect!

Reamer and new bushings (including a couple of spares) are on order. The bushings ended up costing me $350! However, they'll come with a couple of antennas and some coax.


Thanks for the help!

[mburch]

On a related note - once you have the stick, bushing, etc. all installed properly in the weldment, is there anything you can do to minimize the amount of free play in the stick in the pitch axis? Mine has just a bit, but the long stick translates it into around 1/8" of lost motion at the top of the stick.

I know I'm not alone since I've seen other RV's that have this... come to think of it, my old 9A might have had the same thing. Maybe you just don't notice it in flight? Anyway, I'd still love to hear if there's a simple fix.

thanks,
mcb

[mgomez]

Originally Posted by mburch

On a related note - once you have the stick, bushing, etc. all installed properly in the weldment, is there anything you can do to minimize the amount of free play in the stick in the pitch axis? Mine has just a bit, but the long stick translates it into around 1/8" of lost motion at the top of the stick.

I did it twice, too. The first time, the bolts rocked in the bushings and gave me about 1/8" of play. This is measured by holding one stick while pushing on the other.

I got it down to about 1/16" or less by buying another set of bushings and drilling them with a 1/4" drill bit, but very slowly and with lots of Boelube. I decided that was good enough. I spent a bit of time with the micrometer to make sure that the bolt and drill bit were close in size first, and they were within a thousandth or two.

[mburch]

Thanks Martin. I think my bolts should be pretty snug in the bushings (but still free to pivot!) since I used a well-lubricated reamer and went slow.

If I'd have searched properly before I posted my previous message, I would have found this:

http://www.vansairforce.com/communit...ead.php?t=6067

The consensus seems to be that a little play is fine. I don't remember having an issue with it in-flight with my last RV, so maybe I will leave it alone!

cheers,
mcb

[Kevin Horton]

You won't notice 1/8 inch play once you are flying.