Slop in Control Stick

[MS19087]

I am fitting the control sticks and have encountered an issue that many before me have . . . I have read a few posts dating back to 2006 . . . just wondering if there has been any advancements in this area, any new ideas to get rid of this slop between the bushing and the weldment attach point. My current solution is similar to Dan C's solution to grind the weldment and add some 3/8" ID washers over the bushing to take up the slop. Lots of trial an error to get it right. Thanks . . .

[DanH]

Rebore the weldment nice and straight (no taper) with a good adjustable reamer, then machine a custom bushing in the new larger diameter.

[Brantel]

I worked on mine for at least 2 hours. I sanded the bushing in a drill press and honed the inside of the steel tube until I got just the right fit. This is very precise work to keep it from being too tight or too loose.

It is easy to over do it and end up with some slop in the system.

[Terry Lutz]

I had a similar problem with the front stick in my RV-8. When the smaller tube is welded in, there is some penetration into the interior, which needs to be ground away so the bushing will slide in. The problem may be with the method of doing the grinding. My sticks (I ordered a second one) were cleaned, but the hole was not perfect, even off center. A fellow RV-8 builder was a machinist, so we trued up the hole, then put the bushing end-wise in a large press. That expanded the outside diameter, and we did it until the fit was perfect. But it also made the insider diameter too small for the bolt. So we put it in a lathe and redrilled it to the exact size. Not an ideal process, but it worked. I'm sure there are better ways. In my view, it is noticeable, and with additional wear, could affect handling qualities for small stick inputs.

Terry Lutz
Flying RV-8