Capt

Well Known Member
Anyone out there in Vans land fitted a small servo directly to the mechanical trim handle on an RV4? I was thinking a high torque RC servo using a rocker switch and associated electronics directly to the trim lever in the cockpit, thoughts?
 
Sort of.

The RV-10 uses mechanical push/pull cables going out to the elevator trim, however it is controlled by a linear trim servo as used in the other RV's (rather than a servo turning a vernier).

The RV-4 electric trim installation is significantly lighter than its mechanical brother. Combining the two would be heavier yet.
 
I have seen DIY installs with the trim servo mounted on the aft deck and a short push/pull cable to the elevator. That seems like the best compromise for a retrofit install. A small linear actuator would work well. By time you setup a controller for the RC servo, the cost is no better than an actuator.