[TX7A]

Anyone who's installed the pitch servo bracket knows all too well the lack of better drawings / instructions from TruTrak.
It "seems" that rivets go through the bottom flange of the bracket and the F778 skin. I would like to know if that is the intended install.
I've heard of at least one builder in the archives that added a second row of rivets through the F729A near the bottom and no rivets through the bottom skin.

How are most of you doing it?

Thanks,
Sam

 

[DGlaeser]

TT Pitch servo bracket

I just installed mine 2 days ago! The TT drawing does not match the (current anyway) configuration of the 7. The flange on the bottom of the RV longitudinal rib (don't remember the number) is opposite what is shown on the TT drawing. The TT bracket fits on the side without the flange, so it works out great. The TT bracket uses 4 of the rivets that attach the angle to the top of the rib (had to drill those out). I drilled holes in the bottom of the TT bracket and then match drilled them through the bottom skin. The toughest part was dimpling the skin (tailcone already riveted together). Once that was done it was simple to rivet it in.

Dennis Glaeser
7A - Fuselage

 

[7pilot]

I was looking at this last night. Mine was installed already by the previous builder, but I am taking it back out. The bracket was installed with two rows of rivets and none through the bottom flange, it makes for a flexible mount that I am not comfortable with. So I will be pulling it off drilling & dimpling the 778 and the bottom of the bracket and then rivet it back in.

Stewart
Fuse, 7A

 

[Bob Axsom]

My drawings were fine

I installed my pitch servo bracket with three #10 screws through the bottom of the fuselage and I attached the bracket to the keel with AN3 bolts and platenuts. Believe it or not the three screw heads did not slow the plane down - maybe the GC shift offset it. I already had the plane flying and painted before I made the installation, which made it an add-on not suitable for basic sheetmetal work in my book. The RV instructions for the RV-6 go vague pretty early so I was used to making my own hardware and assembly decisions long before I decided I needed an autopilot.

Bob Axsom

 

[rzbill]

I installed my bracket a few weeks ago and chose to put 4 rivets through the 778 skin. I had a "DOH" situation, too. We riveted the whole rear fuselage and when we were done and looking things over, I saw I forgot to deal with the 778 to bracket connection even though the top of the bracket was already riveted. Hadn't even drilled the holes. Arghhh. Best laid plans, eh?

I clamped, drilled, deburred with a chip chaser and tried to dimple both with a rivet gun and buck but I didn't like it. The bracket thickness and geometry was mucking things up. Wound up installing NAS1097AD3 rivets in barely countersunk holes (5-6 hand turns on a c'sink cutter is enough for these rivets and its not too much on the thin skin). Nice and flush.

I may stick a 470 or two towards the bottom of the bracket just so I can sleep well with zero worries.

 

[walter]

Installed with rivets.

 

[flyvans.com]

trutrak pitch in 7a

we did it this way with a second row of rivets as well as one row to the outside skin.
haven't checked the servo arm fit as we are missing the elevator pushrods yet.
first time that i see the version with the servo arm downward, thanks walter.

kind regards, bernie

www.flyvans.com

 

[Jekyll]

Four 426-3 rivents on bottom flange through skin. Dimpled with pop-rivet dimple dies - very simple and clean. Drilled out and replaced four 470-4 on top. Put in 2 more 470-4's mid way down the web. I just eyeballed those.

The hardest part was determining the exact fore and aft location. As my push tubes weren't in, it was trickey holding the bellcrank, the servo rod, the servo/bracket assembly to determine the exact placement. I settled on 6.125 inches aft on the web or centered on the 3rd through 6th rivets aft of the bellcrank hole on the web.

TruTrak sells the RV brackets but doesn't include the hardware or even a callout. Doesn't give the nominal servo rod lengths (didn't reply to 2 emails asking for the nominal lengths) and don't provide accurate drawings. This could be a business idea if someone wanted to offer integration kits that included better drawings and hardware. I've got the hardware list for the 7 and dimensions but, no time or inclination to market them.

Jekyll

 

[Captain Avgas]

Anyone who's installed the pitch servo bracket knows all too well the lack of better drawings / instructions from TruTrak.
It "seems" that rivets go through the bottom flange of the bracket and the F778 skin. I would like to know if that is the intended install.
I've heard of at least one builder in the archives that added a second row of rivets through the F729A near the bottom and no rivets through the bottom skin.

How are most of you doing it?

Thanks,
Sam

Sam, from a structural point of view either of the above approaches will work equally well. I don't believe there's any significant advantage to either because virtually all of the loads transmitted by the servo in operation (primarily forward and aft loads) will be picked up by the F729B angle which is in turn stabilised by the F729A rib (which is in turn stabilised by the F778 skin).

However in looking at the various pix submitted on this thread by others I notice that no-one seems to have safetied the bolts that hold the servo to the mounting bracket. I highly recommend you use bolts with drilled heads and then safety wire them together.

That's the area to be more concerned about. If those bolts unscrew over time as a result of the oscillating loads induced by the servo then the servo could come loose from the mounting bracket and jam your elevator controls.