Control Column

WayneJ · Aug 6, 2025

Hello,

Today I was testing the fit of the Control Stick Bases to the Control Column and found a problem.
The first indication was a difference in the distance between the right and left VA-146 bearings of .020”.
Too much to account for powder coat roughness.

Then I inserted an AN4-37A and found it would not go thru.
One of the ears on the control column is bent enough to be causing mis-alignment.
Clearly evident in the photos.

This shows the significant misalignment amount.
It is hard to measure but I estimate it’s close to 1/16”.

This shows the bolt inserted from the opposite direction.
It begins to go thru the bearing but binds up and stops about 1/8” in.

Not square.

I am inclined to remove the control column and attempt to straighten
it but am reluctant because of possible damage to the bearings.
Seems to me it may be best to replace the Control Column and the VA-146 bearings.

This a real bummer because of all the time I spent getting the assembly shimmed.
It’s working without any friction as instructed but it wasn’t easy.

Thanks,
Wayne
140736

czechsix · Aug 6, 2025

I had the exact same issue...inserted the portion where the bearing is mounted into my vice with a few scraps of wood positioned to allow leverage against the powercoated steel without applying any load to the bearing itself, and easily bent it back to 90 deg. I think I had to do this on both ends. Worked like a charm.

Avanza · Aug 6, 2025

WayneJ said:
Hello,

Today I was testing the fit of the Control Stick Bases to the Control Column and found a problem.
The first indication was a difference in the distance between the right and left VA-146 bearings of .020”.
Too much to account for powder coat roughness.

Then I inserted an AN4-37A and found it would not go thru.
One of the ears on the control column is bent enough to be causing mis-alignment.
Clearly evident in the photos.

View attachment 94325
This shows the significant misalignment amount.
It is hard to measure but I estimate it’s close to 1/16”.

View attachment 94327
This shows the bolt inserted from the opposite direction.
It begins to go thru the bearing but binds up and stops about 1/8” in.

View attachment 94326
Not square.

I am inclined to remove the control column and attempt to straighten
it but am reluctant because of possible damage to the bearings.
Seems to me it may be best to replace the Control Column and the VA-146 bearings.

This a real bummer because of all the time I spent getting the assembly shimmed.
It’s working without any friction as instructed but it wasn’t easy.

Thanks,
Wayne
140736

Using a threaded rod, two nuts and two large washers it would be possible to fix the missalignment so that they become parallel.
Just a thought.

Good luck

WayneJ · Aug 9, 2025

After talking to Van's support I gave in and decided to remove the Control Column to straighten it. While removing the carefully shimmed assembly I recorded the thickness and position of the washers and shims in hopes that it would go back together quickly and work friction free as before without the trial error process. I was quite happy with myself for thinking to do that. That happiness was short lived when after removing the bolts I realized that the Column cannot be removed. Duhh!

It was installed per the KAI before the side skins were installed which are now blocking the removal path.

It seems obvious to me that an access opening will need to be cut in the side skin. But then that needs to be repaired with a cover. I am confident that this is certainly doable but the design and details are above my pay grade. Fortunately it will be covered by the wing when installed so it won't show. I called Van's support again and asked if they have a kit or drawings to do this since I assume someone else has at some time had to remove the Control Column from an RV-14. Gary didn't know of anything but he is looking into it for me.

Has anyone out there had to do this? Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

wirejock · Aug 9, 2025

There is a reverse clamp made for furniture work. Maybe Harbor Fright has one?
The steel isn't tempered. It will bend.
Maybe a pair of padded Knipex pliers?
A hardwood block and some all thread and several nuts?
Just spit ballin'

WayneJ · Aug 9, 2025

wirejock said:
There is a reverse clamp made for furniture work. Maybe Harbor Fright has one?
The steel isn't tempered. It will bend.
Maybe a pair of padded Knipex pliers?
A hardwood block and some all thread and several nuts?
Just spit ballin'

Good ideas Larry. Thank you.
The reverse clamp, if I follow, would push on the other ear and possibly bend it too.
The steel is 1/8" thick and very stiff. Doesn't bend easily.
I tried the Knipex plier trick and couldn't get it to budge.
I'll look at the hardwood block idea. The problem is that the column is buried in structure and getting tools in there is almost impossible. Just getting to the bolts with wrenches is very difficult.
I think the only way to straighten the defective part is to get it out first. Which means cutting an access hole in the skin.

Kyle Boatright · Aug 9, 2025

WayneJ said:
I think the only way to straighten the defective part is to get it out first. Which means cutting an access hole in the skin.

Find a tech counselor and/or an experienced tractor mechanic. I guarantee they will figure out a way to do it without cutting a hole in the side skin.

Alternately, bring your fuselage to Atlanta and we'll make it happen. ;-)

Might cost you a beer.

CF86301 · Aug 9, 2025

I'm seeing the same thing in my QB fuse. When I insert the bolt from the forward side, it seems to miss the hole in the aft bearing by 0.062-0.125". Heaven forbid one of those bearings would ever have to be replaced. And I don't want to apply any force to the bearings themselves, so using a bolt through either bearing to try to spread the yoke is out of the question.

These reverse-action pliers might work, with some wood blocks to protect the powder coat, bearings, etc, but I've emailed Van's support for their recommendation.

wirejock · Aug 9, 2025

WayneJ said:
Good ideas Larry. Thank you.
The reverse clamp, if I follow, would push on the other ear and possibly bend it too.
The steel is 1/8" thick and very stiff. Doesn't bend easily.
I tried the Knipex plier trick and couldn't get it to budge.
I'll look at the hardwood block idea. The problem is that the column is buried in structure and getting tools in there is almost impossible. Just getting to the bolts with wrenches is very difficult.
I think the only way to straighten the defective part is to get it out first. Which means cutting an access hole in the skin.

Actually the wood blocks might work. Two pieces of 3/4 hardwood.
You can make shims so the wood doesn't mess up the bearings.
Section of all thread.
Six nuts
Four fender washers.
Drill the two blocks for the all thread.
Blocks placed just inside the two ears.
All thread cut a touch shorter than the width of the two blocks.
Two nuts center locked tight together.
One nut and washer either side.
Hold the center nut and turn the outside nut to apply pressure.
You should have plenty of all thread to bend the ears before the nuts and washers slip off the ends.

PaulvS · Aug 9, 2025

WayneJ said:
After talking to Van's support I gave in and decided to remove the Control Column to straighten it. While removing the carefully shimmed assembly I recorded the thickness and position of the washers and shims in hopes that it would go back together quickly and work friction free as before without the trial error process. I was quite happy with myself for thinking to do that. That happiness was short lived when after removing the bolts I realized that the Column cannot be removed. Duhh! It was installed per the KAI before the side skins were installed which are now blocking the removal path.

It seems obvious to me that an access opening will need to be cut in the side skin. But then that needs to be repaired with a cover. I am confident that this is certainly doable but the design and details are above my pay grade. Fortunately it will be covered by the wing when installed so it won't show. I called Van's support again and asked if they have a kit or drawings to do this since I assume someone else has at some time had to remove the Control Column from an RV-14. Gary didn't know of anything but he is looking into it for me.

Has anyone out there had to do this? Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

The control column on a 6A can be removed by modifying the seat ribs to make part of them removable. The ribs are split and re-joined with a splice plate. Maybe the same could be done on a 14?

CF86301 · Aug 10, 2025

This shows what those ribs look like in a -14(A):

czechsix · Aug 10, 2025

PaulvS said:
The control column on a 6A can be removed by modifying the seat ribs to make part of them removable. The ribs are split and re-joined with a splice plate. Maybe the same could be done on a 14?

On the -14 I don't think you could extract the column by opening up the top of the cover ribs because the bearing bracket assy is in the way. You might be able to cut open the front portion of the two middle cover ribs on one side of the cockpit and get it out that way. Would be less invasive if you first drilled out the rivets to remove the F-01435A Cover Panel. Then you wouldn't have to splice that part back together...just rivet it back in after you've reinstalled. The ribs themselves would need a small piece of angle (.032?) spliced in. The main advantage of doing this (vs. access panel in side of the fuselage) is that you could remove control column again in the future without having to pull the wing or fuel tank on the side with the access panel.

CF86301 · Aug 11, 2025

The yokes on the control column are not symmetrical, and on WayneJ's and mine it looks like the problem is more on the forward arm of the yoke than on the aft. You can see this if you look carefully at post #1 in this thread and notice that when the bolt is inserted through the bearing in the forward arm it misses the hole in the bearing in the aft arm by quite a bit, but when the bolt is inserted through the aft arm it goes into the bearing in the forward arm a short distance and then binds. That's the way it works on mine as well.

A friend of mine suggested inserting a rod through the hole in the base of the yoke and using the reverse clamps or perhaps a good-quality brake pad spreader to push against that and the forward arm of the yoke. I wonder what might work?

Jake14 · Aug 11, 2025

CF86301 said:
The yokes on the control column are not symmetrical, and on WayneJ's and mine it looks like the problem is more on the forward arm of the yoke than on the aft. You can see this if you look carefully at post #1 in this thread and notice that when the bolt is inserted through the bearing in the forward arm it misses the hole in the bearing in the aft arm by quite a bit, but when the bolt is inserted through the aft arm it goes into the bearing in the forward arm a short distance and then binds. That's the way it works on mine as well.

A friend of mine suggested inserting a rod through the hole in the base of the yoke and using the reverse clamps or perhaps a good-quality brake pad spreader to push against that and the forward arm of the yoke. I wonder what might work?

The following is obviously an off-the cuff, shade-tree mechanic's suggestion

Looking at that photo, my first instinct would be to take a large crescent wrench, open it up to be wider than the bearing diameter, put one side of the opening on one side of the tab with the other part on the opposite side, then put a steel rod through the hole on the end of the crescent wrench handle and turn. (or if you don't have a crescent wrench, some sort of similar jury-rigged tool might work)

WayneJ · Aug 14, 2025

Thanks for all the input. Lots of good suggestions. However, I'm still inclined to cut an opening in the skin. Especially after I laid it out and realized that it would be much smaller than I originally thought. 1.45" X 3.5" would allow the end to come out far enough to work on the problem end. 1.45" X 4.33" would allow full removal so I could get it a vise. This doesn't seem like a big deal to me. But I'm an amateur. I could easily rivet a patch and move on. Help me understand why this may be a bad idea.

It's unfortunate that Van's engineering is too busy to even talk to their builder support team. Their doors are locked. Especially since this problem is due to a defective part. Builder support has been trying to help but that only goes so far and they won't ok what I want to do.

Please keep the comments coming.

czechsix · Aug 14, 2025

WayneJ said:
Thanks for all the input. Lots of good suggestions. However, I'm still inclined to cut an opening in the skin. Especially after I laid it out and realized that it would be much smaller than I originally thought. 1.45" X 3.5" would allow the end to come out far enough to work on the problem end. 1.45" X 4.33" would allow full removal so I could get it a vise. This doesn't seem like a big deal to me. But I'm an amateur. I could easily rivet a patch and move on. Help me understand why this may be a bad idea.

Please keep the comments coming.

AC43.13 has generic guidance on structural repair (how to patch damage in a skin, number of rivets, pattern, etc). That isn't to say that it is guaranteed to be sufficient for every repair in any location, so I'd recommend getting Van's buy-in, but you could draw out what you propose and might get a quicker thumbs up than you will by asking them to spec out all the details for you.

If you do cut a hole make sure there are no sharp corners...nice radius everywhere. Also make sure you lay out the rivet pattern of the repair patch before cutting any metal and verify that the lower longeron and doubler just forward of the spar don't interfere.

Jake14 · Aug 14, 2025

Not to belabor the point, but from the photos, it looks like a flat, forked tool could slip over the part to be bent and extend upwards to where you could get a lever on it to twist it. One advantage to doing it this way would be that no significant loads are applied to any part other than the tab to be bent.

I tried to make a crude picture :-(

Ron B. · Aug 14, 2025

WayneJ said:
Thanks for all the input. Lots of good suggestions. However, I'm still inclined to cut an opening in the skin. Especially after I laid it out and realized that it would be much smaller than I originally thought. 1.45" X 3.5" would allow the end to come out far enough to work on the problem end. 1.45" X 4.33" would allow full removal so I could get it a vise. This doesn't seem like a big deal to me. But I'm an amateur. I could easily rivet a patch and move on. Help me understand why this may be a bad idea.

It's unfortunate that Van's engineering is too busy to even talk to their builder support team. Their doors are locked. Especially since this problem is due to a defective part. Builder support has been trying to help but that only goes so far and they won't ok what I want to do.

Please keep the comments coming.

View attachment 94996 View attachment 94997

I think you will find the hole needs to be bigger than you think once you’re at it. The area of the tunnel restricts the column movement. It is a tight fit, doable but barely. Goes back in even more difficult.
Once again I would exhaust all options repairing in place before trying to remove.

BravoAlphaRomeo · Aug 14, 2025

“I think you will find the hole needs to be bigger than you think once you’re at it “. It’s taking all my energy not to type “that’s what she said”.

CZ79 · Aug 14, 2025

Looks like there is a hole in that bracket that runs back through the pipe, what is the diameter of that hole, and is it equal to the ID of the tube it's welded too? You can likely run a metal round into that tube as far as possible and weld a nut to the end of it, run a bolt through to bend the tab out.

BillL · Aug 15, 2025

You are a builder - build a tool!! Dont' cut a hole. A couple of pieces of steel bar stock that can be spread, clamped and twisted above, or square tubing with a slot cut inside to slide over the bearing exterior. There have to be a dozen possible tools to do this w/o a big structural hole. Dont be afraid of making an ugly tool with a hacksaw and some welding and drilling.

Free your mind to a creative tool solution, there is plenty of room for that.

There are lots more difficult things you might find in aircraft building, keep thinking!

Send me a PM if you want to chat about it or we could talk too.

WayneJ · Aug 16, 2025

Problem solved!

The VAF community comes thru again. So many good ideas and much encouragement. Thank You to everyone that responded. I was so fixated on getting the Control Column out so I could put it in a vise that it was difficult for me to see a very simple solution. Then on Thursday CZ79 posted an idea that I had not seen or thought of (post #20). The solution was so simple that I had the problem fixed in a few hours. Thank you Curtis.

Here is what I did:

Bought a 3/4" steel rod and a 1/2-13 bolt at Ace Hardware
Drilled and tapped a cross hole for the bolt (Bridgeport mill)
Made a Delrin pad to put on the end of the bolt to protect the powder coat. (engine lathe)
Cut the rod 11" long so it could be inserted into the end of the Control Column while mounted in the fuse.
Used my Dremel tool to grind the powder coat from the 3/4" hole in the Control Column end so the rod fit.
Inserted the tool and with a few turns of the bolt had the bent ear straightened. About 15 minutes.
The beauty of this is that the force was not reacting against the opposite side of the part which could have bent the wrong side. Or against any of the bearings.
Now all I need to do is re-install the Control Column with the required shims.

Patience (or procrastination) prevented me from cutting a hole in the side skin. That could work too but repairing with a patch is complicated by rivet spacing and edge distance issues. I'm so glad I didn't go down that path. Again, thanks so much for the help.

This is the tool. Simple.