Has anyone had any luck with this?
Van's Air Force
The definitive Van's Aircraft support community! Buying, building or flying an RV? Join our exclusive family of mentors and enthusiasts!
RV-10 Spring Bias Rudder Trim?
- Thread starter rocketman1988
- Start date
w1curtis
Well Known Member
Here is an offering: http://www.mlblueskunk.com/Rudder_Trim_System.html
The same concept is used on my Cessna Cardinal RG.
rleffler
Well Known Member
Yes, keep an eye on aerosportproducts.com. I saw Geoff's test units yesterday. Geoff is going to test in a few aircraft over the holidays, then I suspect they'll be available for sale in soon afterwards if testing goes well.
For those that saw Geoff's prototype at OSH last year, the new one is much more compact.
I've been using one of these trouble free for about 150 hrs. Easy cheesy to operate. You can just see the knob under the panel in THIS pic. Turn the knob until the ball centers (at cruise you need to help it along by lightly tapping on the pedal while turning the knob). Takes about one second to retrim the yaw.
I use it mostly for centering the ball on long, 90kt stabilized IFR practice approaches. Amazing how far that ball drifts between cruise and 90kts.
br,
dr
I use it mostly for centering the ball on long, 90kt stabilized IFR practice approaches. Amazing how far that ball drifts between cruise and 90kts.
br,
dr
Here is an offering: http://www.mlblueskunk.com/Rudder_Trim_System.html
The same concept is used on my Cessna Cardinal RG.
Last edited:
johngoodman
Well Known Member
Yes, I have the ML Skunk Works spring system. It works great, and I actually rarely use it - because the RV-10 flies too straight (g).
John
Bob - see Mike Starkey's post, above. That's a typical electric rudder trim system.
I just have a fixed trim wedge on the rudder, and it works fine in cruise. Yes, I need to hold right rudder in climb, but the ten climbs so well that isn't very long, nor does it require much force.
Bob - if you come up to the Bay area (KLVK) I'd be happy to give you a ride, and you can see for yourself.
Bob Turner
I just have a fixed trim wedge on the rudder, and it works fine in cruise. Yes, I need to hold right rudder in climb, but the ten climbs so well that isn't very long, nor does it require much force.
Bob - if you come up to the Bay area (KLVK) I'd be happy to give you a ride, and you can see for yourself.
Bob Turner
Spring Biased Electric Trim
I used a flap motor assembly to actuate rudder trim and it is very effective.
This will not work with a trim servo motor.
Not as crisp as a trim tab but this is what I had laying around and I was able to use the 2 left and right buttons on my Tosten stick grip.
It is effective enough for climb and descent but I use it mostly just for cruise.
I just want something to do while I am flying and with autopilot and all there isn't much left after rudder trim
Nicely trimmed for 220 hours.
I used a flap motor assembly to actuate rudder trim and it is very effective.
This will not work with a trim servo motor.
Not as crisp as a trim tab but this is what I had laying around and I was able to use the 2 left and right buttons on my Tosten stick grip.
It is effective enough for climb and descent but I use it mostly just for cruise.
I just want something to do while I am flying and with autopilot and all there isn't much left after rudder trim
Nicely trimmed for 220 hours.
ScottSchmidt
Well Known Member
I installed this one from Aerosport in January and can't believe I lived the first 900 hours without it.
It works perfect. Once you get it close just a tap on the rudder pedal holds the airplane in perfect trim for coordinated flight.
I was considering the electric option or going with the rudder yaw damper from Trutrak but so far I am very happy with this simple solution.
It works perfect. Once you get it close just a tap on the rudder pedal holds the airplane in perfect trim for coordinated flight.
I was considering the electric option or going with the rudder yaw damper from Trutrak but so far I am very happy with this simple solution.
rleffler
Well Known Member
I too have the Aerosport Products rudder trim. While I only have about twenty hours on my RV-10, it works great.
I leave it set for a typical cruise setting, then all I need to be on the rudders is for climbing or descending.
I would suggest giving Geoff a call. Before he designed this product, he did have an electric trim installed. Granted he may be a little biased, but he's probably the only person that has both in his RV-10.
I leave it set for a typical cruise setting, then all I need to be on the rudders is for climbing or descending.
I would suggest giving Geoff a call. Before he designed this product, he did have an electric trim installed. Granted he may be a little biased, but he's probably the only person that has both in his RV-10.
I have been wanting to ask a question about uncoordinated flight in a 10, I'm not sure if this should be addressed in this thread but since it was asked how important the rudder trim is I'll share this info.
My Fuel reading is inaccurate when flying uncoordinated, I am surprised by how much.
Try to make a long story short, I had a incident shortly after purchasing my plane when we were flying cross country and flew to what I thought was 5 gallons of fuel in my left tank, switched to the right tank and watched the left tank continued to drop. It read two gallons when we decided to make a unplanned emergency decent to the fist airport I could find. When I touched down the left tank read 7 gallons?
Well after months of investigation and discussion I could not find any cause for the inaccurate reading and the gauge to continue to read a drop in fuel after I switched tanks.
I did determine that while in flight with no rudder pressure I am about 1/2 ball out of coordinated flight. By moving the ball as little as 1/8 I can change the reading of the fuel by a couple of gallons. Both tanks change reading by the same amount. The only way to get a accurate reading on my fuel is to fly a few minutes completely coordinated.
Its very frustrating, and tiring for my right foot,
when trying to maximize my fuel on cross country's.
Wondering if this is a common issue with other 10's? but the bottom line for me is I have to have a rudder trim if I want to rely on my fuel gauges.
My Fuel reading is inaccurate when flying uncoordinated, I am surprised by how much.
Try to make a long story short, I had a incident shortly after purchasing my plane when we were flying cross country and flew to what I thought was 5 gallons of fuel in my left tank, switched to the right tank and watched the left tank continued to drop. It read two gallons when we decided to make a unplanned emergency decent to the fist airport I could find. When I touched down the left tank read 7 gallons?
Well after months of investigation and discussion I could not find any cause for the inaccurate reading and the gauge to continue to read a drop in fuel after I switched tanks.
I did determine that while in flight with no rudder pressure I am about 1/2 ball out of coordinated flight. By moving the ball as little as 1/8 I can change the reading of the fuel by a couple of gallons. Both tanks change reading by the same amount. The only way to get a accurate reading on my fuel is to fly a few minutes completely coordinated.
Its very frustrating, and tiring for my right foot,
when trying to maximize my fuel on cross country's. Wondering if this is a common issue with other 10's? but the bottom line for me is I have to have a rudder trim if I want to rely on my fuel gauges.
Please do not 'rely' on float type gauges under any circumstances. Expecting them to be good to 2 - 3 gallons is not realistic.
Yes, the ten's tanks are long, so any uncoordinated flight will result in a considerable shift inboard/outboard.
For now, tape a balsa wood wedge to the rudder, cut and try to get the ball centered in cruise. Then decide if this is good enough (if so make permanent) or if you want more adjustment.
My experience does not agree with this. If you have a needle like in a Cessna, I completely agree. In an RV with a digital readout and a calibrated float, I can trust within a gallon in hundreds of hours of flights. Coordinated flight is important, which, as Tim mentioned, is a pain in the neck without rudder trim, or at least a tabbed rudder that holds the plane in trim while in cruise. It's also important to note that the lower a tank is, the more change you will see in uncoordinated flight, but the lower you are, the more critical it is to have accuracy. I have seen that if both tanks are relatively equal, the sum of gallons usually doesn't change as much with coordination, although this does not hold true with extreme out of trim situations.
Overall, an accurate totalizer and regular comparison to the float total (as well as well-calibrated floats), is the safest way to fly max range. Rudder trim is the third piece of the puzzle that helps the whole situation.
I would say, 'Good preflight planning, backed up and confirmed by fuel totalizer and float gauges, is..."
