I have not found that very effective. On my 12 for a heavy right wing I altered the flapperon position slightly. The root attach point is fixed. Try a full turn in for the outer attach bearing fixture and 1/2 turn for the middle. Fly and note effect and adjust accordingly.Looking for some tips in correcting a heavy right wing. The ball is centered, but still a heavy right wing. I remember a tip from other RV models of crimping the trailing edge of the heavy wing aileron. Does this work on the RV12? Thanks
I have not found that very effective. On my 12 for a heavy right wing I altered the flapperon position slightly. The root attach point is fixed. Try a full turn in for the outer attach bearing fixture and 1/2 turn for the middle. Fly and note effect and adjust accordingly.
Worked well for 5 local 12s that I’m aware of.
Looking for some tips in correcting a heavy right wing. The ball is centered, but still a heavy right wing. I remember a tip from other RV models of crimping the trailing edge of the heavy wing aileron. Does this work on the RV12? Thanks
Do not crimp. Take the advice of Jim Stricker (Piper J3). I did and it works!
Amadeus and PiperJ3, my aircraft is apart for mods and condition inspection for at least a couple of weeks probably more. If Jim's recommended procedure is better discussed than posted, I'll PM Jayson or Jim when the time comes.I can get involved, but might be best that Jayson (Amadeus) play-it-forward to DaveWelch. Either way... PM if you don't get info and I'll give you phone number to call me and I'll talk you through it like I did Jayson.
I can get involved, but might be best that Jayson (Amadeus) play-it-forward to DaveWelch. Either way... PM if you don't get info and I'll give you phone number to call me and I'll talk you through it like I did Jayson.
I did not keep notes of the actual adjustments, but ended up lengthening on one wing and shortening on the other to minimize the deviation from spec. Wings were not pulled out of the fuselage to make adjustments. Simply remove the hinge pivot bolts and then twist the rod-ends. Have someone support the end of the Flaperon at the wing tip when making adjustment. If I remember correctly, none of the rod-ends were moved more than 1-1/2 turns. It took a few iterations and test flights to resolve the wing-heaviness. This work was done early-on and airplane now has > 800TT.
Keep in mind that the flaperon does not need to be (and should not be) pulled away from the fuselage. …
…hopefully it will work for you, as well!
Has anyone been told this is ok, by Vans?
Doing this breaks the bond the Loctite created during assembly. There are no jam nuts on the flaperon rod ends, so now they are loose, and free to vibrate and wear the threads. I sure would like to hear from Vans on this, and the implications of not resecuring the rod ends.
The spheres at the end of the rod that create the hinge point have a bolt and nut through them to hold the flaperon in place. They are not going to spin with or without loctite. I still keep an eye on these when I preflight and have not seen or felt any movement (nor do I expect to).
These are VERY tight. Even on my final adjustment that turned the rod back inward it was very tight and not anything remotely close to free spinning.
As always, these are experimental airplanes and all owner/pilots should consider and weigh the risks and rewards. To me it is much more safe to have a an aircraft that flies level than making a sharp bank to the right when hands off and am very pleased with making this adjustment.
Here’s a good explanation of the problem with unsecured rod end threads.
He explains it at the beginning of the video. Loctite 243 is used as a substitute for a jam nut. Loctite 243 is a thread LOCKER, not a lubricant. As he points out, rotation is not the big issue, vibration is. (Positively lock it!)
https://youtu.be/foyZLBneV08
https://www.henkel-adhesives.com/us/en/product/threadlockers/loctite_243.html
Adjustment of the flaperons this way might work great, but why not complete the “adjustment” by simply adding the additional step specified by the aircraft kit manufacturer in the assembly instructions?!? It’s obviously important, or Vans wouldn’t have specified it. “Easy” isn’t always optimal, or safe.