Wayne---Just starting stab on Elite---what mods did you do to soften pitch
and how much would you add to stab angle to do away with added trim----Roy
Pinner--- Elite #799 thanks
-------Original Message-------
From:
rebel-builders@dcsol.com
Date: 02/27/06 19:40:28
To:
rebel-builders@dcsol.com
Subject: Re: [rebel-builders] Elite Elevator Travel
Wayne et al:
To get the travel I quoted, I need to push the stick a good 2 1/2" forward
of the panel, WITH THE WAY I'VE RIGGED THE STICK. Now, the amount of up
elevator you get in practice depends not just on the rear stop position, but
on the seat position, the size of your gut and certain other appendages. My
legs are fairly long (35 1/2" inside seam, won't boast about the other
appendages), so if anything I've assumed the seat might further back than
your average pilot might, though I didn't size it for yours truly only.
Everything then went from that "maximum acceptabe rearward travel" point,
not the maximum geometrically possible. Of course, that point is rather
subjective. As for forward travel, spin recovery is the key position that
you're going to hold for any length of time, but if you stall the airplane
momentarily, you might well want a quick pulse of down, and 12 degrees just
looks like that's getting kind of marginal. Also, when you measure that 12
degrees, am I right in thinking that's with the stick hard against the
panel? What about switches etc. in the entire arc covered by the top of the
stick? And what about the thickness of the grip, your fingers, gloves,
etc., plus an allowance for you not wanting to mash said fingers against
said switches? I bet you're closer to -5 degrees.
Now, my airplane on floats flies around with a fair bit of up elevator,
particularly at approach speed, so in fact I effectively have more down
avalable than -15, though I have re-rigged the stab to try to reduce this
(didn't think to check it when I flew home from the paint shop - too darned
cold). I guess it just boils down to how much you feel comfortable with.
You're sure as hell not going to get the -25 called for in the instructions.
And I'm not about to spin test the thing on amphibs to tell you how much is
enough!
Cutting the stick is not a big deal, though I must admit I'd rather have it
a bit longer in cruise. You tend to fly with your wrist on your knee and
just grip the stick at the top with a couple of fingers. I'd rather have
the stick about 3" above knee level. But fears about over-sensitivity are
not justified, at least with the modified elevator. As I said, if I was
doing it again, I'd put in an amplifier bellcrank somewhere in the system
and live with even more sensitivity to get the nicer feel of a longer stick.
You can lengthen the horns on the control column a little without touching
the floor, and if you raise the pivot brackets, you could do so even more.
That might be enough. But if you do that, you'll have to do some welding on
the colum to beef up the longer horns. So, yah pays yer money and yah takes
yer choice. The only thing I think that has the potential to really bite
you is too little down or up elevator.
Al
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