What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

Elevator attach Interference.

L

LuisR

Well Known Member
Attaching the elevator to the horizontal stabilizer (<---screwed to workbench).

The elevator sings freely without interference anywhere from 30 degrees up thru 25 degrees down. There is interference at 38 degrees up with the top H.S. skin with the elevator top skin. The plans isn't clear if there shouldn't be any interference from 25 down to 30 up or any interference at all.

Can someone clarify this for me please. I would guess no interference 25 degrees down thru 30 degrees but want to be certain before drilling the horns.

Thank you.
 
Elevator Travel

When I talked to Vans about this, they said that the numbers listed in the plans, 30 up and 25 down, are the maximum. The acceptable range is 25 - 30 up and 20 - 25 down. I found that when the empennage was attached, the wings test fit and rigged, I had interference on the control stick base above 30 degrees of elevator. I made and installed a new elevator stop to limit the elevator at 28 1/8 degrees and eliminated the interference, with the mothership's blessings...
 
Make sure when you measure the degrees, start with zero degrees with the elevators in trail with the horiziontal stabilizer, then measure from there for both up and down
 
Measurement

Note that if the aircraft is level, the surface of the elevator will not be zero degrees when it is in trail...
 
Don't forget you control the elevator to HS skin clearance by adjusting the elevator journal bearings (how far screwed in or out).

Start by carefully measuring the bearing to elevator spar spacing to be as denoted in the plans. If after all done you need a little more clearance back them out a turn or so.

Carl
 
rocketman1988 said:
Note that if the aircraft is level, the surface of the elevator will not be zero degrees when it is in trail...
Click to expand...

True, but you can make the trail position locally zero on a smart level easy enough regardless of the actual angle with reference to the ground. In any event that observation is not relevant at this point as drilling the horns is done on the workbench.

Luis- if you don't have any interference from 30 up to 25 down you are golden.
 
Last edited:
Yeah, but...

I didn't have any interference on the bench either...

When everything was hooked up, that's when the interference occurred. The stick base aileron linkage bolt head was interfering with the stick base mount at full up (30 degrees) and full right aileron. Not much, but it was there...

Yes, local zero on a digital level is nice...
 
rocketman1988 said:
I didn't have any interference on the bench either...

When everything was hooked up, that's when the interference occurred. The stick base aileron linkage bolt head was interfering with the stick base mount at full up (30 degrees) and full right aileron. Not much, but it was there...

Yes, local zero on a digital level is nice...
Click to expand...

That's a different issue and not germane to drilling the elevator horns.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top