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Interference with Pitot Plumbing

asw20c

Well Known Member
I am wondering what other folks have done regarding the conflict between the aileron bellcrank pushrod and the pitot and AOA plumbing that exits the pitot mount. I spent a lot of time thinking about the location for the pitot and ended up putting it in the same spot (almost) as the location that Vans recommends for their basic tube. There really isn't another feasible location for the pitot either inboard or outboard.
The problem is that with a heated pitot/AOA mounted inside a streamline tube the plumbing that sticks up into the wing out of the pitot mount runs exactly into the same space as the bellcrank pushrod. The obvious answer is that you have to bend the plumbing tubes to avoid the pushrod, but I don't see how you can do that because there is no way to thread bent tubes through the pitot mast after the bottom skin and mast have been installed. You could cut the tubes really short so that you wouldn't have to bend them, but Garmin says you need at least 8" so that the heat from the pitot doesn't melt the plastic tube plumbing. No matter how I think about this it seems an impossible task, but clearly it isn't since there are a bunch of people (more clever than me) flying with Garmin heated pitot/AOA hardware.
 
I moved mine one bay outboard of the access panel after breaking the tubing trying to install in the Van's location. Much easier to mount and access is good from the access panel.

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Mine is in the standard position. I bent the tubes so that they just fit with a twist and rotation as the tube is mounted. I made a clip for fastening the tubes where thy go onboard. I added the Adel just to keep everything off the tube.




 
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