KitfoxSS
03-14-2020, 12:15 PM
Hey Team!
Ran into an issue yesterday that's got my head scratching.
Went up and flew for a bit and shot some landings. On final touch down I go to taxi toward the hanger and find its really hard to make a left turn with rudder.
Right turns with the right pedal go easy but when engaging the left rudder pedal it takes considerable pressure to get it to turn. I shut down and start looking the plane over. No binding in the rudder tube assembly that I can see, the rudder cables look fine. I go around to the back and I find trying to turn the wheel to the left takes considerable effort but the right is easy and smooth. Lift the plane up and the rudder turns with no effort.
This morning I go out to look it over. I jack the plane up by the tail spring to see if I can physically turn the wheel freely by hand. And it turns left to right with no issue.
I set the plane down on its wheel again and try to turn the wheel by hand.....it turns with little effort. Go inside the plane and push the rudder pedals...they both turn with the same effort.
The problem is now gone.
And that's got me concerned.
Any one here got an idea what it might be causing this and why it went away suddenly?
Plane is a Kitfox Model II with a Maule TW-101 tailwheel , SFSA-1-4.
Ran into an issue yesterday that's got my head scratching.
Went up and flew for a bit and shot some landings. On final touch down I go to taxi toward the hanger and find its really hard to make a left turn with rudder.
Right turns with the right pedal go easy but when engaging the left rudder pedal it takes considerable pressure to get it to turn. I shut down and start looking the plane over. No binding in the rudder tube assembly that I can see, the rudder cables look fine. I go around to the back and I find trying to turn the wheel to the left takes considerable effort but the right is easy and smooth. Lift the plane up and the rudder turns with no effort.
This morning I go out to look it over. I jack the plane up by the tail spring to see if I can physically turn the wheel freely by hand. And it turns left to right with no issue.
I set the plane down on its wheel again and try to turn the wheel by hand.....it turns with little effort. Go inside the plane and push the rudder pedals...they both turn with the same effort.
The problem is now gone.
And that's got me concerned.
Any one here got an idea what it might be causing this and why it went away suddenly?
Plane is a Kitfox Model II with a Maule TW-101 tailwheel , SFSA-1-4.