Rudder Rant...

[Av8r3400]

Who the heck came up with this design idea and WHY?? Why do this?? Why wasn't a standard hinge with a pin used?

All three of the hinges on my 1200-Classic project's rudder were corroded so bad that the bolt wouldn't come out! Hammer, torch and quite a few choice words to get this mess apart. The one on the bottom, the threaded portion of the rod end broke and I will have to drill it out and retap it if I choose to reuse this design!

I would highly recommend that anyone with this design should very closely inspect these hinges to be sure the hardware is not corroding in place, like mine were.

Since the plane is completely apart for rebuild and a few choice modifications, I'm really toying with reworking this joint to a more conventional hinge. Anyone have a reason why I shouldn't do this?

[t j]

The rod end hinge system on the rudder has been in use for a long time on the kitfox. This is the first I have seen of them causing such corrosion.

You may want to see how difficult it is to get the bushings in and out of your elevator hinges before you install them on your rudder. I had to use some of my best swear words to get the bushings then the pins installed.

If you go to that hinge system on the rudder you will have to fabricate some sort of removable gap seal to have access to the bushings and pins.

[Av8r3400]

My 1050 model IV has the "plain hinge" style joint. Most other tube an fabric planes have a "plain hinge" in these joints...

[jtpitkin06]

The beauty of experimental aircraft is you can modify anything you like. If you really want, you can can change to any type hinge you prefer. However, the ball joints allow for inaccuracies in drilling and are easily adjustable. At the same time they provide a tight fit and smooth operation.


Perhaps you can clean them up and do a better job of corrosion protection than the original builder. I suggest using moly grease during assembly of exposed hardware to prevent seizing. Moly grease stays in place, prevents corrosion and aids in both assembly and disassembly.


John Pitkin
Greenville, TX