Rudder trim

[Dusty]

In a recent post(regarding brakes)a comment was made regarding rudder trim.
I have to fly with port rudder(2stroke) and it does get tiring after a couple of hours flying.I shimmed the engine thrust line which made a difference but could still use a bit more trim.
A bendable tab would work for me but these look like an afterthought and may
be succeptable to hanger damage.
A while ago I saw what appeared to be a triangle shaped strip near the trailing edge on a rudder,it looked tidy and was near invisible
Questions. Is anyone using this setup,how affective is it,which side of the rudder does it go(does it push or use black magic to suck the rudder in the desired direction)?
A spring or bungy setup is an option,is anyone is using this and does it restrict opposite rudder movement?

[Slyfox]

I taped a wedge that I bought from somewhere, can't remember. you can also make your own out of balsa wood and tape it in place. go from 0 to 1/2 taper might be a start. I would say at least 4 inches long. now if you have to put in right rudder to center the ball, put it on the left side. the idea is the wind will hit the wedge and push the rudder. left rudder needed, you put it on the right side. nothing fancy about it. I taped mine on with clear packaging tape and than hit it with white spray on paint and it's been that way for about 5 years now.

[Slyfox]

weird, I copied the link, but it doesn't show. the right page, go to the search at the top and put in trim tab, and it will come up. plastic and you can cut it to the size you need.

[Dusty]

Thanks this is very helpful, balsa sounds like a good idea.
Cheers

[Dave Holl]

Hi
I have used a balsa wedge on the ailerons of my model aircraft and it works very well and looks neat. I varnished the balsa and stuck it on with epoxy adhesive
Then painted it white about 6" long 1/8"triangle
Dave

[Dave Holl]

That should be Jodel aircraft not model aircraft although it would work for models!

[Dusty]

Wedges verses triangles?would they perform the same and is there an ideal spot to mount them?

[Dave Holl]

I don't see any difference but I guess a wedge would look better? I mounted mine on the trailing edge of the surface.

[jiott]

You can get a very similar wedge shape from Home Depot in the wood moldings department. You can see that is what I used in post #5 under Brakes. However it wasn't enough, so I sandwiched a bendable aluminum tab under the 6" wedge and now it flies ball centered. Yes it may look like an afterthought, but after all it IS an afterthought. Paint it up nice and pretty soon you don't notice it, and it sure helps on long flights.

[Paul Z]

Here is JIOtts post with the rudder trim. I usually ride right rudder to keep the ball centered, I’ve been thinking of trying this.

Where do you get the heavy duty automotive double stick foam trim tape? I can not find any. Also it it a piece of molding, as backing to the aluminum piece??

http://www.teamkitfox.com/Forums/showthread.php?t=6632&highlight=rudder+trim

[Slyfox]

not only does these things work on the rudder. they will work on the ailerons. come on, admit it. you have a slight heavy wing. I do. I figure it's the force of the motor cus it is to the left. I'm going to take a small piece of balsa that I have, wedge, and put it under the right aileron. I put one on my rv. I really don't need it, but my trim I do have works dead center if I have it. it's really to offset for the wife not being in the plane. I take it off when she is with me. yes I have it taped on under the right side. easily taken off when she goes with me. so I'm going to take my extra piece and put it on the kitfox.

[Dusty]

I should have looked harder at jiott's photo,I was wondering what the additional plate was for!
I can't wait for the weekend and some good flying weather to try some of these ideas .

[TahoeTim]

"I put one on my RV"

Does that make it go down the highway straight? :p


P.S. You'd better be careful with the wife's weight comments

[Slyfox]

depends on what rv you are talking about. I have the 6wheel version as well as the 3 wheel. the 3wheel rv is very sensitive to weight. burning 5 gallons of fuel can cause wing heavy. I try to keep fuel equal. she knows all this and it doesn't bother her on that comment. or the fact that I pull the wedge when we both go flying. she's a good girl :rolleyes:

[jiott]

I got the heavy duty automotive double stick trim tape at an auto body supply shop. It is the same stuff Kitfox sells for sticking the bubble doors to the aluminum frame.

[HILBILI]

Just strap a 1x4 to the sole of your left shoe. Then your feet will be even!

😜

[digital_photog]

I taped a wedge that I bought from somewhere, can't remember. you can also make your own out of balsa wood and tape it in place....

On this advice I ordered one of these. The full size works perfect for my plane. With the 582 it needs to be on the right side. It can hardly be seen on the rudder. I like this much better than using a spring on the rudder pedal that had been suggested to me. The avery wedge is 3/8 inch thick so it may need to be a little larger than if you make one out of wood and use the 1/2 inch suggested.

http://keithmillerphotography.com/show/flying/DSCN2816.jpg

[digital_photog]

I got the heavy duty automotive double stick trim tape at an auto body supply shop. It is the same stuff Kitfox sells for sticking the bubble doors to the aluminum frame.

I bought a roll of it at NAPA for less than $5.

[Dusty]

In terms of effectiveness how would you rate this system

[digital_photog]

I'm very happy with it. In smooth conditions it now flies basically feet off and hands off. Before this my left leg was very tired after an hour flight. Rotax 582 needs left foot. We must have exceeded their capacity to produce them. They are now out of stock.
Dimension 6” long x 1-1/2” wide x3/8” thick

[Dusty]

Good to hear of an easy effective fix.
I m going to try a black high density foam (very close in colour to KNZ dark blue) stuck on ,being flexible it should move with the covering.
I hope I have the same results as you have
Thanks for posting:)

[byteworks]

I have a small servo driving the vertical trim tab, controlled by a knob in the cockpit. Tune for every stage of the flight.

[jamesmil]

Look under " rudder trim tab" for some good idea's on doing a rudder trim tab.
I tried to repost some pic,s of an earlier post in that thread but I'm not smart enough.