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Rudder lock

10 Posts

A nice design feature of the classic Cessna 195 is that the parking brake acts also as a control lock on all three axis – worth checking the parking brake is OFF before flying.

Oxford (EGTK), United Kingdom

Peter wrote:

Doesn’t locking the elevator using that method lock it at an angle in which the drain holes are not at the lowest point, so the elevator fills up with water and corrodes nicely

Many Citations use the same method!

EGTK Oxford

I’m surprised too .. I don’t really know how the rudder exactly works but I got really unlucky with the wind – it was pointing right at the tail (the plane was on a 300 heading and the wind was 120xxGxx) so the rudder was really banging left and right. Maybe there was a weakness that got uncovered, but we took a hard look at it at the annual and it passed. Needless to say, the whole system is going to get the attention it deserves. My #1 concern right now is to make sure that the right people are going to work on it and it is on a good track.

In the meantime, if someone in the Toulouse area needs a safety pilot or some ballast in his/her plane, I’m very available :)

I would suggest standard for the PA-23 is a couple of bungee chords holding both control yokes. The all flying stabilator left in the trailing position.

Am surprised at the rudder deflection causing damage, i. because it should stand up to a strong wind and ii. there should be rudder stops?

Oxford (EGTK), United Kingdom

Uh, good question. I’ll investigate

Doesn’t locking the elevator using that method lock it at an angle in which the drain holes are not at the lowest point, so the elevator fills up with water and corrodes nicely? This has been identified as a key component of the Socata TB elevator corrosion issue which is now an AD. This is a similar result but not related to the way control surfaces are secured.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Peter wrote:

What model of aircraft was this on and what gust locks are already provided on it?

PA-23; there are no gust locks. Standard practice is to lock the elevator/ailerons using the copilot’s seatbelt and the rudder is supposed to be held by the friction of the nose wheel. Obviously not the optimal strategy ..

It appears to be the same red/white/black Aztec shown in wleferrand’s EuroGA photo, no?

This type of repair is standard practice Approved data

What model of aircraft was this on and what gust locks are already provided on it?

That’s a good 10k’s worth of damage, depending on whether the MM supports re-skinning.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

If anyone needs a reminder to use/fabricate a rudder lock when parking a plane outside and when winds are 40G50kts, here it is ..


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