Fishin Geezer

My friend built floats for my old Kadet MK II. It floats really well, takes off and lands like a dream (Picture 1). Even I can make landing look easy!!

But it doesn't taxi worth a darn. Not enough rudder control. In the wind it's hopeless. So I'm fabricating a "water rudder" or tiller for one of the styrofoam floats. I need to control the tiller from the rudder servo in the cabin of the fuselage.

My problem is that the golden rod red/yellow push rod system I'm trying to use doesn't want to bend on a small enough radius to get the job done (picture 2). The red outer guide crimps if I try to bend it short enough and if I avoid that the yellow inner push rod drags so badly that I don't think the servo can overcome the friction.

Any ideas for me on a more flexible push rod system that might work in this case? Or any other ideas at all??

Thanks

Frank

whatwind

My Feedback: (1)

you might try going forward in a large 180 coming backalong the top of the float.

Fishin Geezer

That's a thought, WW. I'll take a look at it in the morning.

Thanks

Frank

Gray Beard

My Feedback: (-1)

Toss the red, use the yellow and use throttle cable instead. You can buy the system if you don't have the cable. It comes with just the wire and the yellow tube, sometimes clear.

JohnBuckner

My Feedback: (1)

Graybeard and whatwind are both dead on. The arraingemnet you have is extremely problamatical for not only tight cable but also a pain everytime you want to switch wheels.

Also do not use plastic within plastic rod instead the steel braded flex cable within plastic and the fit should be loose.

Use only one rudder, two can hinder takeoff. It does not matter which side. A second control horn is used on the backside of the air rudders pushrod horn instead of a nut plate. The cable attachs to the second control horn and two screws are used in a cable clamp just ahead and it is routed forward and then back down to the float on that side and agine two screws and a cable clamp. The clevis attachs easily to the tiller horn. the entire linkage is external and in this way wheel/float changeover is easy and in the case of a low wing vital in making the wing easily removable.

John

Gray Beard

My Feedback: (-1)

John, is that black and yellow plane A Kaos on floats and A pipe???
One fine looking plane.

JohnBuckner

My Feedback: (1)

DP

JohnBuckner

My Feedback: (1)

Thanks GB, Its an original Bridi Killer Kaos. Built two for a buddy and myself about eight, nine years ago. Flys wheels or floats with a Rossi .61 rear exhaust on pipe. The floats are 36 inch goldberg build ups with my streamline cantilever struts. They are interesting because with the floats on the airplane, it will do reasonable knife edge loops which it will not on wheels.

John

Fishin Geezer

Hello John Buckner and thanks for the guidance.

I understand and accept most of what you offered. But not plastic in plastic?? I see so many pushrods set up that way that I expected it was standard!!

I'm a newcomer to the hobby and don't have a large collection of miscellaneous bits and pieces and I don't have the materials you described, nor immediate access to them. I want very much to have this old Kadet ready for our club float fly next week so I've gone ahead with what I do have on hand. I found some gray platic tubing that seems OK with the required bending radius (came with an old ARF package). So I used it as the outer sheath and standard yellow innards. I fabricated the water rudder hardware from brass tube, rod, and shim stock, connected the whole thing, and it seems to work OK. Only time will tell!!

I think this system will convert back to wheel landing gear pretty easily. The gray (and yellow) push rod will pull right out after removing the clevis (leaving a small hole in the fuselage). Then the front wheel push rod will connect again to its servo arm.

The methods you described are totally new to me but sure make sense. I'll look more closely at them the next time around and, for sure, if my method doesn't work well enough on my old Kadet!!

Thanks for the help. I've got lots to learn!!

Frank

JohnBuckner

My Feedback: (1)

You will see a lot of trainers using nyrod for fuselage pushrods where there may be a few five to ten degree bends but try using it for a hundred degree bend or worse two opposing ninety degrees bends in opposing directions and it is like slamming on the brakes. When that happens it becomes difficult for the rudder to rudder adjustment to remain uniform.

For Rudder to rudder this is the product to use:

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXFU94&P=M

If you got it working then great go ahead with it but you may want to consider doing it the easy way next time. If you go to a float fly sometime you will see the all external flex cable arraingement is the 'standard'.

By the way you could not have made a better choice than the LT-40 for a first floater.

Here is just one more thought. most trainers will suffer flopovers while on the water in some wind conditions with new folks and when they do go inverted they will float on the wingtips with the nose submerged and the aft cabin area well above water level. So with this in mind if you position the Rx completely down in the floor of the cabin area to the rear under the fuse pushrods then the Rx will stay dry in most flop over situations.

John

Happy Sailing

Gray Beard

My Feedback: (-1)

And the RX in A baggy helps too. I went and took A quick look at the system you posted up, I have it in my shop but always thought it was Dubro, I just buy several when I'm in A hobby shop and have it on hand.
I still have my Bridi Kaos and it and my Mid West Hots get more air time then any other planes I have. Mine is due for another rebuild and cover job, I really want to build another new cowl for it and I found A canopy that fits too.
Yours just looks so nice and fresh and I haven't seen one with the cowl and canopy in so long I really wasn't sure.
Fine looking plane!!