ORIGINAL: mmiller1
I purchased a Great Planes Spacewalker (79") recently. I am ready to install pushrods for rudder and elevator. These instructions suck, or I am a real ditto head.
>MANY of the "instructions" provided with models these days leave
>MUCH TO BE DESIRED and are pretty far from being clear and concise.
There are two openings on each side of the aft fuse. However, in the instructions they talk about one horn for the rudder. I suspect, you choose which side.?
>The rudder control horn is usually on the left side of the rudder
>when looking from the tail toward the nose of the plane.
There is no pull-pull gear that comes with the kit. In fact, they only mention using the one dowel with metal rods attatched to each end.
>The push rods are easy to do. Go about 1 1/2 - 2 inches from the end
>of the rod and drill a hole the same size as the pushrod (usually 5/64 or
>3/32" ). Make a 90 degree bend in the wire and insert it in the hole,
>Cut off the excess and either use heat shrink tubing to hold it in place
>or wrap it with thread and then put some thin CA over the thread. DO
>NOT MAKE THE "Z"BEND UNTIL YOU HAVE MADE CERTAIN THE LENGTH
>IS CORRECT.
They mention two elevator controls and include 2 horns for the elevator (seeing how the left and right elevator are not attached . However, they include only one dowel rod. They do include 2 threaded rods but there is no mention of joining both rods to the dowel., Quite confusing. I am curious if anyone has put together one of these craft and has a great way for doing the aft pushrods.
>The 2 openings that are there for the elevator should be the same distance
>from the rear of the fuselage and the same distance from the bottom of the
>fuselage. The opening for the rudder should be above that opening and further
>forward. The unused opening can either be left open or covered with a
>piece of scrap covering.
>The elevator pushrod: On one end you will have a single (usually non
>threaded) piece of wire. On the other end, one wire is put ON EACH SIDE OF
>THE DOWEL. Make sure you stagger the holes for them and when you bend
>the wire for the 90 degree angle to go through the dowel, MAKE SURE YOU
>ALLOW FOR THE DIFFERENCE IN THE LENGTH OF THE TWO WIRES. I normally
>cut a SMALL SHALLOW groove in the side of the dowel so the wire can sit in
>the groove and will not shift under a load.
>Once the 2 wires are installed, spread them apart a little so you have what
>looks like a long narrow "Y". Insert the double end into the fuselage and have
>one wire come out on each side of the fuselage. If you have trouble getting
>the two wires fished through the fuselage, use a small rubber band to hold the
>ends together, then after the rod/wires are in the last compartment, go in
>through the rudder slot with a #11 blade and cut the rubber band.
>Once you have the wires coming out each side of the fuselage, put a clevis on
>each side, THEN, position and install your control horns. I use a straight edge
>across both the fixed and moveable part of the elevator to set the adjustment
>so both halves are level. What also works well is to tape a couple of pieces
>of scrap 1/4" square (or larger) across both the fixed and moveable parts of
>the horizontal stab to set the adjustments. Make sure the wire rods are not
>binding/rubbing in the openings. If you HAVE TO MAKE ANY BENDS, make
>them as shallow as possible to minimize flex. Adjust/bend if needed with 2
>pair of needle or blunt nose pliers to make sure they are free moving.
>Install the rudder push rod last.
Goldenrod? Pull-pull? Ideas valued.
>I presume this is an ARF. Goldenrod is not a good idea since you will not have
>access to properly secure the sheath to keep it from flexing. The same would
>hold for using pull - pull. I am not saying it could not be done, just that, IMHO,
>it would be more trouble than it would be worth. The SpaceWalker is not a
>speed or 3D type plane requiring pull - pull or HD control rods.
>Hope this answers your questions.
Tim