RE: Redesigned 28% Extra 300 Build / Questions
Well I made a good dent in finishing the tail section off today. To start I had to do a little work to determine where to drill the new holes in the control horns that go on the rudder tiller bolt. I discovered that the pilot hole wasn’t drilled perpendicular to the centerline of the plane. If I had just drilled the holes in the horns an even distance from the tiller bolt the right horn hole would have been 2mm rearward of the hinge line. This would have caused a bind in the rudder. I could have gone to the trouble of filling the hole, waiting for epoxy to dry and re-drilled the pilot hole but without a drill press I may have drilled it wrong again. What I did was lay a straight edge on the center line and a small straight edge perpendicular to it in the hinge line and marked both left & right horns for hole locations (see photos). This resulted in the right horn with a hole 2mm forward of the left horn (see photo), both holes centered exactly in line with the center of the hinge line. When I finished the pull-pull hookup the results were perfect. There is no loosening or tightening of the cables when the rudder is turned in both direction and there’s no binding. This seemed a better solution and took less time. It also hasn’t limited the throws, I still have ±61.0 degrees. Next up was mounting the elevator servos, control horns and push rods. I had to open the servo holes slightly for my 5945’s to fit. I used the Nelson hobby RCL70 control horns from my Edge. After hooking up my push rods and balancing the up & down servo throw (DOD method) I got the length roughed in. I’ll make a more precise measurement tomorrow and finish the push rods. I have to remember to go back and add some CA and maybe a bit more wood to the servo pockets for the ailerons & elevators. BTW did any of you add anything to stiffen the rudder tray? The balsa that you see on either side of the rudder servo in the photo below was added only to mark reference lines for the servo arm setup and they will be removed. I was thinking of adding a ply or hardwood cross brace. Does anyone think it's a good idea?