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Old 11-16-2006 | 06:40 PM
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RCKen
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Default RE: z-bends or quick connects

Ok, you're going to get a host of reply's going one way or the other. But what it really boils down to is what you are comfortable with. Some will say that they have never had problems with the EZ Connectors (quick connects), and I won't argue with them. But my first had experience is that I have had one come loose in flight (this was on the elevator pushrod, and the only thing that saved the plane was a "blob" of epoxy on the end of the pushrod). Because of this I won't use EZ Connectors on any critical control surface. By critical I mean the surfaces you absolutely need to land the plane, and these would be elevator and ailerons. You can lose rudder, nose wheel steering, or throttle and still get the plane back on the ground. For my piece of mind I prefer to know that the connector I have on the critical control surfaces won't come loose. For these I prefer to use Z-bends or a soldered on clevis. Of those two I prefer to solder on a clevis, but I will state that if you're not comfortable that you can get a good solid solder joint then this type of connector could easily come loose in flight.

So now that I have completely confused you, I would recommend that you go with a Z-bend. Realistically there is no way that a Z-Bend is going to come loose in flight, and will give you a secure connection that you can count on.

Hope this helps

Ken