toast Posted January 7 Posted January 7 Howdy folks, The left aileron sticks when deflected up, it takes a small bit of force to dislodge it when it enters that state. There seems to be a scratching noise. It doesn't quite sound like metal on metal, and it seems to be coming from the inboard side of the aileron. I flew the plane probably about 3 weeks ago and this issue wasn't present. The plane is tied down outside and it did rain a bit. My hope is just that some dirt or grime is interfering with the hinges, and it just needs to be cleaned and lubricated. Has this happened to anyone else? Is there anything I should try before taking things apart? Quote
Marc Zeitlin Posted January 8 Posted January 8 5 hours ago, toast said: The left aileron sticks when deflected up, it takes a small bit of force to dislodge it when it enters that state. There seems to be a scratching noise. It doesn't quite sound like metal on metal, and it seems to be coming from the inboard side of the aileron. I flew the plane probably about 3 weeks ago and this issue wasn't present. The plane is tied down outside and it did rain a bit. My hope is just that some dirt or grime is interfering with the hinges, and it just needs to be cleaned and lubricated. Has this happened to anyone else? Is there anything I should try before taking things apart? This is what I wrote in the Pre-Buy examination residual report for the plane, back on March 27th, 2023: "Aileron Clearances - both are slightly tight to fuselage - clearance as for the elevator if the ailerons are ever removed" Apparently, the changing temperature/humidity caused some growth in dimensions (or there is some crap caught) which is causing the ailerons to rub. Now's the time to remove the ailerons and increase the clearance, which should be 0.062 - 0.1". Dirt/grime should not be able to cause control system binding. Fix it before the next flight. Quote Marc J. Zeitlin Burnside Aerospace marc_zeitlin@alum.mit.edu www.cozybuilders.org copyright © 2024
toast Posted January 16 Author Posted January 16 The little spacer between the aileron and fuselage looks like it was the culprit. I pulled it off and it had clearly been rubbing. I sanded it down to increase the clearance. Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.