Aluminum bell-cranks

[Ratdog]

What are the details on the subject of aluminum verses steel bellcranks on the firewall . My aileron is steel and the rudders aluminum. 

[Kent Ashton]

Ask a better question, Lar.

[Ratdog]

I heard that some switched out the aluminum ones in the original plans for steel for concerns of losing control if there was ever a fire in the engine compartment.   I cant find any details on this subject in the canard pusher etc. 

[Marc Zeitlin]

1 hour ago, Ratdog said:

I heard that some switched out the aluminum ones in the original plans for steel for concerns of losing control if there was ever a fire in the engine compartment.   I cant find any details on this subject in the canard pusher etc. 

You need to remember that the aircraft is made of epoxy, which is essentially fuel. So if there's softening or melting aluminum inside the engine compartment, the airplane has long since become a smoldering heap of burned fiberglass and epoxy (and people - at least one) on the ground and the softening of the aluminum belcranks (or anything else aluminum, like the whole bloody engine, or oil lines, or fuel lines) is # 867 on the histogram of things with which to be concerned.

The firewall belcranks are steel because they're weldments, and the rudder belcranks are aluminum because they're not.

[Ratdog]

That makes sense thanks

[slk23]

You can replace the rudder belcranks with pulleys.