Thread: Adjusting rudder

We have recently received our CTSW back from repair after a heavy landing which resulted in the plane ending up on its back. As part of the repair the rudder was removed and then refitted with no alterations made to the fittings. We now find that it needs a small amount of left rudder to fly in trim. On the ground i took the weight off the nose wheel and it is apparent that the rudder is slightly out of alignment. Any advice on how to align the rudder would be appreciated. Ray Osborne

Hey Anita and Raymond
I'm really surprised that after landing on its back the CT was salvageable. As far as the rudder adjustment goes you're going to want to reference the M/M but I believe the standard practice is to first adjust your rudder pedals in relation to your front nose gear and make sure the proper tension is on both of the push rod tubes connecting the pedals to the attachment points on the top of the nose fork assembly. This is done by adjusting the nuts on the I-bolts on the push rod tubes or the nut under the lower panel on the left side of your fork & rudder centering spring assembly. After the nose fork and pedals are adjusted you then need to adjust the rudder itself in relation to the pedals and that is done by adjusting the turnbuckles on the cables running down the center of the fuselage. You may find that some aircraft in order to fly straight may need to be centered with a little right rudder to counter act P-factor. Be sure and safety wire and check for correct spring tension afterwards also manually put LIGHT pressure on the rudder itself with your hands to make sure there is no excessive play. Please let me know if there is anything I'm missing guys...

Actually a flip over can result in less damage than most might expect. Many times the fuselage, vertical stab, and wings are undamaged.

John

Jeremy, thanks for the tips. We will get it sorted ASAP. Like most people in the UK we fly off a grass strip so the plane slid along with the nose wheel tucked under until it had almost stopped then dug in and gently nosed over. The crash damage was to starboard u/c. nosewheel, prop, spinner and a couple of cracks at the end of the wings. In getting out we split the windscreen and starboard door perspex. Getting replacement perspex through the UK agents took 31/2 months! Still we have her back now and are getting ready to join the mass microlight crossing of the English Channel in 2 weeks to celebrate the centenary of Bleriot's first channel crossing. All good clean fun. Regards Ray Osborne