An addendum to what Harry Francis ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) wrote about removing the aileron weights.
Those weights were added to the design, I think, without any
demonstrated need. The CAA was hot on aileron weights at that time
because of aileron flutter in other planes.
The service bulletin #57 states that the ailerons won't flutter if the
linkages are within the prescribed tolerances. This is important
because flutter can be a rythmic vibration at high amplitude and rip the
aileron off the airplane in seconds.
My plane's aileron controls were looser than the requirements for the
first 12 years I owned it. But I didn't know that. Nor did my
non-ercoupe-expert mechanic know it.
One really fine day, flying back from the Arkansas picnic at 11,500
feet, I saw a layer of scattered to broken appearing 20+ miles ahead of
me. I didn't want to be over that layer incase it got too thick so I
started my cruise descent.
The idea struck me that I had never been up to 144mph, never exceed. I
let the nose drop a little bit and soon I was creeping slowly over 140
mph in PERFECTLY smooth high altitude air.
Then I hit the section of the road with the washboards. A rythmic
vibration started that felt like hitting washboards on a gravel road in
a car.
I was eyeballs everywhere instantly. Within a second I saw that the
left aileron was vibrating.
They say you only have to be a genius once to be a genius. In that
instant, I processed the vibration, the moving aileron, the way the
control linkages were designed, and turned the control wheel way over to
force-load that aileron.
The vibration stopped instantly.
I'm pretty sure that the instantness of my reaction saved my life. I
kept the ailerons loaded alternatively left and right till I got below
114 mph. Did some load testing of the ailerons deflections and flew
home slowly. The next day, I tightened up the aileron linkages as much
as I could under the guidance of an A&P. I never had the problem again,
nor did I try to fly up to 144 mph.
Last spring, I had John Wright Sr. do my annual (not cheap) but one of
the first things he noted was the looseness in the controls. That was
fixed and is now in spec.
Taking off the weights may be a good idea -- I guess they could pull out
of the aileron on a bumpy day causing dangerous damage. But ---
BE SURE YOUR CONTROL SURFACE TENSIONS AND PLAY ARE
WITHIN THE SPECIFICATIONS! Please.
--
Ed Burkhead
East Peoria, Ill.
N3802H, 415-D
<<attachment: winmail.dat>>
