Yesterday I flew my 'Coupe out to the AI who does the annuals. He "blessed" and logged my trim wire installation. And when I showed him the kinked old wire, he agreed with my diagnosis of the cause.
He also added one other point that perhaps should go into the write- ups of how to change the wire: he said that the little attachment fastener at the back end of the wire should be left to pivot freely, not be tightened down so much that it doesn't pivot. And at my request he slightly adjusted the wire at the back end to give me just a little more nose-down trim-ability. He did that by putting the trim tab up, more nearly flush with the "stop" that is more or less continuous with the elevator, then re-tightening the fastener at the back end. That's just a slight fraction higher than I had placed it, when I used a straight edge at the inboard part of the trim tab (stop is at the outboard edge). But wow did that seem to make a difference in my flight home: 110 mph without trying (not full throttle, maybe 2200 RPM), and I had to keep an eye on the airspeed indicator since it went up nearly to the yellow. I did not realize that such a tiny change could create such a noticeable difference, but it seems to have. (I suppose a sudden tail wind could also explain that, but since the whole short flight home was at about 1800', and winds at field elevation along the way were 4-8 mph light-&-variable, I sorta doubt it.) Well, Sunday is going to be a longer flight, over an hour each way, so I'll have more of a chance to test the new configuration. I also told the painter today that the diagnosis was "kinked the wire; paint shop's fault," and he repeated that if the cost is reasonable, he will pay it. Linda N3437H (Sky Sprite) L.A.
