---------------------------------------------------------- Lightning-List Digest Archive --- Total Messages Posted Sun 08/15/10: 1 ---------------------------------------------------------- Today's Message Index: ---------------------- 1. 08:09 AM - Re: Re: Lightning Elevator flutter (N1BZRich@aol.com) ________________________________ Message 1 _____________________________________ Time: 08:09:16 AM PST US From: N1BZRich@aol.com Subject: Re: Lightning-List: Re: Lightning Elevator flutter Selwyn Good luck on that upcoming first flight. Hopefully you will send us all an announcement and some photos for the newsletter. As to your question about rod end free play, I am not aware of the allowable free play limit for any "go" or "no go" decision on using them out of the box. I suspect that the problem was just a batch that all had the upped limit, what ever that is. The aileron control design has three rod ends in close proximity at the aileron bell crank and aileron control horn. In the case that I was talking about, with three that close together, it allowed the trailing edge of the aileron to be moved almost a half inch up and down when the stick was held in the center position. This movement was more than I had seen on other Lightnings or Esqual. Being this loose allowed the ailerons to "buzz" up and down in some flight situations. Initially we solved the "buzzing" by reflexing each aileron up slightly which put an air load on them and prevented the "buzz", but the real fix was replacing the rod ends with new ones. I suspect that the aileron "buzzing" in flight caused the rod ends to loosen up even more than they initially had been. Hope this helps. Blue Skies, Buz In a message dated 8/13/2010 7:47:35 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, selwyn@ellisworks.com.au writes: --> Lightning-List message posted by: "selwyn" Hi Smokey, Interested to hear your experiences, I hope to be flying in about a week so I have all this to look forward to. What type of gap elevator gap seal did you have on, just tape along the hinge line? And, does anyone care to speculate on why gap seals would promote flutter (or whatever it was that was going on)? Buzz, in relation to your comment about some rod end fittings developing free play, as I'm sure others have noticed, some of them come out of the packet with free play built in. Is there any good data on the allowable free play in the control circuits, especially the ailerons? smokeysmail(at)bigpond.co wrote: > All is in good condition and I think it is the gap seal on the elevator, will know soon. When I experienced the flutter like symptoms it was not possible to hold the elevator from moving up and down, it ceased as soon as I slowed a few knots and It only lasted a couple of seconds as I was increasing speed slowly at the time. > Cheers Smokey > -------- Cheers, Selwyn Kit 66 Read this topic online here: _http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p=308634#308634_ (http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p=308634#308634) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Other Matronics Email List Services ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post A New Message lightning-list@matronics.com UN/SUBSCRIBE http://www.matronics.com/subscription List FAQ http://www.matronics.com/FAQ/Lightning-List.htm Web Forum Interface To Lists http://forums.matronics.com Matronics List Wiki http://wiki.matronics.com Full Archive Search Engine http://www.matronics.com/search 7-Day List Browse http://www.matronics.com/browse/lightning-list Browse Digests http://www.matronics.com/digest/lightning-list Browse Other Lists http://www.matronics.com/browse Live Online Chat! http://www.matronics.com/chat Archive Downloading http://www.matronics.com/archives Photo Share http://www.matronics.com/photoshare Other Email Lists http://www.matronics.com/emaillists Contributions http://www.matronics.com/contribution ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- These Email List Services are sponsored solely by Matronics and through the generous Contributions of its members.