Securing rudder when tied down outside

How to keep the Cessna 170 flying and airworthy.

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amacbean
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Securing rudder when tied down outside

Post by amacbean »

Usually our plane is in the hanger, but when I'm out and about and tied down outside, I'd like to tie off the rudder properly. I know not to clamp the top front of the rudder to the vertical stabilizer, and I've heard of putting some sort of devise over the trailing edge and then tying that off to the sides to keep the rudder from banging around. What is everyone else using? Is there a best device? If you have a cool homemade one I'd love to see pictures. Thanks in advance.

Allen
n3833v
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Re: Securing rudder when tied down outside

Post by n3833v »

Make a wide rubber band out of an innertube with a hole to go over the light and I use two bungie cords, one at each end to go to the horizontal where the hinges are to hook into with protected hooks. That will keep the rudder in place with little deflection and no pressure on the cables.
If you need pictures, I will get some when at the hanger.
John
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GAHorn
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Re: Securing rudder when tied down outside

Post by GAHorn »

I'll try to take a pic and post what I do. I took the vinyl-coated hooks off a bungee cord, and threaded some braided polypropylene rope thru them. The braided poly rope works like a chinese finger-puzzle. (It's commonly used in marine applications with a "fid" to form a loop and insert into itself.)
I do this thru the hooks at each end, and that way it can be tightened upon itself to become taut.
Another short piece of the rope is inserted in the mid-point forming a small "bra", so that... a hook is placed into each end of the horiz stabilizer. (The seat belt has the elevator pulled back/up to lock the ailerons and elevators.) The slack is then taken up to make the entire length taut, and the rudder is kept immobile. Who's ready for the washing--party after the campout/mudbath at Pettit-Jean? :lol:
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'53 B-model N146YS SN:25713
50th Anniversary of Flight Model. Winner-Best Original 170B, 100th Anniversary of Flight Convention.
An originality nut (mostly) for the right reasons. ;)
4stripes
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Re: Securing rudder when tied down outside

Post by 4stripes »

Very simple solution. Tie up your elevator and ailerons with your lap belt. You can apply appropriate aileron to hold the upwind wing down (if you prefer). Then take a length of rope and make a loop that fits over your elevator aerodynamic counterbalance, pull the rope end around the rudder (just above the tail nav light) pulling it against the stop, tie the rope to the elevator torque tube, and voila you are secure! Don't forget to chock those tires!
The main thing is to stop the controls from slamming back and forth against their stops. When tied to one side the force is minimal but no swinging can start. I've seen too many control surfaces damaged by some type of "clamp on" control locks. My system has worked flawlessly since I bough the 170 in 1988.
I actually have an original "cessna" control lock that jams against the floor and the control wheels, but it is not as effective as a seatbelt and piece of rope.
Cheers Eric
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amacbean
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Re: Securing rudder when tied down outside

Post by amacbean »

Good ideas - thanks for the pictures! I'll try these out at the hangar later today.
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Bill Hart
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Re: Securing rudder when tied down outside

Post by Bill Hart »

I use one of theese it works great.

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/p ... ustlok.php
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SteveF
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Re: Securing rudder when tied down outside

Post by SteveF »

Allen,

My plane is tied down outside year round and we get some strong North East winds in the winter. I have and use a gust-lok as Bill Hart suggests but I find even with the lock holding the rudder peddles I can go to the rudder and swing it from full right to full left and had seen it banging like that in the wind. The lock does work great for the elevator and ailerons.

Have seen a number of people using restraints that grab the nav light on the rudder and hook into the horizontal stabilizer or the elevator where the outer hinge bolts are located. Made one like John Hess suggests but I used a piece of leather instead of inner tube with a hole for the light and bungie cords to the horizontal stabilizer. Works like George's but doesn't require a degree in knot tying. :lol:

SteveF
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GAHorn
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Re: Securing rudder when tied down outside

Post by GAHorn »

SteveF wrote:...Works like George's but doesn't require a degree in knot tying. :lol:

SteveF
OK, Guys! Listen carefully. (or read,carefully, that is)... Using a polyester BRAIDED rope (less than $4 for 25' of 1/4" in the sporting goods section of Wal Mart)... Also available from Ace Hardware:


... what you want is a FID. Ace handles these as well:
http://www.acehardwareoutlet.com/(wb4kd ... KU=7194392
(This can be purchased for a buck at a marine dealer... OR... you can make your own with a BIC, or any other cheap ball point pen. Remove the innards. All you want is the hollow, pointed end.

INsert the rope end INTO the hollow FID. Image
Turn the FID around and point it back INTO the braided rope so as to insert the pen thru the hollow interior of the braid for a few inches. Allow the FID to leave the interior and exit the rope about 6" away from the entrance point. ImagePull the FID off the rope end. You have just made a loop or eye-splice.
Image

If you DON"T pull the FID off the rope-end, you can re-insert it back towards the orignation point and with the rope-end still within the interior.... remove the FID and leave the rope-end captured inside the rope. You have just made an end-splice and the end, being captured within the braided hollow will not be able to fray.
Image
Image

Now the beauty of this sort of thing is.... instead of re-inserting the end to keep it from fraying... you can allow it to exit... and if you pull on the LOOP it will tighten and grab the rope and LOCK it's length. Or you can grab the capturing-section and the END of the rope and LOOSEN it up again, making the loop as large or small as you like. This is how I did my rudder gust lock... ONe end captures the hook...and the OTHER end merely loops thru the hook and then re-inserts the rope to form an adjustable-length gust lock.

Of course, you can just make it EXACTLY the correct length and hook it into the ends of the horiz. stab. and then lift the middle "bra" over the nav light. To remove, pull the bra down off the light and unhook the ends. (But I like mine adjustable.)

Anyone coming to the Branson Convention will be able to make one of these, as I intend to bring all the necessary materials and show you how.
'53 B-model N146YS SN:25713
50th Anniversary of Flight Model. Winner-Best Original 170B, 100th Anniversary of Flight Convention.
An originality nut (mostly) for the right reasons. ;)
1SeventyZ
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Re: Securing rudder when tied down outside

Post by 1SeventyZ »

Before I flew my plane to Idaho back in June, I had been following this topic, and ended up building a rudder gust lock loosely based on George's design (thanks George.) I think it makes the most sense, as it isolates the gust forces from the actual rudder control system.

Instead of using 1 piece of braided rope, I cut a yoke for for the directional light out of thin UHMW, in a diamond shape. I then die-punched 3 holes in it: 1 in the middle the diameter of the directional light, and 2 on the ends to tie off to.

Then, I harvested some thin sheathed bungee from a cargo net, and eyeballed some measurements. I fashioned some hooks from aluminum welding rod (about 1/8" dia TIG fill rod) after I'd slipped my cut-to-length rod into some vinyl tubing. These hooks connect to the elevator skin cut opening around the elevator pivot joint.

Tie it all together, and it makes a pretty stout and very compact rudder gust lock. Just another way to accomplish the above. I'll post a photo one of these days.
Metal Master
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Re: Securing rudder when tied down outside

Post by Metal Master »

SteveF wrote:
...Works like George's but doesn't require a degree in knot tying.

SteveF


OK, Guys! Listen carefully. (or read,carefully, that is)... Using a polyester BRAIDED rope (less than $4 for 25' of 1/4" in the sporting goods section of Wal Mart)... Also available from Ace Hardware:

Well you can do the whole thing without the fid by simply using your Bic lighter to melt a point on the end of the polyester rope which keeps it from fraying anyway and then use the end of the rope as the fid. At least that's the way I do it. Watch out for burned fingers though.

Jim
A&P, IA, New owner C170A N1208D, Have rebuilt some 50 aircraft. So many airplanes, So little time!
futr_alaskaflyer
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Re: Securing rudder when tied down outside

Post by futr_alaskaflyer »

I just got around to doing this over the weekend, works like a charm. I was quite the rope braider in my Boy Scout days but with the rope George recommends below one doesn't need even rudimentary knowledge...just a FID :wink: I definitely recommend the adjustable model - I made both ends adjustable.
gahorn wrote:
SteveF wrote:...Works like George's but doesn't require a degree in knot tying. :lol:

SteveF
OK, Guys! Listen carefully. (or read,carefully, that is)... Using a polyester BRAIDED rope (less than $4 for 25' of 1/4" in the sporting goods section of Wal Mart)... Also available from Ace Hardware:


... what you want is a FID. Ace handles these as well:
http://www.acehardwareoutlet.com/(wb4kd ... KU=7194392
(This can be purchased for a buck at a marine dealer... OR... you can make your own with a BIC, or any other cheap ball point pen. Remove the innards. All you want is the hollow, pointed end.

INsert the rope end INTO the hollow FID. Image
Turn the FID around and point it back INTO the braided rope so as to insert the pen thru the hollow interior of the braid for a few inches. Allow the FID to leave the interior and exit the rope about 6" away from the entrance point. ImagePull the FID off the rope end. You have just made a loop or eye-splice.
Image

If you DON"T pull the FID off the rope-end, you can re-insert it back towards the orignation point and with the rope-end still within the interior.... remove the FID and leave the rope-end captured inside the rope. You have just made an end-splice and the end, being captured within the braided hollow will not be able to fray.
Image
Image

Now the beauty of this sort of thing is.... instead of re-inserting the end to keep it from fraying... you can allow it to exit... and if you pull on the LOOP it will tighten and grab the rope and LOCK it's length. Or you can grab the capturing-section and the END of the rope and LOOSEN it up again, making the loop as large or small as you like. This is how I did my rudder gust lock... ONe end captures the hook...and the OTHER end merely loops thru the hook and then re-inserts the rope to form an adjustable-length gust lock.

Of course, you can just make it EXACTLY the correct length and hook it into the ends of the horiz. stab. and then lift the middle "bra" over the nav light. To remove, pull the bra down off the light and unhook the ends. (But I like mine adjustable.)

Anyone coming to the Branson Convention will be able to make one of these, as I intend to bring all the necessary materials and show you how.
Richard
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Bruce Fenstermacher
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Re: Securing rudder when tied down outside

Post by Bruce Fenstermacher »

Just before George showed and provided material at Branson to make one of these I had designed a similar tie using a different type rope and a ratchet from a web tie down. Well half way to Duluth the rope I used gave up due to weather deterioration. I simply went to the tractor supply and for $5 had the rope George used and 15 minutes later had a new on like Georges made.

Of course it gnaws on me to do things exactly like George so I picked up a leather center patch at Duluth which was designed I believe by Cleo Bickford but made and supplied to the Branson attendees and now some at Duluth, by Steve Jacobs.

George's solution is a simple cheap and effective method.
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Bruce Fenstermacher
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Re: Securing rudder when tied down outside

Post by Bruce Fenstermacher »

Here is my setup using George's idea of cheap nylon rope and a FID to weave the ends. In the center however I have a leather patch designed by the late Cleo Bickford and produced and donated to the association by Steve Jacobs. I used nylon rope woven like George shows to hold the rudder light for more than a year every day and it works very well, but the leather is more elegant. I did treat the leather with a good leather water repellent.
100_5537.JPG

The lighter hooks George suggests from old bunge cords are also very adequite and work very well BUT I substituted some beefier hooks from a cargo strap just because I had them.
100_5539.JPG
Here is a close up straight on of the center leather attachment. The leather is 1/8" thick. I've included a PDF which can be downloaded and printed at 100% for a template. There are other suitable materials than leather. Rubber or plastic of the right flexability but not to stretchy would work.
leather cntr rudder lock036.jpg
leather cntr rudder lock036.pdf
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GAHorn
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Re: Securing rudder when tied down outside

Post by GAHorn »

Bruce Fenstermacher wrote:...The lighter hooks George suggests from old bunge cords are also very adequite and work very well BUT I substituted some beefier hooks from a cargo strap just because I had them.
100_5539.JPG
...
Be VERY CAREFUL if you use heavier-duty/thicker hooks on the end because they may JAM or DAMAGE your elevator counter-balance areas if you forget to remove them and operate your elevators (such as if you should remove your elevator gust-locks/seat-belts first...before removing the rudder-gust-lock. There may be INSUFFICIENT room between the end of the horiz-stabilizer and elev-balance if you use thicker/heavier hooks. The bungee-hooks on mine will allow the elevator to pass-by without damage.
'53 B-model N146YS SN:25713
50th Anniversary of Flight Model. Winner-Best Original 170B, 100th Anniversary of Flight Convention.
An originality nut (mostly) for the right reasons. ;)
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Bruce Fenstermacher
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Re: Securing rudder when tied down outside

Post by Bruce Fenstermacher »

I've not had any problem but it may be the way I hook them to the hinge slot in the elevator. There are 3 or 4 ways it can be done.

Also I'd like to point out that the ''48 and A model elevator not being balanced is VERY heavy compared to the B model elevator and tends to stay in the full down position though of course you could man handle it through it's range and perhaps damage something should any hook specially my "heavy" version be in the wrong place.
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