The International Cessna^® 170 Association

What is the best way to lock the controls?

I have pictures of the original Cessna control lock and I do not especially like it. I have an idea of how I want to build the "thing", but would like some other input. I have been known to change my mind?

It must meet the following criteria:

1. Be in the cockpit.
2. Not damage (chafe) to the controls.
3. Easily stored.
4. Be an obvious impedement the pilot's access to the controls.
5. Be simple enough for the pilot to figure out how to work
the "thing".
6. Simple to reproduce.
Ralph

Email me at Jwmcgu@meta-net.net and I'll send you pictures and instructions on the control lock I made for my 170B. I'm pretty dumb, but I figured this one out.
John

Except for 5 (easly stored) there's a simple solution. Outsource it to the Chinese like we do everythng else. They'll send over a slave who will sit in the cockpit grippng the controls until you're ready to fly-
Rudy

Rudy,

I think you have nailed the solution. He could also keep the bird clean and push it in and out of the hangar. However, with the price of rice, storage and transportation added in, it might get too expensive.

Ralph

I usually use the lap-belt to hold the yoke back/ailerons against the wind, which also raises the elevator to provide clearance for my rudder lock which is made up of 1/4" poly rope and two pirated bungee hooks. The braided rope has a 2" loop in it's middle and is approx. 134" long with the hook on each end. Each hook is hooked into the open-end of the horizontal leading edge, the rope passing beneath the upward-held elevator, the loop hooked like a "bra" over the tail nav-light. One side of the rope is adjustable. (I used a marine-store "fid" to run the braided rope back into/through itself, like a chinese finger-puzzle (should keep Rudy happy), so it can be loosened/tightened easily. This has kept my rudder secure against high winds and prop-blasts for several years now. I have a "Remove Before Flight" red flag on it, and roll it up and store it beneath my rear seat for flight.
As a soon-to-be-published project, I expect to have an article in an upcoming "The 170 News" so you can make your own. Total cost: about $5-$7 of materials (with lots of braided rope left over from the marine section of WallyMart.)