Aileron Stiffness

[CraigH]

I've noticed the ailerons in my bird seem to have more resistance than the typical Cessna / Piper controls. They require more effort to move, and will almost stay in place if your hand is removed from the yoke.

Having not owned a Tcraft before, I was wondering if this is normal for the breed, or if something is not quite right? My A&P checked the controls and couldn't find anything that looked wrong, but thought they were a little stiff himself.

Any suggestions? I'm fairly sure the controls on the F-series birds are the same as on the BC12 series.

[crispy critter]

Ailerons

Craig,
Is she stiff only on the ground or is it the same way in the air too?
A number of things may cause the stiffness,stuck or stiff pulley/'s,cable dragging on the headliner,insulation from the headliner tangled in one of your upper aileron pulleys,dry or stiff chain around your yoke sproketts,dry or stiff control yoke joints,or maybe something as simple as too much tension on your cables.
It shouldn't stay put in flight,when you make a turn of the yoke and then let go it should center itself.
By the way,how'd she fly???????

[CraigH]

Haven't flown myself yet. I was planning a flight in the morning if the winds cooperate.

My A&P took her up for a hop today. The ailerons are a little stiff both on the ground and in flight. I'll let you know tomorrow, but it dosn't feel like they would center themselves in flight. He said he was holding xwind correction on the ground, let go and the yokes didn't center.

[crispy critter]

Aileron

If the wind was blowing against them then they probably won't center themselves.You also must remeber that the T-craft doesn't have balanced control surfaces and the ailerons on a T-craft are twice the size of those on a C-140.Go fly her a little and maybe give her a chance to loosen up.She's been setting for a while with a wing off so she might be a bit stiff.If it still don't feel right then start by checking your cable tension.

One more thing you might want to check first and foremost is to make sure you didn't miss a pulley with the cable when you put the wing back on.Check to see if all your cables are running in there pulleys.If a cable is off the pulley it could ruin your whole day....or your life.

[stormman]

stiffness

there a lot stiffer compared to the spamcans. As long as your arms arn't hurting and the resistance is the same in both directions , fly it. They wil never be a Beech. besides there a poormans autopilot.

[dennispip]

The first thing I noticed when I first flew my F21B was the very same thing, the ailerons were not like any Cessna or Piper I had ever flown. (They don't flop back and forth in the breeze while sitting on the ramp like those on Cessna's either.) When flying, it takes a lot more effort than you are used to. They operate mechanically different than what you are accustomed to. I have also found that while cruising it is easier for me to keep the wings level and fly hands off by using a bit of rudder to correct any drop of one or the other of the wings. Once you have a few hours under your belt you will not notice it much any more, but it was certainly a new experience for me. Enjoy getting to know your plane. I'll be interested in your impressions after 10 or 20 hours.

[CraigH]

I think you guys are right, just differences between what I've flown in the past.

Crispy - all the pulleys look correct. We didn't unhook any of them when the wings were off. I flew it for 0.7 this morning and did 2 3pt landings and 1 wheelie. It wheel lands MUCH easier than the C140 ever did. 3pt was a little more diffucult because I'm not used to having so much of the nose obstructed.

Stormman - your're right about the "poor man's autopilot". Winds were calm and the plane would fly hands off. Should make cross countries nice not to be constantly making adjustments. Always gotta look for the good in something!

Dennis - I hope to have those 10-20 hours within the next month or two. Lots of differences than the high wing Cessna's and Pipers, but learning is half the fun!

Thanks for all the quick help guys!

[Forrest Barber]

The later F-22's with flaps have the extra two 90 degree bends in the aileron cables and boy are they stiff.... The other ones are a matter of proper adjustment, keep them loose is the best for me...

[alwaysoar]

But if they're loose, then they'll droop. Are they supposed to droop, or should they be tightened until they don't, or...?

Ed@BTV VT
TF 527

[jrzangger]

You all have hit the major areas of trouble with stiff controls but it's almost certainly too much cable tension. If any A&P has had his hands on it and doesn't understand there is NO tension on a Taylorcraft, then you will have too much and the controls will be stiff. The aileron cables actually tighten up a bit as the elevator is moved. They should be adjusted to move freely at the point of the tightest tension and there will be a considerable amount of slack in the cables. The pulley guards keep the cables from coming off the pulleys so there isn't any danger of that happening. As far as aileron droop, yes there will be a little on the ground, but in flight they should be fine. If you tighten the cables to avoid the droop, then loosen them on the other side to make up the difference. You should be able to put the ailerons wherever you want them.

OK everybody - LOOSEN UP!

Jim Zangger

ps My dad took his Taylorcraft in for an annual and the A&E (at the time) actually tightened the rudder cables because there was no tension on them! All he did was move the pedals a little farther back. You can't get any more tension than the spring gives them anyway!

[crispy critter]

Congrats Craig

Craig,
So what do ya think of the T-craft now that you have flown it.
Jim is right,most IA's want to over tighten the cables on a T-craft,especially the aileron cables.The way the aileron cables are routed they tighten up as the yoke comes back(I think thats right,maybe the other way around).I always like to position the elevators in the center(neutral position)and adjust the tension on the aileron cables until the cables are just barely taunt.Also if they are too tight then it puts extra added stress on the cables and pulleys causing them both to wear out much faster.

[CraigH]

Re: Congrats Craig

Originally posted by crispy critter
Craig,
So what do ya think of the T-craft now that you have flown it.

My only complaints would be that it is louder (interior) than some of the others I've owned, and that the non-adjustable sling seat is extremely uncomfortable, especially in turbulance. Also, gusty winds sure play havoc with those long wings. I'm going to have to learn gusty / variable crosswind landings all over again.

Other than that, I love it! Gets of the ground quick and climbs like a scalded ape compared to the C140. Put a total of 2 hours on it today. Made a trip to a grass strip about 45 minutes away and did the best wheel landing I've ever performed in any aircraft. It seems like the Taylorcraft almost lands itself when you try to wheel land it. A nice change after bouncing every 3rd one in the C140. As for 3 points, well, they're not quite as nice yet.

[stormman]

wind

wind in TEXAS ?

[Forrest Barber]

aileron droop

Hmmmm as WE have said before many times when the cable tension is correct, sitting on the ground the ailerons will droop almost a 1/4 in. merely have a friend or a clamp hold one flush with the trailing edge and you should with pressure from your little pinky finger be able to raise the other one flush with the opposide trailing edge. Thusly we can look out in flight and see that they line up perfectly... non-adjustable? If you have the sling seat , it is manually adjusted by unwrapping and rewrapping again perhaps even punching new holes to go less than the half wrap at a time....... remove your wallet, maybe softer cushions..... AT least it keeps you from falling asleep!

[alwaysoar]

Well, I'm a slow learner and probably wasn't around before, but I'm grateful for the patience of all who contribute to this forum and answer all my dumb questions over and over.

Ed @BTV VT
TF 527