Nose Wheel Alignment

[John Vance]

I have a 2010 CTLS that I believe needs a nose wheel alignment.  During landing, the airplane tends to veer left of center after the nose wheel touches down.  It also has some odd flight characteristics that I suspect may be caused by aerodynamic forces applied by the nose wheel fairing .  When flying the airplane manually, the heading wants to drifts left.  When flying on autopilot, it will fly right wing low, unless I apply almost full right rudder trim.  I've also found that my left fuel tank drains much faster than the right.  Is it possible that all this stuff is related to nose wheel alignment?  Does anyone know where to find a procedure for aligning the NW?  

 

 

[Roger Lee]

First neutralise your rudder trim. Then just taxi on a flat surface at about 15-20 mph. Take your feet off the pedals and see if it drifts left or right. If it drifts it needs an adjustment it is at the steering head.

The adjustment is at the steering head on top of the front steering column. If it pulls left. You have to either lengthen the left side rod end or shorten the right side one full turn to pull the front wheel back to the right. If it pulls left pretty hard and sharp then it gets two full turns of either rod end. Look at the screws of the steering head. Pick one that already screwed out too far or in too far and that's how you will pick which side you want to lengthen or shorten. Then taxi again and see if it taxis straight with your feet off the pedals. This will also affect your in air trim.

 

 

This will also help the in air trim. This is considered the trim fine adjustment.

Now put all trims back to a neutral position. Now go fly. Adjust the pitch trim first, then the aileron trim and then the rudder trim and see how it works out now.

This may not affect your fuel drain.

 

Please call if you have any questions.

520-574-1080

[Tom Baker]

Personally I would make an adjustment on both sides, one longer one shorter. The reason, this is what adjust rudder cable tension. If you just adjust one side your cable tension will be affected.

 

Also with the rods loose from the steering arm make sure the ball end on the inside is not loose and moving in the rod.

[FlyingMonkey]

Personally I would make an adjustment on both sides, one longer one shorter. The reason, this is what adjust rudder cable tension. If you just adjust one side your cable tension will be affected.

 

Also with the rods loose from the steering arm make sure the ball end on the inside is not loose and moving in the rod.

 

I think it depends on how the rods are adjusted when you start.  If one is already almost at the end of its range in once direction, I'd want to adjust that one more toward the middle of the range.   

[Anticept]

A note on lengthening rods: make sure that at least 4 threads are engaged. I really feel the mx manual should mention this. it's important for safety.

[John Vance]

Thanks, everyone for your help.  I agree that this should be in the maintenance manual, but I'm glad there are folks out there willing to fill in the gaps.  I hope to find time to work on this in the next week or so.

 

John

[Tom Baker]

I think it depends on how the rods are adjusted when you start.  If one is already almost at the end of its range in once direction, I'd want to adjust that one more toward the middle of the range.   

 

That would either tighten or loosen the rudder cable tension. If it was set right before you started it would likely now be out of tolerance. If one rod is at the end of its adjustment range, then you need to make and adjustment to the turnbuckle(s) in the center console. Coarse adjustment for rudder cable tension is by the turnbuckles and fine adjustment is by the steering rods.

[Doug G.]

Thanks, everyone for your help. I agree that this should be in the maintenance manual, but I'm glad there are folks out there willing to fill in the gaps. I hope to find time to work on this in the next week or so.

 

John

It is in the maintenance manual 4.3.3.4.6 This is CTLS and rev. 4. It does not say four turns, but 5/16" or 6mm. It also has the adjustment procedure there.

I found that I didn't necessarily need to taxi, just pulling it out of the hangar with the prop told me it needed adjustment.

The other adjustment (if is too far off) is accessed through the center panel and is a PITA, especially the safety wiring.

[John Vance]

It is in the maintenance manual 4.3.3.4.6 This is CTLS and rev. 4. 

So it is!  It's there, just not where I thought it would be.

 

Thanks

John

[Roger Lee]

It is in the manual and has been since I have owned a CT. The steering rod adjustment is a fine tune for steering and rudder and the turnbuckles in the tunnel are the coarse adjustment. You usually don't have to mess with the turnbuckles.

[Anticept]

It is in the manual and has been since I have owned a CT. The steering rod adjustment is a fine tune for steering and rudder and the turnbuckles in the tunnel are the coarse adjustment. You usually don't have to mess with the turnbuckles.

 

As the aircraft ages, the cables will stretch a bit. Eventually everyone will have to make a small turn to the turnbuckles if the rudder adjustment doesn't do it.

[Roger Lee]

If they losen that much then there may be a bigger problem. That would be a lot of stretch.  I haven't seen one stretch that much in 9 years and some with 2000 hrs. Easy to check with a fish scale on the rudder. The specs are in the manual.

[Anticept]

On my CTLS, the factory set the steering rods so far out, that I didn't have any thread left to extend (seriously, that 4 threads engagement thing that I said before is extremely, extremely important), even when I spun the rods out from the threading inside of the aircraft near the steering mechanism. I didn't finish the project as it turned out I needed to get the new steering mechanism anyways (new engine T mounts are not compatible with the old mechanism, and I was not going to go welding the stop plates on the new mount).

 

Maybe it was never set correctly in the first place. I don't know. This is the first time I've ever re-rigged my airplane.

[Roger Lee]

There have been CT's since the SW days that were not adjusted for the correct rudder tension right from the factory. Some were down to around 11 lbs. of tension.  Half of what it should be. This let the plane wander back and forth because the rudder kept moving. I have had to adjust maybe 6-7 over the years right from the factory that were too light in poundage. If the steering head rod ends are screwed way out you can screw them back in and take up the slack by adjusting the turnbuckles.

[Doug G.]

The manual gives a cable tension spec but doesn't say where to measure it. I tried in the tunnel, but you cannot get it anywhere near that number. I ended up using Roger's method on the rudder. I need to ask FDUSA about that cable tension next time I talk to them - it is either way off, or there is some secret to accomplishing it.

[Doug G.]

Anyone else managed to adjust it by cable tension?

[Anticept]

Cable tension is uniform from tail to nose in a properly working installation. Ideally, it should be taken on the longest stretch of cable between any pulleys/fairleads/turnbuckles, and don't let the weight of the tool rest on the cable. Don't get obsessed with it though.

[Tom Baker]

Cable tension is uniform from tail to nose in a properly working installation. Ideally, it should be taken on the longest stretch of cable between any pulleys/fairleads/turnbuckles, and don't let the weight of the tool rest on the cable. Don't get obsessed with it though.

 

And in the CT rudder system there are no exposed long runs of cable making it almost impossible to check.

[Anticept]

And in the CT rudder system there are no exposed long runs of cable making it almost impossible to check.

 

Agreed. A lot of what I say is meant to be generalized. The only place I can find on mine is up in the front under the lower panel, there's about 6 inches of exposed cable and that's the best we've got.