cdarza Posted April 23, 2013 Report Share Posted April 23, 2013 My rudder trim had somehow become ineffective. Upon hours of investigation and head scratching - finally found the cause. The cable that goes over the rudder trim wheel (as shown in pic in correct position) had somehow come off the wheel and was just dangling under the wheel - thus as the wheel would be trimmed up, it was not tightening the cable for right rudder trim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdarza Posted April 23, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 23, 2013 With rudder trim in mind, i have been having a left turning (yaw) tendency on my CTSW. When i slow cruise at 90kts the aircraft is perfectly straight and level. Increasing the power to 5000 - 5200 and 100kts- 108kts has my plane yawing to the left. Thus i rudder trim fully to the right, which isnt even enough to completely stop the left yaw. -this wreaks havoc on autopilot as the plane goes into a left yaw and the autopilot tries to correct with a right bank ??? To keep straight and level i would need to keep constant pressure on right rudder. Any thoughts ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Lee Posted April 23, 2013 Report Share Posted April 23, 2013 First make sure it taxi's straight on the ground without your feet on the pedals. If it is out then adjust it at the steering rod rodends in the engine cowl. Next make sure that the rudder indicator is centered and has not slipped on the cable. If it has the chrome top will unscrew and loosen so you can slide the indicator back to a more realistic center location. make sure the rudder is in a neutral position first. Put all the trims back in neutral and go fly. First adjust the pitch, then the ailerons for level flight and last the rudder. Once these are done get back here and let us know if it is fixed. Too many make too many corrections with the trim and actually end up trying to cross control with the trim and it makes it fly out of trim and not in trim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FredG Posted April 23, 2013 Report Share Posted April 23, 2013 My 2006 CTsw had the same problem. Adequate rudder trim authority at 90 kts but insufficient at 115 kts. I had to keep constant right foot pressure on the rudder. We first tried a heavier rudder trim spring, which helped a bit. Ultimately, we found that the airstream was pushing the front wheel pant which was driving the rudder. We removed the wheel pant as an experiment, and the problem was gone. FD USA recommended installation of a CTls wheel pant, which we did. Apparently, it was designed to have better airflow (more surface behind the steering pivot point, so it won't push the steering mechanism). Rudder trim is now more than sufficient (no more constant right foot pressure). Also, check the level of your "ball" on whatever flight instrument you have. Some are not level. Finally, be sure to check on the model of CTls wheel pant, there may be more than one style or model, if you chose to install one. I am no mechanic, just reporting my experience (which sounds a lot like yours). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FastEddieB Posted April 23, 2013 Report Share Posted April 23, 2013 I don't know how the rudder trim on the CT is accomplished, but a general warning might be warranted here. Having a trim cable come loose or break can have effects far beyond just losing trim. Not likely to be a problem if the trim is activated through a jack screw or similar arrangement, but if it's a more direct linkage, having a trim cable either break or come adrift can result in aerodynamic flutter, which can be a VERY bad thing. This video shows how quickly flutter can develop, and it's dire consequences: May or may not be an issue in a CT, but worth keeping in mind when inspecting trim cables in general Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FredG Posted April 23, 2013 Report Share Posted April 23, 2013 BTW, my 2006 CTsw has Tundra Gear, which has a larger nose wheel fairing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Baker Posted April 23, 2013 Report Share Posted April 23, 2013 My rudder trim had somehow become ineffective. Upon hours of investigation and head scratching - finally found the cause. The cable that goes over the rudder trim wheel (as shown in pic in correct position) had somehow come off the wheel and was just dangling under the wheel - thus as the wheel would be trimmed up, it was not tightening the cable for right rudder trim. I had that happen once after maintenance. It's not real easy to get to that to put the cable back in place. Eddie, the way the rudder trim works on the CT it shouldn't cause any flutter problems, just a tired foot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FastEddieB Posted April 23, 2013 Report Share Posted April 23, 2013 Good. I would just not anyone to look at a frayed trim cable and think the worst case scenario would be a loss of the trim. An easy assumption that could get someone hurt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.