Chapter 24: Covers & Fairings                                                                                   Next  Previous  Home                                                                                                

I started working on this  and chapter 16 while I still had the tub on it's side. The control system and the arm rests are really one in the same as far as I'm concerned and are best built at the same time. There has been many discussions on the forum as to whether or not the armrests are structural or not. I don't know what Nat's reading on it is.  But I did want access to the control system for later maintenance. I came up with a compromise with glassed in arm rest with removable panels. I can get the  torque tube and bearings out  and have good access to the electrical conduit.  The aft armrest are fully removable, the Strakes will be glassed onto the other side and I felt that would provide plenty of stiffness.  Here are a few pics of what has been done to date.

 Note in the lower LH pic the position of the U-joint in the Torque tube,  it is just clear of the seat back. Because I moved my setback aft 1" I had ..."issues"
Here is a link to the issues I have found to date.


      

Above are the armrests, modified after I decided to use a central sump. The cutouts & covers will protect the fuel lines that run verticaly to the sump under the RH seat.

This is where I received an education in reversing throtttle quadrants. Mine is not, should have been!
No problem though as I can run the cables forward  at approximateley a 45 degree angle to pass just
over the nose wheel house and then over and down one side. Just as if I were using veneers. The real
problem was not that it is not a reversing quadrant, but the the cables must run straight back from the
levers some 8" ~ 10" . They must also be somewhat perpendicular to the levers when they are at
mid-point in their travel. You can see they would end up in the heat duct if they travel aft.

 

Strut fairings. Mine are glassed to the tub, have a split line on the inside or lower side 

of the fairing to allow the landing gear cover to be removed. They fit tight to the strut 

on the bottom side and have 3/16" clearence on the top for gear leg flex upon landing. 

The blue foam still in there was used to set this clearence.