rudder/tailwheel horn

tiav8r · Post by **tiav8r** » Sat Mar 07, 2009 18:30

Thought I'd let everybody know that I got a new horn, got it installed, and now I'm back to work on the floor, the battery, starter, & wiring! That horn was a real challenge! Thanks to everyone for their help!

Terry Irwin

Post by **joea** » Sat Mar 07, 2009 19:30

Terry,

What did you do, get a new horn from Wag (SAF) Aero? What was the price?

Hope you put the eyelets in as it will save the new rudderhorn.

Joe

tiav8r · Post by **tiav8r** » Sat Mar 07, 2009 20:52

Joe,

Got it from WagAero, and it took a little work to get it to fit, but it's in and bolted now. It was a little oversize, and had to be filed down around the shank to slide into the rudder tube. After a little filing and fitting it worked fine. My IA was happy with it. This one has reinforced holes where the chains connect, but the eyebolts are going in anyway as per your suggestion.

Thanks again!

Terry

Post by **joea** » Sat Mar 07, 2009 21:14

Terry,

You will like the way it works and looks with the eye bolts. Plus it saves the rudderhorn.

Glad you got things going forwards again.

Joe

gusc · Post by **gusc** » Sat Mar 07, 2009 22:16

I got my rudder horn from WA about a year ago and as I remember they have both inside and outside types.

I know they have two different sizes because I sent the first one back and got another size. It wasn't their fault, I changed my mind about the rudder tubing after I got the first one.

tiav8r · Post by **tiav8r** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 18:23

Gus,

Yeah, I thought I had the wrong size at first, but realized that the casting just had to be filed down so that it would fit the tubing. Not too much work to make it fit.

Ash Flat? I saw it on the chart when I was looking at northern Arkansas. I'm wanting to fly over to Gaston's from here in Cape Girardeau when I get the Champ going again. If I flew a direct course from CGI over there, I would be tight on fuel, and there are few airports on that route. I decided that I'd go south toward your neck of the woods and refuel somewhere. Ash Flat was one of my possibilities.

Terry Irwin

Dennis · Post by **Dennis** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 18:51

Terry, I am about 40 miles to the south of Gastons. Let me know and I'll see if I can meet you up there.

Dennis

tiav8r · Post by **tiav8r** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 20:55

Dennis,

That sounds great! I take it you've been in there before? I'm looking forward to it. Maybe if there are other Champ owners in the area we can have a "Champ Fly-In"!

Terry

Dennis · Post by **Dennis** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 22:13

Terry, I have been in there many times. If you like, we can meet and I can show you the ropes. Several months ago, I took Chris in. My Champ is not together so I will have to fly my Cherokee.

Dennis

gusc · Post by **gusc** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 23:46

Terry,

Mine fit fine with no filing, I just decided to use a different method of repairing the lower rudder tubing and needed a larger size.

The best place for refueling from CGI would probably be West Plains as it is almost directly on your route. Mt. Home also has fuel and is almost in Gaston's traffic pattern. I don't know if they have self serve fuel or not.

CVK or 6M2 would be a bit out of your way. West Plains is probably the safest if fuel is a problem, It doesn't seem to me you would have any problem making it to Gaston's from CGI?

Gaston's has fuel, or at least they used to. I haven't been there in a while but plan to as soon as the weather is decent. Right now the wind is above the Champ stall speed!!

Hi, Dennis. Maybe we can all meet there, my Champ is ready to roll!

tiav8r · Post by **tiav8r** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 00:46

Probably could do it without a fuel stop, but I have an 85 with the standard tank---no aux fuel. I just don't like running on the edge, especially in all those hills...haha!

Your right--the wind we've had over here this week at CGI are just about stalling speed in the Champ! March has arrived! Well, actually, it arrived sometime about 2 months ago. It's been windy since early January. I've had enough of it!

Terry

flyingfool · Post by **flyingfool** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 11:07

OK I want to order my eyebolts.

I see in the aircraft spruce catalog the AN42B eybolts.

I measured the thickness of the rudder horn and it is 3/8 inch thick.

I was wondering if I were to put a washer under the locknut if the eyebolt that has the 3/6" grip would be long enough to have enough threads sticking out of the locknut. Or if I would or should move up to the next longer eyebolt grip and thus overall lenght.

Should a washer also go under the end with the eye as well as the nut side?

Roger Anderson · Post by **Roger Anderson** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 14:32

flyingfool wrote:OK I want to order my eyebolts.

I
Should a washer also go under the end with the eye as well as the nut side?

I put a washer under the nut but not the bottom side. That part of the eyebolt has a nice big shoulder and I couldn't see any reason for one. Don't get one so long that the unthreaded part of the shank sticks up and you can't snug down....of course then you could add a washer or two I guess to make it work. All things considered, this is a pretty low tech fix. It's just like sticking a bolt through and snugging it down. I think the whole thing got over thought a bit. But that's what this board is for.

Post by **joea** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 20:38

Looked on the eyebolts on my Aeronca and its done the same way as Roger's is.

flyingfool · Post by **flyingfool** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 10:09

Ok. I thought that the eyebolt end would have sufficient shoulder but wanted to ask.

I think I have a general question not even specific to this eyebolt.

Are AN bolts made so that the threaded portion is of sufficient length to allow the proper number of threads to show outside the nut (AN365) if a single washer is used?

Also I have not seen a spec as to the thickness of an AN wahser (AN985?).

I do not want to get the EXACT grip length and then idiosyncracies of the thickness of the rudder horn be such that the locknut will not be able to properly tighten because a very small portion of the unthreaded shank sticks out. And then when I put on a washer, there is insufficient threads protruding out the end of the installed locknut.

I do not have an unlimited supply of AN hardware lying around (YET!) and for budgetary purposes, I am planning on only ordering the eybolts and h ardware that I need. I'd hate to order them and then find out I'm a couple gnatts behind length off and have to reorder and pay shipping and/or sales tax again!