Rowland
I agree with all the comments so far but would just add that it is a good
idea to do a dry run first using whatever method you have decided on to hold
it all together, be it clecos, rivets, straps, etc. This will help you get
the best fit and give you a chance to check that there is no interference
with the controls,
Regards
Paul Atkinson
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-europa-list-server@matronics.com
[mailto:owner-europa-list-server@matronics.com] On Behalf Of Rowland & Wilma
Carson
Sent: 22 September 2008 21:40
Subject: Europa-List: cockpit module alignment
I've managed to be ill in bed with a fever during the recent dry weather and
so missed a chance to do the spar bush alignemnt stuff outdoors, but I have
another problem that's bothering me.
I attach 6 fairly small pictures which I hope illustrate what I'm talking
about.
I have fitted the bearings for both ends of the CS05 torque tubes and was
pretty happy with the way it was all going until I put the cockpit module
into the lower fuselage moulding (see picture
DSCN2491.jpg) to do the check of stick movement as advised in the manual
(page 13-10). If I don't sit in the CM, all is fine and movement of the
sticks is constrained only by the cockpit sides and tunnel. However, when I
sit in it, the movement is considerably reduced; with only about 100mm
deflection left or right from centre at the top of the stick, there's a
graunching noise as the corners of
CS07/08 scrape against the fuselage floor.
You'll see in the picture that the outlines of the brown foam inserts in the
lower moulding don't seem to have any real relationship with the various
cutouts and shapes of the CM. I'd have thought that perhaps they would line
up in places. They are not even symmetrical port & starboard (the seats, on
my CM anyway, have slightly different shapes P & S).
I phoned up the factory when I found this and Roger assured me that all will
be well when the CM & lower moulding are bonded and thus stiffened. However,
as I look at things more closely, I am not much comforted by that.
The cockpit flange at the bottom of the seat backrest is supported by only
fresh air, in the middle of the green area across the middle of picture
DSCN2496.jpg, and any pressure on the seat pan will bend the CM down into
that depression. That causes CS07/08 to touch the fuselage floor where the
small black marks can be seen on the brown area at the rear of the green
stripe. I checked that the clearance for CS07/08 is correct (~6mm) as per
the manual (picture DSCN2501.jpg), but the depression in the green stripe is
about 4mm deep (picture DSCN2513.jpg) so if the CM is pushed down ito that
locally the clearance will be badly compromised.
Picture DSCN2515.jpg shows the width of the green depression, with a ruler
placed against the port CS07/08 witness mark. The depression lies from about
25mm to 100mm on the ruler. Picture DSCN2516.jpg shows the same ruler
positioned on the CM underside against CS07, demonstrating that the CM
flange across the seat-backs falls between the 25mm mark and the 100mm mark.
I think the engineering solution is to put packing between the CM and the
fuselage where there is no foam layer, so that the Redux will not need to
bridge the full 4mm gap. But what packing? It's got to be at least as strong
as the Redux. Maybe I should go the (expensive) route of putting in a layer
of Redux first with release film to fill the gap, as I did on the ribs when
closing the wings.
Has anyone else found this problem? Or is my CM/fuselage moulding a
mismatched pair?
All input appreciated!
regards
Rowland
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