Control joystick torque tube install
TLDR
- Installed the torque tube for both control sticks
Detail
I spent 2 nights to install the torque tube for both control sticks.
Previously I have already fitted the tubes on the fuselage so I am relatively confident the tubes rotates ok.
Screws
The first step was to install the 4 screws on the main spar to hold the control sticks.
The space was very tight to work with. I had to climb into the fuselage and bend into a very awkward position to work on the screws.
I eventually fonud a trick: use tape to hold the washer and screw together, then it was a lot easier to line up with the M4 screw. And once the nut catches onto the screw, I just pulled the tape off.
Once they threaded together, I used 2.5mm allen wrench to tighten the lock nut. The tightening was slow, because it seemed pretty easy to strip to hex head bolt.
Fitting the front part
It took a few small adjustments on the front retainer piece for the tubes to rotate freely. I used a deburring tool to shave off the retainer just slightly and sanded it with a dremel wheel.
Aileron connection tube
Once both tubes were in, I connected the aileron cross link tube.
I made a stupid mistake here. I mistakenly put the rod on the wrong side as in, the left and right were flipped when I put it in. I couldn’t thread the eyebolts in because of that.
So I removed the eyebolt on one side, and it gave me enough space to pull the connection rod out, and put it back in the correct direction. Removing the eyebolt was a serious challenge due to the tight space. I spent about 30 minutes to remove the AN4 bolt holding the eyebolt, and another 1 hour to put it back in.
Remaining work
I still have a few things left to tidy-up on the control sticks:
- Torque the bolt that locks the aileron connection tube.
- Install the joystick.
- Install the grip on joystick.
