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Steel wire rudder lock

Ed_Wischmeyer

Well Known Member
My RV-9A came with the standard upside down U steel wire rudder lock that goes through the rudder stop and the bellcrank. The wire also was threaded through a red ribbon.

In an episode that makes no sense, all that blew off the rudder last year, and with Oshkosh coming up, I need to replace the wire.

Where does one get four inches of such wire? Steel, yes, but I don't even know what to ask for or where to ask.

In other "news," in addition to order parts to fix one fuel cap, I've ordered a spare.

Thanks!

Ed
 
Ed
I would go to local hardware store.
Probably make you buy 1 foot so you will have 3
By the time you are done.

Put other 2 in emergency kit.

Will need swag tool to finish them.

Boomer
 
Ed,

My choice would be the 5/16th rod stock.
You may chose to put a small angle bend in the horizontal section of the upside down U. That can allow some flex in the horizontal portion, preventing the bending of the legs.
If you loop that red ribbon through the tail tie down after installing the device, it's much less likely to blow away.
 
Lots of examples of the steel wire rudder lock failing in a big blow (what...does that ever happen at Osh?).
I'm going to make padded plates that go on each side of the rudder counterbalance horn at the top with a small tab that goes through the gap between the rudder and the VS. A pip pin or ball lock pin goes through the tab on the outside of the plates to lock the rudder in place.
 
Rudder Lock, a Better Solution

Here is what I made for my RV-9A. Works the best of any solution I have tried or seen. Trim to get an exact fit for your plane. Drop 10-32 screws into the holes and it works a charm. I fabricated a 1" pvc pipe to hold the stick in the back, left position to hold ailerons and elevator.
Ed
 

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Hobby shop

Might want to look for some stock at a hobby shop that sell to the radio control plane and car people. That’s where I got mine.
 
Most places that advertised "wire" really meant braided cable. I found 3/16 steel rod at Home Depot and will try that.

First step will be to clean off all the grease! And I hope it won't rust.
 
My RV-9A came with the standard upside down U steel wire rudder lock that goes through the rudder stop and the bellcrank. The wire also was threaded through a red ribbon.

In an episode that makes no sense, all that blew off the rudder last year, and with Oshkosh coming up, I need to replace the wire.

Where does one get four inches of such wire? Steel, yes, but I don't even know what to ask for or where to ask.

In other "news," in addition to order parts to fix one fuel cap, I've ordered a spare.

Thanks!

Ed

---Hi! Ed
You may want to consider a real solution like our "Ultimate Gust Lock" that will
protect all the surfaces, and controls on your aircraft. Go to AntiSplatAero.com,
and have a look them as well as our other products. Thanks, Allan:D
 
OSH?

Allan,

Will you be at OSH? A friend of mine just puchased a gust lock from you. Looks nice, he says it works well. I may be ready to purchase.

Thanks,
 
Allan,

Will you be at OSH? A friend of mine just puchased a gust lock from you. Looks nice, he says it works well. I may be ready to purchase.

Thanks,

___Sorry to say, I will not be there this year as we are just too busy to get away
and I am not getting any faster at getting things done. We have them in stock
for all models, should you wish to get one. Best, Allan--:D
 
U-bolt

Where does one get four inches of such wire? Steel, yes, but I don't even know what to ask for or where to ask.

How thick? I used a stainless U-bolt. Some artistic hammering on a vise, and voila. See photo as utilized on our RV9A. You should be able to find thinner U-bolts if that is what you are looking for.

Hanging it at the bottom allows some flex during windy times, minimizing stress on the rudder... I would think. So far has worked well for us during 13 years and 1100 hrs.

I have a light aluminum carabiner with a remove before flight flag that I attach to my headset as a reminder. Have never forgotten to remove the rudder gust lock in all that time.

Edit: size is 1/4" u-bolt. Survived many a storm. Nice and solid, yet allows for some flexing in the wind to prevent any support damage.
.
 

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Last edited:
My RV-9A came with the standard upside down U steel wire rudder lock that goes through the rudder stop and the bellcrank. The wire also was threaded through a red ribbon.

In an episode that makes no sense, all that blew off the rudder last year, and with Oshkosh coming up, I need to replace the wire.

Where does one get four inches of such wire? Steel, yes, but I don't even know what to ask for or where to ask.

In other "news," in addition to order parts to fix one fuel cap, I've ordered a spare.

Thanks!

Ed

When I made mine, which is just like yours, I used a small length of leftover hinge pin. If you don’t have any, you can get some from Aircraft Spruce or a multitude of other places.
Good luck
 
I'll jump in here and endorse Allan's excellent product which I just bought for my 10 and have used twice now. It's an elegantly engineered solution - not the only one, but one I'm very happy with after trying lots of other lock ideas on my 6A and now the 10. It works. Definitely a buy-once, cry once solution that I'm not even considering sending back for Anti-Splat's cheerful refund.

Thanks again, Mr.Nimmo, for sharing your engineering and manufacturing expertise with our RV community. Well done.

When/if I ever figure out how to adapt my South Florida Sport Aviation joystick covers so that they fit over the joystick clamp block, it will be the prefect setup. Even if that never happens, I'm keeping the gust lock and ditching the pilot-side stick cover. Damaged control surfaces versus a leather-wrapped joystick isn't even a contest.
 
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Forget the outside ! Just brace the pedals inside ! Much more convenient and no scratches !
 
Maybe too rigid?

The problem I see with most of these rudder gust locks are that they are too rigid. It really helps to have a bit of give too absorb the loads.

I used a steel U-shape hinge pin at first. The first time they had to deal with a strong wind I realized they were not a good solution. Now, I only use these if I'm parking for a lunch stop.

I switched to the Airgizmo gust locks for a while. I am now using a system that is out of production (as far as I know).

The Rudder locks go in the cabin between the spar and the rudder pedals. It consists of a pair of 2 metal tubes - one inside the other with a spring inside the larger tube. The small tubes press up against the springs - which absorb the shock of wind gusts.
 
First, if the gust lock won't protect the plane in a 70 kt wind, it's insufficient.

Second, and this is an opinion, any gust lock should be designed so that the airplane cannot be operated with it engaged. By operated, I mean you can't even taxi it, or better, if you can't even get into the cockpit.

Dave
 
I'll jump in here and endorse Allan's excellent product which I just bought for my 10 and have used twice now. It's an elegantly engineered solution - not the only one, but one I'm very happy with after trying lots of other lock ideas on my 6A and now the 10. It works. Definitely a buy-once, cry once solution that I'm not even considering sending back for Anti-Splat's cheerful refund.

Thanks again, Mr.Nimmo, for sharing your engineering and manufacturing expertise with our RV community. Well done.

When/if I ever figure out how to adapt my South Florida Sport Aviation joystick covers so that they fit over the joystick clamp block, it will be the prefect setup. Even if that never happens, I'm keeping the gust lock and ditching the pilot-side stick cover. Damaged control surfaces versus a leather-wrapped joystick isn't even a contest.

I just purchased the ultimate gust lock for my -10. I have the aerosport stick boots.

My solution for the clamp block was to cut an opening in the boot to allow the sides and aft portion of the block to protrude through the leather boot. I then put the used a scotchbrite wheel and a polishing wheel to put a mirror finish on the block. Works great. Pictures will follow.

When I made the cut in the leather, I did 45 degree cuts from the corners to allow me to fold the leather inward and create a finished edge.
 
I routinely use the Anti-Splat gust lock and have found it to work well. Really locks up the rudder and elevators. I did recently park for a few hours at a local Warbirds show, with winds gusting to 30 knots and had to park tail into the wind. I noticed some play in the ailerons, but not enough to cause damage. It attaches easily...I lock the stick bracket to the stick right below the grip and it holds really well. Best of all, it's virtually impossible to forget to remove it before takeoff. No stick boot modifications necessary of the RV-9/A
 
My RV-9A came with the standard upside down U steel wire rudder lock that goes through the rudder stop and the bellcrank. The wire also was threaded through a red ribbon.

In an episode that makes no sense, all that blew off the rudder last year, and with Oshkosh coming up, I need to replace the wire.

Where does one get four inches of such wire? Steel, yes, but I don't even know what to ask for or where to ask.

In other "news," in addition to order parts to fix one fuel cap, I've ordered a spare.

Thanks!

Ed
Just for another data point, my steel wire which was put on both sides failed and caused rudder damage during a higher up wind. I ended up building a new rudder. So, I don't rely on that type alone.
 
Another vote for the Anti-Splat gust lock. It works great, is easy to install/remove, and no chance of operating the plane without removing it. Nobody else has mentioned the most important part - the controls will be locked before you even leave the cockpit and remain that way until you're at the controls again. All these other solutions may work to varying degrees, but damage can happen before you're able to get them installed.
 
I have Allen's Anti-Splat gust lock, which works great and folds up into a nice small package. Allen make lots of great RV stuff.












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