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Weefle

Well Known Member
Looking for a way to seal off the cold air at the aileron pushrod exit on fuselage.
I ran across these boots on Amazon and just received them today. As far as I can tell they seem to fit the application. The hole size is 2” and these fit a bit loose but they won’t slip out as they are like a grommet. I cut a small hole in the end for the push rod. There is nothing to catch or bind but my wings aren’t on yet.
I thought I would put the boot on the inside where it may be warmer and the rod end can’t catch.

Can anyone see why these wouldn’t work? At 28.95 for 4 that’s a cheap fix.

Keith
 

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Outside of being heavy and stiff, they might work. Sew up some ripstop nylon and you'll save some weight and seal more effectively. Won't change the feel of your ailerons, either.

Dave
 
Outside of being heavy and stiff, they might work. Sew up some ripstop nylon and you'll save some weight and seal more effectively. Won't change the feel of your ailerons, either.

Dave

At 50 grams for a pair of them and trim the hole till there is no drag on the pushrod….IMO it’s a simple and cheap solution.

Keith
 
At 50 grams for a pair of them and trim the hole till there is no drag on the pushrod….IMO it’s a simple and cheap solution.

Keith

100g is .22 lbs....stuff like that adds up.

In a previous unnamed aircraft co that I worked for would often offer a bounty if you could reduce the weight of a particular system. Sometimes up to $1000/lb.

Just an alternative view....
 
100g is .22 lbs....stuff like that adds up.

In a previous unnamed aircraft co that I worked for would often offer a bounty if you could reduce the weight of a particular system. Sometimes up to $1000/lb.

Just an alternative view....

That would be .11 lbs for the pair. I get it …stuff adds up but I passed on AC and the chute….lol
 
At 50 grams for a pair of them and trim the hole till there is no drag on the pushrod….IMO it’s a simple and cheap solution.

Keith

I'm not familiar with how the RV10 pushrods work, but if it's similar to my RV7 the pushrods have some lateral movement based on pulling the stick fore/aft. It's hard to see how the holes could be trimmed for no drag unless they're oval shaped with a built in air gap.

I see in the picture that the holes in the fuselage side are a lot smaller than they are on the 7. Is there some kind of different setup on the 10?
 
Can't you find a Universal CV joint boot that'll fit here...? Seems like that would be a better option for this application. Like this one: https://www.amazon.com/Flexx-Boot-FB3000-Small-Universal/dp/B00C2M76ME

When I first started looking outside the box, I looked at gear shift boots, shock absorber boots and yes CV joints. None looked viable. The CV joint would still require some way to fasten it to the fuselage. The RV 10 pushrod hole is 2” diameter. Moving the sticks fore/aft, front / back does not translate into very much movement at the boot/pushrod location. As I do not yet have the wings attached i cannot comment on feel of the movement. I can tell you this though that making the hole a few thousands larger is very simple and would alleviate any drag on the pushrod. It’s experimental after all :)
 
There are a number of purpose-made products, specifically designed to seal off the aileron pushrod in an airplane without inducing binding or drag, or other issues that might be associated with such an approach to a critical control surface component.

No offense meant, but using a toilet plunger or similar to seal off the aileron opening feels sort of akin to using lamp cord in place of tefzel-coated aviation wire for avionics. I get that it’s experimental aviation…I just wouldn’t be adventurous enough to take a such an approach to a control surface pushrod in an airplane that I am building and trusting my life to. JMO.
 
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I would not use those rubber boots. I thought of using similar when I built my-10 but knew they would interfere with the natural feel of the controls. I ended up sewing up a couple cones out of heavy nylon material and fabricating an aluminum ring to rivet to the fuselage sandwiching the material. The tip was just zip tied to the control rod. The fabric cone needs to be long enough to allow full travel with a little slack before it gets to the travel stops.
 
The rip-stop boots from Abby (Flightline Interiors) are very light, seal well, don't offer any additional resistance and don't wear the pushrod tube. They are attached with adhesive and split with velcro closure.

There have been patterns posted and Joann fabrics sells rip stop, any seamstress can make them on regular sewing machines. Be a builder - make good stuff.

EDIT: I see RVbySDI has posted the pattern link below.
 
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Thanks for the replies

Thanks for all the feedback. It is much appreciated. I cant imagine building an RV without tapping into so much wisdom!
I guess I’ll learn to sew now too!

Keith
 
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