We've all seen tons of rudder gust locks, here's mine completed during the annual.
Considerations:
It had to be effective, safe (difficult to forget to remove prior to flight),light and very convenient to use.
Fabrication:
I measured the O.D. of the rudder pedal arm verticals post, then found a piece of 4130 tubing whose I.D. was slightly larger. I then used a hand grinder to split it down the middle (that was the goal anyway), then bent a piece of 3/16 mild steel into a 90 and welded it to the tubing half. I attached them to the rudder arm with a single adel clamp.
The red arms are from an old street sign we had laying around. You need these arms to be fairly stiff.
I then drill a hole in the tunnel cover and mounted an AN bolt with with a cotter key hole in it.
The red arms in the picture were the prototypes, the final ones are similar but a little cleaner.
Construction tips:
Place an external rudder gust lock in place to center the rudder. Then ensure you push each rudder pedal firmly forward. You will then see where the ruder pedals will be when locked. I then eyeballed that the arms would need to be about a foot long.
I then mounted my bolt in the tunnel.
I then fabricated my arms, drilled a hole on one end to go over the 3/16 90.
I then swung the other end of the arm over the bolt in the tunnel, kinda scraped it on the bolt as an indication where to drill the hole for that end.
A not of caution, ensure the rudder pedals are firmly pushed forward before you mark your drill hole on the arm end that will go on the tunnel bolt.
Why? Because the rudder cables have no springs and if the pedals are not pushed firmly forward, the cables will have slack and the rudder will continue to move a little, even with the gust lock installed. Yes, I found this out the hard way.
When not in use the locks go in the co-pilot seat back. Weighs less than a pound.
None of this is rocket science or Mikey Patey quality. But it'll do for now.
Considerations:
It had to be effective, safe (difficult to forget to remove prior to flight),light and very convenient to use.
Fabrication:
I measured the O.D. of the rudder pedal arm verticals post, then found a piece of 4130 tubing whose I.D. was slightly larger. I then used a hand grinder to split it down the middle (that was the goal anyway), then bent a piece of 3/16 mild steel into a 90 and welded it to the tubing half. I attached them to the rudder arm with a single adel clamp.
The red arms are from an old street sign we had laying around. You need these arms to be fairly stiff.
I then drill a hole in the tunnel cover and mounted an AN bolt with with a cotter key hole in it.
The red arms in the picture were the prototypes, the final ones are similar but a little cleaner.
Construction tips:
Place an external rudder gust lock in place to center the rudder. Then ensure you push each rudder pedal firmly forward. You will then see where the ruder pedals will be when locked. I then eyeballed that the arms would need to be about a foot long.
I then mounted my bolt in the tunnel.
I then fabricated my arms, drilled a hole on one end to go over the 3/16 90.
I then swung the other end of the arm over the bolt in the tunnel, kinda scraped it on the bolt as an indication where to drill the hole for that end.
A not of caution, ensure the rudder pedals are firmly pushed forward before you mark your drill hole on the arm end that will go on the tunnel bolt.
Why? Because the rudder cables have no springs and if the pedals are not pushed firmly forward, the cables will have slack and the rudder will continue to move a little, even with the gust lock installed. Yes, I found this out the hard way.
When not in use the locks go in the co-pilot seat back. Weighs less than a pound.
None of this is rocket science or Mikey Patey quality. But it'll do for now.