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Rudder Trim Tab Material?

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pbesing(at)yahoo.com
Guest

Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2008 10:27 pm Post subject: Rudder Trim Tab Material?

Hey all...looking for some bright ideas on a trim tab.  I made one out of wood.  A wedge shape.  Taped on the rudder and nailed the size and location...pure luck.  Anyway, what have others seen that would look very clean and work well?  How did you fasten it?  I was thinking of a solid piece of machined alluminum, but not sure how to mount it on the skin.



Paul Besing

RV-4 N73DD

Arizona



       Be a better friend, newshound, and  [quote][b]

Rick Galati

Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 91
Location: Lake St. Louis MO.

Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2008 4:51 am Post subject: Rudder Trim Tab Material?

It has been awhile since I installed this little wedge with double sided carpet tape per plans and has since been painted over.  Works great.

   

  http://tinyurl.com/2rlafg



 [quote][b]

Ollie Washburn

Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 56
Location: Central Florida

Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2008 5:53 am Post subject: Rudder Trim Tab Material?

Use good quality double back tape.

  

 Ollie

 On Fri, Feb 15, 2008 at 1:23 AM, Paul Besing <pbesing(at)yahoo.com (pbesing(at)yahoo.com)> wrote:

 [quote]   Hey all...looking for some bright ideas on a trim tab.  I made one out of wood.  A wedge shape.  Taped on the rudder and nailed the size and location...pure luck.  Anyway, what have others seen that would look very clean and work well?  How did you fasten it?  I was thinking of a solid piece of machined alluminum, but not sure how to mount it on the skin.

 

Paul Besing

RV-4 N73DD

Arizona



  Be a better friend, newshound, and  	  Quote: 	
		  

	


[b]

_________________
Ollie RV6-A & Rans S7S
Central FL

sheldonb(at)frontiernet.n
Guest

Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2008 6:51 am Post subject: Rudder Trim Tab Material?

Paul... I did a aluminium tab on the bottom of the  rudder... easy to adjust... with a shape that gives the plane a little longer  look (I think ha).. However, some say not the best place for the tab  efficiency... See attached shot...

 Sheldon

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tail_closeups_(26)_(Large)_(Small).jpg

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sbuc(at)hiwaay.net
Guest

Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2008 6:54 am Post subject: Rudder Trim Tab Material?

Paul Besing wrote:

 	  Quote: 	
		   Hey all...looking for some bright ideas on a trim tab.  I made one

 out of wood.  A wedge shape.  Taped on the rudder and nailed the size

 and location...pure luck.  Anyway, what have others seen that would

 look very clean and work well?  How did you fasten it?  I was

 thinking of a solid piece of machined alluminum, but not sure how to

 mount it on the skin.


	


Paul, I took the balsa wedge I used for testing and covered it with 

black Monokote to match the rudder and RTV'ed it to the rudder. I needed 

some Monokote on the plane in honor of my R/C background.  



A few years later after changing wheelpants and gear fairings, the tab 

needed to be redone so I bent one out of 0.016 aluminum (formed it with 

closed ends and back) and pop riveted it to the rudder. Its been there 

for several years now.



Sam Buchanan

klwerner(at)comcast.net
Guest

Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2008 8:56 am Post subject: Rudder Trim Tab Material?

Sheldon,

 Where exactly would be the best  location for good tab efficiency? 

 Konrad

 [quote]   ---

pbesing(at)yahoo.com
Guest

Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2008 9:27 am Post subject: Rudder Trim Tab Material?

Very nice look...works well I assume?



---

johnd(at)wlcwyo.com
Guest

Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2008 11:57 am Post subject: Rudder Trim Tab Material?

I used a piece of 0.04 aluminum bent to shape and used carpet tape to secure it to the rudder. Flew for 300 hrs without a problem.  

     

John L. Danielson  

307-266-2524  

johnd(at)wlcwyo.com  

WLC, Inc.  

  

   

--

randy(at)romeolima.com
Guest

Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2008 3:34 pm Post subject: Rudder Trim Tab Material?

 	  Quote: 	
		   A few years later after changing wheelpants and gear fairings, the tab 

 needed to be redone so I bent one out of 0.016 aluminum (formed it with 

 closed ends and back) and pop riveted it to the rudder. Its been there for 

 several years now. Sam Buchanan


	


As Sam mentions, things down the road can change which is why I also went 

with a bendable tab. Make sure you don't locate it right behind the HS, it 

will blank it. Here's my solution...

http://www.romeolima.com/RV3hq/Airframe/DSCN2596.jpg



Randy Lervold

Mark Phillips in TN

Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 431
Location: Columbia, TN

Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2008 7:41 pm Post subject: Rudder Trim Tab Material?

In a message dated 02/15/2008 8:56:29 AM Central Standard Time, sbuc(at)hiwaay.net writes:

  	  Quote: 	
		  Hey all...looking for some bright ideas on a trim tab. 	


 >>>

 Here's hoping someone with a lot more aeronautical knowledge than myself could specifically quantify this issue.  I've watched these trimtab debates for years here on the 'List and have been unable to understand this phenomenon.  In my possibly skewed way of thinking, an airplane in a given configuration will seek equilibrium regarding yaw.  Pitch and roll are pretty much no-brainers since we'd like to stay at a desired altitude and heading.  But adding some kind of drag inducing device to the airframe in an effort to keep that little ball between the lines seems like an attempt to "force" the airplane into an "unhappy" trim condition.

  

 Any ballistic projectile (arrow, for example?) will seek its most efficient trajectory based on the drag of its components settling on their least resistance to the airflow and fly a straight as it can, given its profile.  Does this not apply to airplanes as well?  Consider that when too high on final, a corrective action is often a cross control situation causing the airplane to descend more rapidly- by adding DRAG.  Wouldn't adding a trimtab be similar, even if on a much smaller scale?

  

 Are we inducing false efficiency to simply satisfy possible instrument error (that little ball) on an airframe we may not have perfectly constructed?

  

 Mr Horton & others- your thoughts, please?

  

 Mark Phillips - do not archive



The year's hottest artists on the red carpet at the Grammy Awards.  AOL Music takes you there.

  [quote][b]

_________________
From The PossumWorks...

bicyclop(at)pacbell.net
Guest

Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2008 9:09 pm Post subject: Rudder Trim Tab Material?

Mark,



I'm not sure about the theory of it, but when the ball is centered our 

plane is a little faster and climbs slightly better. I think it's about 

not slipping - getting sideways causes drag. In a climb, as I add right 

rudder, it climbs better. In a descent, I have to add a little left 

rudder as the trim tab is set for cruise speed, and when I do, it goes 

faster by a few knots.



Try shooting an arrow that has one feather bigger than the others and 

see how straight and fast it flies. We have P-factor and rotating 

slipstream effect causing us to yaw. If we don't correct the yaw, we're 

flying with a bit of a forward slip.



Pax,



Ed



Fiveonepw(at)aol.com wrote:

 	  Quote: 	
		   In a message dated 02/15/2008 8:56:29 AM Central Standard Time, 

 sbuc(at)hiwaay.net writes:



     Hey all...looking for some bright ideas on a trim tab.



 >>>

 Here's hoping someone with a lot more aeronautical knowledge than 

 myself could specifically quantify this issue.  I've watched these 

 trimtab debates for years here on the 'List and have been unable to 

 understand this phenomenon.  In my possibly skewed way of thinking, an 

 airplane in a given configuration will seek equilibrium regarding 

 yaw.  Pitch and roll are pretty much no-brainers since we'd like to 

 stay at a desired altitude and heading.  But adding some kind of drag 

 inducing device to the airframe in an effort to keep that little ball 

 between the lines seems like an attempt to "force" the airplane into 

 an "unhappy" trim condition.

  

 Any ballistic projectile (arrow, for example?) will seek its most 

 efficient trajectory based on the drag of its components settling on 

 their least resistance to the airflow and fly a straight as it can, 

 given its profile.  Does this not apply to airplanes as well?  

 Consider that when too high on final, a corrective action is often a 

 cross control situation causing the airplane to descend more rapidly- 

 by adding DRAG.  Wouldn't adding a trimtab be similar, even if on a 

 much smaller scale?

  

 Are we inducing false efficiency to simply satisfy possible instrument 

 error (that little ball) on an airframe we may not have perfectly 

 constructed?

  

 Mr Horton & others- your thoughts, please?

  

 Mark Phillips - do not archive



 ------------------------------------------------------------------------

 The year's hottest artists on the red carpet at the Grammy Awards. AOL 

 Music takes you there. 

 <http://music.aol.com/grammys?NCID=aolcmp00300000002565>

 *

 *

sheldonb(at)frontiernet.n
Guest

Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2008 6:49 am Post subject: Rudder Trim Tab Material?

Yes..seems to work pretty good... Took couple  flights to adjust..and ball in center... It's pop-riveted on the left side of  the rudder bottom with 3 rivets..

 Sheldon

 [quote]   ---

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