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Wayne, Thanks for an excellant write up. It's another good one for the files. This is the type of stuff everyone needs to be familiar with and will learn from rather than learning the HARD way. Ron Hynes -------Original Message------- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: 12/31/06 10:37:38 To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [email protected] Subject: Re: [COUPERS-TECH] Control lock bracket has sheared Mike, My Alon has a control lock bracket located on the instrument panel at the right hand side of the control wheel shaft similar to what you described. The lock consists of a small "L" shaped bracket that is riveted onto the structural member under the instrument panel. This structural member is the part that the control wheel shaft passes through. The angle is held in place by two rivets. There is a hole drilled in this angle bracket and there is a hole drilled in the control wheel shaft. These holes are for the lock pin to go into, thereby locking the control wheel shaft to the instrument panel. For safety reasons, the lock pin should be made so that you can't turn the master switch on when the lock pin is installed. I believe that this lock assembly was factory original equipment. I assume that on your plane, the rivets must have sheared off, allowing the bracket to fall on the floor. If your controls were loose in the wind after the bracket fell off, I would recommend inspecting the top of the steel control mast assembly for cracks. There is a steel tab welded to the top of the control mast that stops the ailerons from traveling too far. Adjustable stop bolts hit this tab when the ailerons are fully deflected one way or the other. If the controls were banging around in the wind, and these bolts were banging into the stop, the steel tube that the tab is welded to may be cracked. Years ago when we first bought our Alon, we found such a crack in the top of the control mast. This may be less of a problem if you don't have rudder pedals, since the ailerons are tied into the nose wheel, and the ailerons can't bang freely back and forth with the nose wheel on the ground. Having said all that, if you are expecting very high winds, I would install gust locks on all of the control surfaces so that they can't move in the wind. If you lock the ailerons, rudders and elevators by installing gust locks at the control surfaces (padded boards, etc.) the force of the wind will not be transmitted through the control system and into your control column assembly. It is better to stop the movement at the control surface so that all the cables, pushrods, bearings, rod ends, pulleys, etc., etc., won't be subjected to the loads imposed by the wind. I would also think about installing something on the tops of the wings to ruin the airfoil so that the wing doesn't try to fly. If you are expecting 80 mph winds, what I would really think about is getting that plane in a hangar! Best Regards, Wayne DelRossi Alon N5618F Hours logged since restoration: 212.3 ============================================================================== To leave this forum go to: http://ercoupers.com/lists.htm
