PK.Smith wrote: >> Hi Mark, I have seen the 2 options you describe but dislike both. The servo in the elevator adds a little weight to the control which adversely affects flutter susceptiblity. This meanst additional counterbalance weight which in turn adds mass in the tail, something I'd like to avoid .<<
N56ML has the trimtab servo in the elevator, and it's done 240 mph, so I don't share the flutter concern. The amount of drag in N891JF nyrod is minimal, I doubt it's an ounce. If I had a fish scale designed for goldfish, I'd measure it for you. Aerodynamic forces on the trim tab are far greater. Since you're so concerned about weight in the tail, consider the fact that the servo is now 24" behind the pilot's seat mounted solidly to the fuselage, with the nyrod running back to the elevator from there, so where Jim Faughn located it answers your aft CG concern, and the drag is not an issue. This was proven in 320 hours of flight, because most of the time it was fully deflected because it was a bit nose heavy and he wasn't wild about fixed trim tabs. I immediately added a trim tab to the opposite elevator to neutralize stick-free behavior, so the trim tab no longer works so hard. In the rework, I've likely fixed the nose-heavy situation as well. There are plenty of ways to do this, but I have to admit that I went for the way that was easiest...fix what's there, rather than tear into the nicely painted elevator (while underneath on my back, looking up) to install a servo. I'm quite familiar with the tab in the elevator, and that's the way I'll do my next plane. See http://www.n56ml.com/trimtab/index.html for details. This tiny little trim tab was way more than N56ML ever needed. I did all my flying in the middle of the band, never seeing full trim. I could have used it all for full flap operation, but I'm not one to fool around with the trim all day when there's flying to be done anyway... Mark Langford, Harvest, AL ML at N56ML.com www.N56ML.com
