europa-list
[Top] [All Lists]

Europa-List: Control locks

Subject: Europa-List: Control locks
From: John & Paddy Wigney <johnwigney@worldnet.att.net>
Date: Tue, 20 Apr 2004 17:39:31

<<< The seat belt can be adjusted to hold the stick fully aft and central. This
is what I do 
when I tie the aircraft down for a nightstop. Mono or tailwheel Europas don't 
have
any problem 
with the rudder as they are interconnected with the tailwheel preventing the 
rudder
---From blowing 
around in the wind. Nigel Charles >>>


Hi Nigel,

I have just got back from a trip to Sun N Fun at Lakeland, Florida and 
agree with your comments regarding holding the stick with the passenger 
seat belt. That part works fine. However, the rudder is another thing. 
On the way down from North Carolina last week, the wind was very gusty 
and turbulent and at one brief stop at Gainesville,  Florida, I was 
surprised to be paged in the FBO office to look after my plane because 
it was blowing around !

The plane was chocked on the mainwheel and the control stick secured but 
I found that since the rudder was not locked, the gusts were strong 
enough to swing the plane quite a lot as the tailwheel will swing when 
encouraged through almost 90 degrees; so I pulled the plane to an 
adjacent tie down and secured the tail so that I could finish my morning 
coffee. This was on concrete and may be less apparent on grass since the 
wheel will dig in more. I do not have the solution for the problem yet 
and it is on my list of  'to do' items. Any suggestions from fellow 
Europaphiles would be appreciated.

Cheers, John

N262WF, mono XS, 912S
Mooresville, North Carolina




<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>