Hi Frank,
Whether or not the tufnel bushes CS04 and 06 are swollen and may be
associated with stiff ailerons is hard to tell from your description. As a
long time Europa inspector all I can say is that I have never come across
swollen Tufnell bushes. You will probably need to disconnect your aileron
system in different places to try to isolate where the problem is coming
from. Could be stiff bearings in the linkage that have not been lubricated.
Could be the cross connecting rod running parallel to the front of the fuel
tank actually fouling the tank. I have seen this before, due to tank
distortion. If this latter is the case then I may be able to suggest a fix.
There is no Tufnel in the tailplane area. If your tailplanes realy won't
come off it is probably due corrosion caused by poor greasing on last
assembly. The moisture gets in down the sides of the tail plane retaining
pip pin and corrosion develops, effectively welding the components together.
If you wish to give me a call on 01494 881431 (UK) we can discuss your
problems.
Pete Jeffers LAA Inspector
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From: owner-europa-list-server@matronics.com
[mailto:owner-europa-list-server@matronics.com] On Behalf Of Frank Mycroft
Sent: 20 February 2013 12:18
Subject: Europa-List: Stiff ailerons
I have a classic Mono and my ailerons have become stiff. I have the wings
off and the problem is near the stick. I suspect that it is the tufnol
bushes ( CS 04 and 06) which have swollen with the damp, despite being
always hangared, but has anyone else had this problem, or found a solution.
It is still flyable, unless it is likely to get worse. A friend put his
yacht in the water in the spring (30+ years ago) and found the helm locked
solid. It was swollen tufnol bushes that was the problem. Yachts use
different material nowadays.
And while on the subject of Tufnol, are the tailplane sleeves (TP 5 and 6)
also made of that material? I am struggling to remove one of the tailplanes
and am afraid to try too hard in case I dislodge the sleeve, especially the
inner one, despite doing mod 73, which in theory ought to make that
impossible. This might be another case of swollen tufnol, in which case I
will just push the tailplane back on, and perhaps try again in the summer,
although the only purpose of removing them seems to be to ensure that they
come off.
Frank Mycroft
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