Flight Controls, Part 2

Next order of business was to modify the existing control sticks to accommodate the Tosten CS-6 grips I purchased for the project.  Removing the last 6 inches of the stock control stick was the
 plan, which was easily done.  Next the end of the tubing was cleaned up and sanded down to accept the turned aluminum stub which mounts the grip into the stick.  A locking Allen head set screw secures the grip to the stick.

Now the nasty task of stuffing 8 #22 wires down the very narrow control stick.  Over a period of several days, the task was finally accomplished.  The trick that worked for me was to use some nylon string with a small knot (for some added mass) on one end and the application of a vacuum cleaner to draw the pull string down the tube.  It took many tries, but I finally got'er done.  The most trying part was making the passage way over/under/around the bushing where the stick pivots.  There is precious little room for the wires to pass.

In the end, it was all for naught as I deemed that the movement of the wires was too excessive when exiting the stick at the bottom.  In order to remedy this, I unhappily opted to drill an exit hole in the bottom of the goose neck for a much superior method.

I can't say enough good things about the Tosten grips - they are works of art and of fine quality.  The principal of the company, Kevin, is an RV-6 pilot and a great customer advocate!  He wants the purchaser to be happy.  He even re-made my grips when I complained that the leads were a bit too short.  He sent me new ones and did not have me return the originals until I was satisfied.  A+++ for Kevin and his Tosten grips.

Now that I had committed to using two grips with hat switches, the need for protecting against a short circuit situation wherein both pilots simultaneously initiate trim commands, had to be addressed.  After consideration of a manual pilot/co-pilot switch, I decided on the more elaborate relay-interlock system to safeguard the circuit.  I purchased the Ray Allen Rel-2 Servo Relay Deck as shown below, along with its fairly straightforward instructions.  More to come on this topic in the Electrical Wiring blogs.

Another minor dilemma that I faced was the desire to powder coat the flap handle to match the controls sticks.  Unfortunately, my powder coat guy could not match the colors and needed another $30 to order the correct powder on top of the $35 minimum charge.  After consulting VAF, I found some clever guys who were heralding the close color match of some tractor paint!

Sure enough, I made a trip to my local Tractor Supply store and to my pleasant surprise found the $6 rattle can of Ford Light Gray, made by Majic Paint Company.

Following are a couple of shots of the finished product.  You can see the close match between the remnant of the powder coated control stick as compared with the tractor-painted flap handle.  I am quite pleased with the results.

Shot of the flap handle air drying in the makeshift finish kit crate standing-on-end-to-serve-as-a-paint-booth.

The flap handle fork assembly was riveted together with the clevis pin secured with a cotter pin.  The clevis will ride in the detents (machined slots) of the flap detent bracket.

The next shot shows the flap handle tube riveted to the fork with the flap knob pressed temporarily into place.  Also note the spring in the foreground.  It is a lighter version of the spring that shipped with the kit as many builders have opted for a similar change.