My plane wants to go left.

[Conrad]

Haha none taken! I only meant that it's no small job. I suspect the nose gear rigging isn't entirely right yet since this was only the first iteration. Next up I need to renew my airport badge, figure out why I have high oil temps, figure out why my CGR-30C amp reading sometimes spikes to 60 amps, pass my PPL checkride, determine the best ADS-B compliance method and associated costs, and deal with all the car maintenance items that I've let go because my time and money all goes to the plane.

[carusoam]

Since your list is getting shorter... 

Have you seen Richard's latest write-up on successful check rides?

Best regards,

-a-

[Joe Zuffoletto]

Conrad, where are you in the Bay Area? I have a second home in Sausalito and park in Petaluma when I'm there.

[MyNameIsNobody]

On 10/19/2016 at 3:46 PM, Conrad said:

Thank you all for the amazing variety of suggestions, including just buying a longer airplane. It turned out to be a new linkage that was installed between the rudder pedal assembly and the steering horn. The linkage has heim joints at both ends and is threaded in the middle -- thus is of adjustable length. It turns out that the length of this bolt is effectively part of the ground and flight rigging.

The adjustment was incorrect leading to the airplane acting, in all phases of flight, as if there was a little left rudder pressure applied (exactly what I had experienced).

Flight dynamics are affected because of the way that the rudder is disengaged from the nose gear assembly in flight. There is a sleeve joint between the steering horn assembly and the nose gear truss that is out of plane with the rotation of the steering horn when the gear is extended and in plane with it when the gear is retracted. The connection between the steering horn and rudder pedals, however, is above the sleeve in the system of linkages, and thus an incorrect length of the double ended heim linkage can still exert pressure on the rudder controls even when the gear is retracted. With the ailerons bungied to the rudder, in a plane otherwise rigged correctly, the result is a coordinated roll in flight.

Interesting.  Conrad, how significant was the "adjustment" that needed to be made?  Weird others have not had this occur?  Glad you resolved.

[Conrad]

On 10/20/2016 at 4:12 AM, carusoam said:

Have you seen Richard's latest write-up on successful check rides?

Which Richard? Collins?
 

On 10/20/2016 at 7:45 AM, Joe Zuffoletto said:

Conrad, where are you in the Bay Area?

Living in SF (Haight Ashbury more or less) but working near KPAO, based out of KOAK, and the Mooney just went to KHWD for the oil temp work. I feel kind of splattered across the bay.
 

On 10/21/2016 at 8:02 AM, MyNameIsNobody said:

Conrad, how significant was the "adjustment" that needed to be made?

The adjustment was two full turns of the bolt, which can potentially be adjusted more finely by half turns. I may fine tune it further as I do better tests of its new tendencies. The issue can't be present without the plane pulling on the ground, which can be hard or impossible to pinpoint if you don't have a flat surface the grade of which is aligned with any wind. It should have shown in a test flight, but that was done as part of the return ferry trip, where I'm guessing the ferry pilot just clicked on the PC for cruise and wasn't particularly aware of what potential side effects the work done could have or too interested in looking for reasons to need to turn around.

[carusoam]

Con,

Richard is the newest pilot here on MS.  He just passed his check ride.  Wrote about the process in a fantastic easy to read format as it was happening.

To find his thread, put the word Richard in the search box, see what shows up...

To see how challenging the system can be out in the Bay Area, look up Sam Husky.  Similar time frame, similar final result, more challenges... longer time to completion, more costs, more hassles...

Learn to take on fewer challenges to focus on getting the job done.

Best regards,

-a-

Both of these are worthy reads. The Sam Husk threads are more of a trilogy.  Read them all.  See if you can identify with what they went through...

 

[Conrad]

Oh I've followed Husky's tribulations for sure. There's a good chance I'll try to use the same DPE that he did. He also ran into a lot of problems training in a TAA which he wasn't able to oversee maintenance of or secure necessary amounts of time with to learn the ins and outs of all the equipment on board. These are problems which I should hopefully not have.