Left Banking M20J and Rigging

[Ragsf15e]

13 hours ago, jamesyql said:

Winter got the better of my initial plans at a test flight and I had to scrub the flight. Finally got up today and pleased to report that after the static rigging issues were addressed with the travel boards my left bank/yaw is much less pronounced. Winds were strong and gusty today and I was working with my instructor on exercises so will need another flight or two before I decide to start tweaking trailing edge tabs. What a great community we have here. 

Excellent!  When you do check it on a smooth day, check it with the ball centered and different speeds/power settings.  The rudder required changes over the speeds and power, and even with the ball centered, I could see it making some roll difference if you’re looking for it.

[PT20J]

It's also a good idea to check that the ball centers when the airplane is level. You can put a level across the seat tracks and adjust air pressure in the mains to get the airplane level laterally and then check that the ball is centered.

[Ragsf15e]

2 minutes ago, PT20J said:

It's also a good idea to check that the ball centers when the airplane is level. You can put a level across the seat tracks and adjust air pressure in the mains to get the airplane level laterally and then check that the ball is centered.

God point. If i look very closely, my “bubble” ball and the g5 electric version are slightly off when sitting on the ground.  I would think installation would have to be almost perfectly aligned to make them extremely accurate.

[jamesyql]

It's also a good idea to check that the ball centers when the airplane is level. You can put a level across the seat tracks and adjust air pressure in the mains to get the airplane level laterally and then check that the ball is centered.

Thanks, yes this is great point. My mechanic levelled the plane on jacks and ensured the ball was centred as part of the rigging process.

[PT20J]

Probably obvious, but make sure the fuel tanks are balanced. To be sure, I’d start with full tanks.

[jamesyql]

Good news update.

Plane is flying appreciably straighter now that the flaps and rudder have been adjusted with the travel boards.

Slow flight and stalls have both been easier and more predictable. Cruise flight requires much less input.

Thanks for everyone’s input. Bottom line, if your Mooney is not flying straight or behaving well in a stall, it’s worth the hassle to source travel boards and get it done right. And for what it’s worth, my mechanic is not an MSC and was able to get this done in approximately a 9 hours of labour (first time doing Mooney rigging).