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Trim Tabs

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Rick Moss

Joined: 21 Sep 2014
Posts: 96

Posted: Tue Dec 09, 2014 8:00 am Post subject: Trim Tabs

My Europa (XS wings, Trigear) has a roll to the right which could do with trimming out; my previous aircraft have been rag and tube, and I have simply added an aluminium trim tab to aileron/rudder, and tweaked them about until it tracked true hands-off. Can this be done on the Europa?



I've seen an article (from a fellow forumite) that involves building up the thickness of the surfaces and sanding to reprofile, but I don't really fancy this route if I'm honest.



Had anybody done anything (ideally UK approvable) on their machine?



Many thanks,



Rick

christoph.both(at)acadiau
Guest

Posted: Tue Dec 09, 2014 8:22 am Post subject: Trim Tabs

I just affixed a few inches white rubber profile off a roll for tightening windows to the underside of the aileron. Invisible from above, sticks to the aileron by itself, can be cut until you are happy, and easily modified/removed. Worked well all flying season 135 hours .

Christoph Both

#223 Classic, Nova Scotia Canada



Sent from my iPhone



 	  Quote: 	
		   On Dec 9, 2014, at 12:01, "Rick Moss" <Rkwmoss(at)gmail.com> wrote:

 

 

 

 My Europa (XS wings, Trigear) has a roll to the right which could do with trimming out; my previous aircraft have been rag and tube, and I have simply added an aluminium trim tab to aileron/rudder, and tweaked them about until it tracked true hands-off. Can this be done on the Europa?

 

 I've seen an article (from a fellow forumite) that involves building up the thickness of the surfaces and sanding to reprofile, but I don't really fancy this route if I'm honest.

 

 Had anybody done anything (ideally UK approvable) on their machine?

 

 Many thanks,

 

 Rick

 

 

 

 

 Read this topic online here:

 

 http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p=435524#435524

Rick Moss

Joined: 21 Sep 2014
Posts: 96

Posted: Tue Dec 09, 2014 9:25 am Post subject: Re: Trim Tabs

Cheers Christoph;



Is this the stuff you used?

http://www.diy.com/departments/stormguard-epdm-rubber-adhesive-weather-strip-l20m/259798_BQ.prd?gclid=CMmtova8ucICFdTLtAodij4ATg&ecamp=SEAPLA259798_BQ&ef_id=ULJkbQAAAjNZvBRX:20141209172356:s



Rick

christoph.both(at)acadiau
Guest

Posted: Tue Dec 09, 2014 10:57 am Post subject: Trim Tabs

Exactly. Good quality rubber. I used it also in lieu of the tail plane strips. They worked fine. However, am considering replacing them with balsa strips as per manual.

Christoph 



Sent from my iPhone



 	  Quote: 	
		   On Dec 9, 2014, at 13:26, "Rick Moss" <Rkwmoss(at)gmail.com> wrote:

 

 

 

 Cheers Christoph;

 

 Is this the stuff you used?

 http://www.diy.com/departments/stormguard-epdm-rubber-adhesive-weather-strip-l20m/259798_BQ.prd?gclid=CMmtova8ucICFdTLtAodij4ATg&ecamp=SEAPLA259798_BQ&ef_id=ULJkbQAAAjNZvBRX:20141209172356:s

 

 Rick

 

 

 

 

 Read this topic online here:

 

 http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p=435527#435527

JonathanMilbank

Joined: 14 Apr 2012
Posts: 390
Location: Aberdeen area

Posted: Tue Dec 09, 2014 12:03 pm Post subject: Re: Trim Tabs

My Classic Europa also rolls a little to the right at cruise speed when I'm carrying a passenger, although it flies wings level when I'm alone. Rather than glue on tabs to flying surfaces, I went the internal elastic bias route.



At the bottom of the pilot's stick there is a bolt which secures it into the socket. The thread from the bolt pokes through the nut to the rear of the socket with several thread turns to spare, so it's a simple matter to turn another nut "backwards" onto the thread until it butts against the first nut. This pair of nuts now provides a concave groove between them.



On the left sidewall of the fuselage, nearest to the pair of nuts and in line with the left-right deflection of the stick, I cut a small "X" in the carpet to expose a 1" square of fibre-glass which I cleaned and then bonded on a plastic anchor of the type used to support bundles of electric wires.



All that remains is to attach two or three elastics of the type which our post lady uses to hold bundles of letters together and "Voila" you can stretch as many of them across to the pair of nuts as you wish, to eliminate any strong right roll tendency. Of course they aren't strong enough to present any kind of hazard to flying control.

Rick Moss

Joined: 21 Sep 2014
Posts: 96

Posted: Tue Dec 09, 2014 12:13 pm Post subject: Re: Trim Tabs

Cheers Jonathan,



I had a similar system on my Escapade, but I made a knurled knob that would wind tension onto a bungee to adjust for asymmetric loads, but I had it tracking straight when evenly loaded beforehand. Helpfully, that had a screw adjuster on a lift strut so that you could adjust the incidence on one wing.



I'll have a go with the foam strip at the weekend, and see how I get on.



Thanks again,



Rick

fireflier

Joined: 24 Jun 2012
Posts: 58

Posted: Tue Dec 09, 2014 2:58 pm Post subject: Trim Tabs

Hi Rick



I have got a roll to the right in my aircraft when flying 2 up. When flying by myself it flies wings level. 



Like others, I have added a strip off foam. The stuff i used is as per the link below to eBay. 



http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/150900600898?nav=SEARCH



Hope this helps. 



Kind regards

Donald

G-PUPY



Sent from my iPhone



 	  Quote: 	
		   On 9 Dec 2014, at 16:00, Rick Moss <Rkwmoss(at)gmail.com> wrote:

 

 

 

 My Europa (XS wings, Trigear) has a roll to the right which could do with trimming out; my previous aircraft have been rag and tube, and I have simply added an aluminium trim tab to aileron/rudder, and tweaked them about until it tracked true hands-off. Can this be done on the Europa?

 

 I've seen an article (from a fellow forumite) that involves building up the thickness of the surfaces and sanding to reprofile, but I don't really fancy this route if I'm honest.

 

 Had anybody done anything (ideally UK approvable) on their machine?

 

 Many thanks,

 

 Rick

 

 

 

 

 Read this topic online here:

 

 http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p=435524#435524

_________________
Fireflier

dpark748(at)icloud.com
Guest

Posted: Tue Dec 09, 2014 3:24 pm Post subject: Trim Tabs

On my Acrosport 11 before Europa bug! I used a pencil split along length. And glued under trailing edge of the appropriate aileron. Then 'hands-off' !!!



Sent from my iPhone

 	  Quote: 	
		   On 9 Dec 2014, at 20:13, Rick Moss <Rkwmoss(at)gmail.com> wrote:

 

 

 

 Cheers Jonathan,

 

 I had a similar system on my Escapade, but I made a knurled knob that would wind tension onto a bungee to adjust for asymmetric loads, but I had it tracking straight when evenly loaded beforehand. Helpfully, that had a screw adjuster on a lift strut so that you could adjust the incidence on one wing.

 

 I'll have a go with the foam strip at the weekend, and see how I get on.

 

 Thanks again,

 

 Rick

 

 

 

 

 Read this topic online here:

 

 http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p=435535#435535

clivesutton

Joined: 23 Jan 2013
Posts: 187
Location: KENILWORTH

Posted: Wed Dec 10, 2014 12:25 am Post subject: Re: Trim Tabs

Hello Rick,

My previous G-Reg Tri-Gear had the same issue and it was solved by taping a 150mm length of one of those plastic triangular section loose-leaf booklet spines to the underside of an aileron.  Vary the length to change the effect.  Only works perfectly at one speed of course but trim it for cruise and it should be fine.  Perhaps not the best permanent solution but certainly good for finding out.  Spanwise it was positioned close to, but not at, the innermost edge nearest to the rose joint/pin - to reduce any torsional forces on the aileron.  Clive

Justin(at)systemwise.co.u
Guest

Posted: Wed Dec 10, 2014 4:03 am Post subject: Trim Tabs

Trim Tabs



My aircraft was crying out for aileron trim. Obviously a passenger makes a big difference and with my Europa as the speed increases there is a slight but increasing role to the right, just enough to be annoying. I need to adjust the trim once the aircraft has settled into the cruise. So I added aileron trim. I added an "L" bracket with a 2 inch arm to the fork at the bottom of the stick to the right. I then put the smallest sailors jam cleat on the face of the seat under my left leg. I thin bungee cord from the tip of the "L" bracket behind the stick and into the vertically mounted jam cleat. This has proved a great success. Once settled  in the cruise I just pull the bungee up with my left hand about 1/4 inch and push the bungee forward to lock it off. The adjustment is very precise, as good as a wheel and I can compensate for any weight of passenger or badly distributed load.



Justin

Justin Kennedy 

Europa Classic G-ZTED

pmdental(at)btinternet.co
Guest

Posted: Wed Dec 10, 2014 11:49 am Post subject: Trim Tabs

Any chance of diagram or photos  of your trim system ? sounds good & simple. 

Paul Munford kit 625 trigear

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