Hello gang,
I wanted to post a quick note on my first flight of the year. ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE!!!! Calm, pleasant temps and a smooth and responsive airplane. P-tips ran at 5200rpms on the 185's.
I added Cap Strips and Jury Struts this past winter and it has really added a measure of security that I personally find comforting. I'll post some pics soon.
I also tightened up my drag cables and changed the solid aluminum rod from the rudder pedals to the mixer to Titanium. Between those two items, I was getting too much twist in the tail boom (drag cables slightly looser than they should have been) and with the added twist in that aluminum rod I was loosing too much rudder authority on my inputs. I now have very responsive tail inputs and don't loose any inputs to tail flex caused by these two items. Just a note for you to watch these area's on your own plane. Keep those cables tight...about 10+lbs of tension.
If you wonder what I'm talking about on the solid rod twist, grab your rudder pedals in one hand and the mixer in the other and twist them on the opposite direction. The twist you see in the solid rod is where some of your rudder input is lost and never makes it to the tail feathers. That is why the later series III's went to a tube, so that this twist would be gone. A tube is torsionally stiffer than a solid rod.
If you wonder if your cables are too loose, then pick up your tail and twist it. If you get torsional twist in the tail boom then your cables need to be tightened. You will loose rudder input and authority input in this area as well. So, in a nutshell, if you want max tail responce, check these area's.
Remember to pre-flight and fly safe,
George