When I built my Tailwind,? I configured the passenger side stick to be removable.? I simply just welded it up like the pilot side and cut it off planning on finding a short aluminum rod to fit tightly inside the tube and then fasten with an AN3 bolts drilled through the tube and rod to hold it together.? ?The only problem was that I never needed it and never got around to it.? ?If I wanted to let someone fly I from the pax side they could just hold the stick itself.
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But I figured after 8 years and over 1000 hours it was time to finish it up.? ?A problem was that I could not find a aluminum rod or 4130 tube that would fit inside my yoke without a lot of slop.? It needed to be about 0.66 OD.? ? Another problem was that I did not have a metal lathe to turn down an aluminum rod to fit.? ?Soo? attached is a picture of what I did.? ? I figured that there is very little pressure on the yoke and that a hardwood dowel would work just fine.? Well I had the same problem of no lathe so I rigged up my drill press with a "dead center" on the bottom of the drill press and made a piece that I could chuck in the drill at the top and attach to the end of the dowel.? ?Only had to take off about? 0.08 so just spun it up and used an old 1" sanding belt to finish it.? ? Drilled the hole and that is what you see.? My bolts are at the hangar so I will take it down when it warms up and get an AN3 bolt and put it in the hole you see and then match drill another hole on the stub sticking out of the control stick with this unit inserted and I should be good.
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Kind of looks like a "duck head" doesn't it.? :)? ? Hope everyone stays warm.? I am excited to hear on the forum about all the new activity with new Tailwinds being purchased.
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Keith
Keith Klos
