I haven't flown in two months due to a combination of work, bad weather and the need for some maintenance. When we were on our last trip to Niagara Falls I noticed that the rudder pedals were very uneven in flight and on the ground. This concerned me and I worried that I had bent the rudder pedal assembly.
Due to my procrastination, I had still not installed an engine preheater kit I bought last Spring. I also had some issues with a spongy brake pedal.
This past weekend was forecast to be unseasonably warm, but rainy with highs in the mid 60's. That is unheard of in Philadelphia in January. I decided to head out and get it all taken care of. Thanks to my friend Garrett for spending much of the day helping me out. I owe you a flight for this one.
_____________________________________________________________________
First off, the rudder pedals. This is how they looked in the plane. I laboriously disassembled and removed them, after checking with the factory. The leading theory was that I had bent the metal tube at the top of the assembly.
___________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
It looked lonely in there without the pedals. It was a real pain reaching in under the panel while standing outside the plane, then trying to make all the connections. If you look at the nylaflow line coming out of the top of the left brake cylinder, you can see the air in the line that needed to be removed. That's one of the advantages of Nylaflow - you can see the fluid and bubbles.
_______________________________________________________________
Of course, since I had it apart, I refinished the assembly with some durable epoxy enamel paint. It looks great.
______________________________________________________________
Shiny rudder pedals reinstalled and properly aligned. Note that the bubbles in the brake lines are gone. I used an old fashioned oil can to back bleed the brake lines and force the air out from the bottom to the reservoir in the front compartment near the battery. The pedals are nice and firm now.
__________________________________________________________________
My high tech brake bleeding tool. $8 from the local hardware store. Just snip off the brass nipple on the end and the plastic line exactly fits the bleeder fitting on the brake.
_______________________________________________________________
Next up, installation of the Reiff sump heater system. This consists of bonding two stainless heating pads and a thermostat to the bottom of the sump, then running the wiring to the cowling outlet, where it can be plugged in to an extension cord.
 |
| My friend Garrett helps me put in fixtures to hold things in place |
 |
| Wood supports on blocks of foam maintain position during cure |
 |
| The finished product |
 |
| Details of wire routing |
 |
| Two holes and 4 tie wraps hold plug wiring in place just inside cowl outlet |
 | ||
| Plug located right where cowl opening will be for handy access |
It is the end of the day by the time I get everything done, cowls and access panels replaced and the hangar cleaned up. She is once again ready for flight. All I need now is some daylight and decent weather.
________________________________________________________________
3 comments:
This is a great achievement and the frustrating and hard work have clearly paid off. The Velocity XL is a beautiful looking aircraft. The idea of a whole group of XL’s flying together really fires the imagination. To build, own and share such an aircraft and enjoy trips with family and like minded others must be so rewarding.
Conrad Carroll @ White Oak Developments
Hello Mark i was wondering if you could tell me where you got the rudder pedal assembly for your velocity? Was it factory from velocity? I would like to put a set in a cozy mark iv.
Tim:
It is the stock setup that comes with the kit. I'm sure they'd sell you one.
Post a Comment