Joystick pitch trim force by mechanical means

[Morticiaskeeper]

Another quick update.

Life has got in the way over the past few weeks, company move, job interview, now our town has flooded!

The flying lesson was great, we hired two eurostars with instructors, my wife in one and myself in the other. We did a formation take off and then some side by side photos, my wife then headed back to the airfield while I had a lesson on climbing and descending turns. The instructor got me doing all he radio calls and commented that I fly as if I have weekly lessons, even though its bi-monthly.

The joystick has a bit of a problem - the sliding carriage is a bit too slidey. Cable operation works, but to push against the springs forces, it will need to have two cables, a push/pull system with a cable at each end of the carriage.

Another picture, showing the stick held in place by my son, one cable on hashed brackets and the ball joint in the channel.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/jp0xr3w9wg...2013.30.46.jpg

[wa5zxu]

I'm researching control loading schemes for use in my sim. The links to your sliding channel trim concept are broken. Could you please post the pictures to the forum? How did your idea work out?

Thanks

Alan/Denver

[Morticiaskeeper]

I'm researching control loading schemes for use in my sim. The links to your sliding channel trim concept are broken. Could you please post the pictures to the forum? How did your idea work out?

Thanks

Alan/Denver

Alan

Sorry, the photos have gone, along with the computer

i couldn't get enough accuracy in the mechanism, the springs exerted a lot of twisting forces into a slack mechanism. If I could have built a more precise mechanism, I think a ballscrew would have done the job, but that's beyond my means.

i also tried the concept of elastic cord to provide the spring force with trim adjustment provided by winding the cord onto a roller. This had a bit of a problem with friction, but ultimately, the lack of precise mechanics, and the engineering tools to build it, meant that the project died.

ive also switched aircraft to an Icarus C42, with electric pitch trim!