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Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2006 22:56:27 -0500
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From: "Dan Schaefer" <dfs155@adelphia.net>
Subject: Lancair 235
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Bob, regarding your post concerning your friend's 235, here's a couple of
comments.

Yes, the hinges wear and the Teflon lined hinge pins have worked fine for
me - I've installed them now on most of my hinges (except flaps) and am
satisfied they do the job and my 235 has been flying since 1993. However,
flying with an obvious aileron flutter or buzz (or any control surface, for
that matter) means, for one thing, that  your friend is one lucky person to
still be able to tell the tale (flutter can start and build up to
destructive levels in just milliseconds - I've seen high speed film taken of
a failure during wind tunnel flutter testing and the rate of destruction,
and it's violence and totality is sobering).

I haven't heard of anyone's aileron linkage wearing but all things are
possible, I guess, though the rod-end bearings, properly installed, should
not show wear in only 400 hours. Worn hinges might make it appear that the
linkages are at fault, so I'd fix or replace the hinges first. (As an
afterthought though, if the aileron has been buzzing for some time, that
might lead to undue rod-end bearing wear).

The bungee springs in the pitch trim system can be adjusted some by moving
the clamp, but stronger springs, which is what I used, is also an option. On
mine, I could get enough trim to relieve stick pressure in only one
direction or the other - but not both. Slightly stronger springs solved the
problem though I had to install a method to tighten and loosen the drag to
keep the stick from back-driving the mechanism. I've also seen one that
merely had several more large area washers added at the outer end of the
springs to the ones already there that hold the springs in place. Seems like
a workable idea - wish I'd thought of it first as it seems like an easier
fix.

Hope this helps.

Dan Schaefer
Early 235    N235SP