RAF views

[StanFoster]

I just passed 70 hours in my RAF and cant say enough how pleased I am with the way it runs...and flies. I always have a camera and will keep sharing my home state. :)

Stan

[StanFoster]

a little lake just north of me

[StanFoster]

more of the lake

[StanFoster]

beans,,corn,,,woods.

[KenSandyEggo]

Stan, I hate to be a nag, but have you changed out the rod-end bearings in the control system yet with quality ones? Please do it ASAP if you haven't. It's critical. If one cracks in flight, it'll certainly ruin your day.

[StanFoster]

Ken: No...I havent changed them....I intend to....but with your persistance...and I appreciate it...I will order them next week.

[KenSandyEggo]

Good. You need 8 of the large ones and 2 smaller ones for the front and rear of the "box." It's great insurance.

[birdy]

Ken,
How do I know if I'v got the right ones????

[KenSandyEggo]

Birdy, if they came from RAF, you need to replace them. Cheap ones will usually have no names or numbers on them. "If in doubt...change them out." You should be pretty safe with Heim bearings. Aurora's are a little cheaper, but that's a bad place to be frugal. I'd get the best available.

A few years ago, Jim Mayfield had an RAF supplied rod-end bearing crack in his control system as the nut was being loosened with a wrench. He sent them to a metalurgical lab in Salt lake City, where it was confirmed that they were full of impurities and of extremely low quality. I heard pretty much the same thing from a tech at a bearing distributor when I took a cracked one in for replacements. He said he could see the impurities in the broken stem with his naked eye. He also said he could get these for about $1.50 or so, but he couldn't morally do that to his customers. His words......."This is junk."

[StanFoster]

Ken: I ordered my rod ends today from Aircraft Spruce...the magnufluxed ones.

On mine however..it just wasnt 8 large and two small.

My top two rod bearings have a 3/8 inch male bolt end with a 1/4 inch bore hole.

The middle four are 3/8 inch male bolt ends witha a 3/8 inch bore hole.

The bottom two are like the top two.

Then the two small ones going into the cabin are 1/4 inch male bolt ends with a 1/4 inch bore hole.

Those magnufluxed ones are nasty in price...but I wont cut corners.

After I get my old ones out...I am going to put them in a vice and do some serious stress loads on them. :D

Thanks for the concern :)

Stan

[rfi]

The 1/4 inch bore rod ends with 3/8 studs are VEEEERRRRRY expensive. I use 3/8 x 3/8 rod ends and bush the bores down to 1/4 with Oilite flanged bushings at $1.50 per rod end. The oilite bushings eliminate the need for a bunch of AN washers on either side of the rod end bore which is necessary to take up the slop between the rod end and the control arms.

[KenSandyEggo]

That's weird, Stan. I know I ordered all the same size for the tubes. Oh wait. Per Don, I believe my top ones and bottom ones do have bushings in them. I guess one could go either way, but the important thing is to get the crappy rod-ends out if you're not absolutely sure of the quality.

[GraemeMonro]

My first crash and total wreck (bensen style gyro) was due to a rod end breaking just after lift off at about 15'-20'. The machine just rolled over on its side and fell back down to earth like an old dog. An expensive way to learn about junk rod ends. Now I use the best I can get reguardless of price, I figure I'm worth it..

[Aussie_Paul]

I am afraid that many people do not check that the rotor head hits the stops up there before the rod ends take any stress. I have inspected, for registration, many home made gyros where the control rod bows when you move the stick to the maximum position until the head reaches the stops!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have attempted to wreck quite a number, a dozen or so, of Raf rod ends and they are exremelly hard to break. I believe that people try to undo the lock nut without securing the tube. They strain the thread by allowing the eye of the rod end to take the load.

Stan, all the Raf kits that I have had any involvement with all had oilite bushes pressed into the rod end to bring the ID down to 1/4" where needed. Save your money and reorder.

Aussie Paul.

[KenSandyEggo]

Paul, it's not just a matter of bending them to see if they are "good." There are a lot of vibrational forces going on and they don't break only from twisting or bending. I've had 2 break without any force whatsover being applied by me. When a metalurgical lab and a bearing house tech says they're "crap" and full of impurities, that's good enough for me not to bet my life on to save a few bucks.

[StanFoster]

I will replace just as I ordered. I am not going to worry about the $230 the rod ends are costing me. If that is going to break me..then I have no business owning or flying this thing. :D

Now that I have a machine that I love to fly...and can do so in comfort year round...I realize that I am going to be putting on some heavy annual hours in it. I have 74 since the Airworthiness certificate was granted on Feb. 29th. I am guessing I will slow down a little...but am almost certain I will have 150 hours on it by next Feb. 29. So....another reason to take the advice to change out the rod ends. I figure even if I am chucking perfectly good rod ends...I will have the peace of mind knowing the new ones are perfectly good.

Stan

[KenSandyEggo]

Good going, Stan. An average of $23 each for premium rod-ends is not outrageous, seeing as if one would crack off in flight, we'd probably wind up dead. To me, this is the most critical changeout in a stock RAF, as far as supplied components.

[StanFoster]

Ken: I have my rod ends replaced...... :D

However......the ones I mentioned that I had to order with the 1/4 bore holes? I failed to realize that I should have ordered the 3/8 inch bores and then take the 1/4 inch bushings out of the old ones. So...right now I have a two washers on each side of the ball end.... :mad:

I dont like that..so I am ordering the correct ones..so that the 1/4 inch bolts will have the shear pressure right at the ends of the bushings...instead of at the ball ends.

[KenSandyEggo]

Yeah, sorry Stan. I had forgotten about the bushings at the top and bottom.