There's a reason.
There's a reason.
I certainly don't want to start a debate with anyone over this issue as I do not know enough about it to be an authority on the subject. However, I did talk to the designer about it and asked his reasoning for the design and asked about his opinions about any safety concerns. This is how he explained it to me.
He fully understands the hiem joint is not designed to take any major loads in the lateral direction. He designed this joint however to dampen vibrations that might otherwise be transmitted down the control rods and into the control system. First of all he is using a 1/2" fitting which is over sized from what would would normally be used in this application. There is a spring and then a large washer (that is bigger than the opening in the hiem joint) both above and below the hiem joint. There is a threaded rod coming out of the vertical control rod that holds the joint together and with a nut on the top the whole assembly can be adjusted and tuned to totally take all the vibration out of the whole system. Less vibration on the whole control system brings longer life and more safety to flight critical parts of the control system as well as makes the machine smooth and comfortable to fly.
While it is true that an abnormally high force could possibly cause the hiem joint to fail in flight. If that were to happen the large washers on either side of the joint will continue to hold the joint together and you would not loose any control authority in the control system. The worst that could foresee ably happen would be the control stick would move about an inch to the side and add some slop into the system until you were able to land and replace the joint. The trade off for this very small risk is a control system that is smoother than any other system on the market today and less wear and tear on the rest of the Gyro as potentially damaging harmonics and shaking are dampened totally out of the airframe.
Granted, no one else has ever done this before. It is not a proven technique that others are familiar with. But it is cutting edge design that time will prove insightful or misguided. If anyone has ever flown in the Golden Butterfly they will be able to tell you it is a smooth and solid feeling Gyro. This is a design feature that has been working for years in that model. I predict it will just be a matter of time until other designs will start to copy features like this that Larry brought to our attention.
Respectfully,
Doug Barker
