Jammed Ailerons!!!
Thread Starter
The Original Whirly

Joined: Feb 1999
Aviation Qualifications: CPL
Posts: 4,327
Likes: 2
From: Belper, Derbyshire, UK
A and C,
I haven't, because I thought maybe the engineer would be the best person to do that. After all, I was basically a spectator.
The engineer has now found the cause of the cause, as it were. Apparently water caused the corrosion, due to a drip in a particular place...no, I don't quite understand it either. He said the starboard aileron is fine after all, and that the aircraft as a whole has remarkably little corrosion for its age, and considering it's always lived outside. I realise this still explains very little, but that's what I've been told.
I haven't, because I thought maybe the engineer would be the best person to do that. After all, I was basically a spectator.
The engineer has now found the cause of the cause, as it were. Apparently water caused the corrosion, due to a drip in a particular place...no, I don't quite understand it either. He said the starboard aileron is fine after all, and that the aircraft as a whole has remarkably little corrosion for its age, and considering it's always lived outside. I realise this still explains very little, but that's what I've been told.

Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 630
Likes: 2
From: UK
If it is the bearing I think you mean then this is a 3" long oil lite type bearing with the pivot bolt running through it from the top surface of the wing right through with a nut on the lower surface of the wing. It isn't a sealed 'ball/roller' bearing affair.
The only way it can be lubricated is by oiling from the top and if you are lucky from inside the wing at the top of the bellcrank in which the bearing sits. Not exactly an efficient way of lubeing to say the least. This pivot bolt is rarely if ever removed.
The bolt head sits in a nice detent on the top of the wing which is just asking to act as a water trap which will slowly wash any oil out over a period of time and cause everything to corrode if the aeroplane sits outside.
Strange how it suddenly seized though.
The only way it can be lubricated is by oiling from the top and if you are lucky from inside the wing at the top of the bellcrank in which the bearing sits. Not exactly an efficient way of lubeing to say the least. This pivot bolt is rarely if ever removed.
The bolt head sits in a nice detent on the top of the wing which is just asking to act as a water trap which will slowly wash any oil out over a period of time and cause everything to corrode if the aeroplane sits outside.
Strange how it suddenly seized though.

Joined: Jan 1999
Posts: 6,209
Likes: 2
From: north of barlu
Whirlybird
I think that it is time that you raised an MOR, this problen needs "flagging up" to the maintenance side of the GA industry.
As the commander of the aircraft you should report incidents that have a flight safety implication and I think that jammed flight controls would come right at the top of the list, the engineers would be asked to report the results of the investigation that they have made.
As the commander of the aircraft you should report incidents that have a flight safety implication and I think that jammed flight controls would come right at the top of the list, the engineers would be asked to report the results of the investigation that they have made.
Gizajob
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 644
Likes: 0
From: uk
http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/CA1673_web.pdf is the form I think
http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/CAP382.PDF is the guidance on the MOR scheme.
http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/CAP382.PDF is the guidance on the MOR scheme.




