Brief Description: 3: Installing the Forward Elevator Control Rod
Possibly the most difficult thing on this aeroplane to date was installing the forward elevator control rod. I sincerely hope that after today I never ever have to take this thing out.
My first dilemma was how to get the rod into the underfloor space. I ended up taking the rod ends off to make the whole piece slightly shorter, and I was then able to thread it in via the centre hole in the underfloor tunnel. But that was the easy bit.
Next up I attached the control rod to the joystick control mechanism. Wow, this was extremely difficult. I ended up unthreading the control rod from the rod end again so that I could leave the rod end hanging down vertically. This then enabled enough space to get the washers in that centre the rod end in the bracket. With the rod end bolted up I then threaded the control rod back onto it.
Words cannot describe the frustrations of getting the other end of this control rod bolted up to the bellcrank. I'll simply say that I got it done, and try to erase this experience from my mind.
Just getting the forward control rod in the underfloor space was a task in itself
This connection could only be bolted together with the rod removed from the rod end
