Another big day; control stick grip installation. Quite a bit of fabrication involved in what you think would be a simple install. First, I had to make sure to get the height correct to clear the panel. I cut the control stick down in three operations to sneak up on it without cutting too much. Once I got that right then I had to drill a hole for the wire bundle to exit then I had to cut a relief slot on the top of the stick to allow all of the wiring inside the grip to clear the stick. Took my time, a lot of measuring and re-measuring to not screw it up. Finally got it right on the left side then duplicated all of the cuts on the right side.
When I installed the trim wheel I wasn't sure that it's location would work. I had moved it further to the right to allow for operation of the flap and brake handles without interference, but now it's clear this will not work, Because I kept the clearance between the control stick and the panel to a minimum, anything hanging below it is in the way; the trim wheel. I've seen it mounted higher on the panel, so that is what I think I'll do. Place it near the left vent above the switches.
The sticks feel great and are a great fit and look for the plane. I like it a lot and with the exception of the color of the green and blue buttons, is almost identical to my old Cobra and Huey stick grips so I'm really comfortable flying with that.
Control grips installed.
If I push full forward you can see that the trim wheel is in the way.
