The rudder stop needed a bit of trimming to allow the rudder to reach maximum deflection. The stop is made of some sort of plastic that is tough to trim, but I finally stumbled on using my oscillating multifunction tool with a sanding pad attachment. This made quick work of the stops and I can now swing the rudder 35º each side of center.
35º results in 1 1/8″ clearance between the rudder and the end of the elevator.
Now that I had the full rudder swing, I could measure for and fabricate the steel links that connect the rudder pedals to the rudder cables. I needed 5″ on the right, so I started with fabricating two of those and installed them.
Next, I clamped the rudder in trail with the vertical stabilizer and then clamped the rudder pedals together so that they were aligned. I then measured the left side at 4 7/8″. I only had enough steel to fabricate one of the two pieces, so I’ll have to pick up some more. I’m going to have to adjust the pedal geometry. Right now, the brake pedals are too far back and it would be hard to avoid hitting the brakes when using the rudder. Fortunately, the Grove master cylinders are somewhat adjustable, so I’m hopeful that I can find a geometry that works.
