Rudder Modifications

[leadsledfan]

This is more of a pipe dream than anything, but is it possible to modify the rudder on the cruisair? It seems to me (a low time Cruisair guy) that the rudder is slightly less than what the plane needs in a decent wind.

Here are my 2 ideas:
1. Enlarge the actual rudder itself and then recover.
Or more interestingly,
2. Reinforce and slightly enlarge the horizontal stabilizer end plates, and then hinge them at the rear of the horizontal stabilizer, and connect to the rudder with fly wires, essentially giving you a beech 18 style rudder set.

As an exercise of speculation, would either of these effectively work?
Any other ideas?

 

[jeffw]

Opinion to follow, a non-deliberated, off-hand judgement - offered for consideration only:

I'm not an AI or an aerospace engineer, but my opinion is DO NOT DO ANYTHING to modify the structure of your Cruisair. Big reason is, the FAA: red tape, pushing rope uphill, forms, and inspections Ad nauseam. Keep this I-Wanna a pipe-dream, it's really a nest of hornets. The other certification avenue you can take if you just have to scratch this itch, do the mods and reclassify your Cruisair in the Experimental category, it would be an experiment.

I have owned and flown my Cruisair now for 25 years and I never filed a complaint about how it handles crosswind landings, I've handled some stiff ones. Landing at various airports, I have had runway porch dwellers tell me more than once that Bellanca Cruisairs are very difficult to land in crosswinds; when I've asked them how many hours they have flown Cruisairs the response was always, "None, but that's what I've heard." There might be other unique characteristics of a 14-13- that would contribute to the difficulty in handling crosswind landings, someone else can weigh-in. It is a tail-dragger and if you are not ready to dance on the rudder peddles you will have difficulties.

I may be mistaken, I think that the not-to-exceed, crosswind component for a 14-13 is 20 knots (maybe that is for the -2), that's a substantial CW component. Adding surface area to the outboard fins would lower the crosswind component. I believe that the factory design and mod made to the 14-13 to the smaller fins on the -2 and the addition of an extension to the horizontal stab and elevator improved crosswind handling, there might have been a small increase in the size of the rudder too, but I'm not certain of that.

If you make any mods, keep us posted on the progress and results.

 

[blimpy]

bobs your uncle - at least that's what your mom said

:lol:

 

[Larry Lowenkron]

Jeff pretty much said it. Unless you have some magic power or incriminating photographs of someone at the FAA, I seriously doubt you could get a field approval at a reasonable price to modify your plane.
Blimpy pretty much described making a wheel landing. Regardless, the moment of truth happens when the tail comes down. You can also make a full stall landing and get over the pucker factor a few seconds earlier in the landing. Either way, you will be busy.
I run out of rudder long before I run out of aileron when I do a serious slip. Most of my passengers do not like slips, and with 46 degrees of flap, not all that necessary. Just fun to do.

 

[gjordan]

Just for information, the rudder is the same size on the straight 14-13 clear up to the 14-19-3. _____Grant.

 

[leadsledfan]

I'm well aware that I have a better chance of building a Cruisair from scratch and certifying as a homebuilt than I do modifying a certified airframe.
I was just wondering if either of those changes would make for a better flying airplane.
-Adam

 

[jeffw]

Speculation.

Having additional rudder control via movable rudders on the fins might give the Cruisair better crosswind control, might make it worse. In the design of an airplane, practically every design decision is a compromise, more aggressive rudder control might mean a proportionately negative condition somewhere else. I think that Dan reported once that the outboard fins were provided to improve spin recovery, moveable fins might have negated that.

A big downside of moveable fins would be the added complexity of the hardware to make them work properly - pulleys, cables, connections, adjustments, and the additional weight at the tail.

So, a better flying airplane? - maybe, but I think not likely. A more complex system? - very likely.

Compared to the other aircraft I've flown I can't say that there is much, if any, downside comparison on the Cruisair's crosswind handling.

 

[ronm]

Jeff, I had flown just about everything in private aviation up to a few years ago, and I am solidly with the consensus that a Cruisair is about as good as it gets for handling in the air.

So, I wonder what prompts you to be pawing at the ground about improving handling. Maybe Sum Ting Wong with your particular aircraft. Once upon a time I had stretched/mis-adjusted rudder cables and a sloppy tailwheel scissor that combined to make takeoffs with a strong left crosswind a challenge - actually, a bitch, to cope with.
Another thought is untaped hingelines. The rudder and elevator as well as the trimtab will not have full authority if not taped. (also more drag)

I agree that serious mods are for masochists.

The tip plates obviously give more fin area, and less obviously, increase the effective horizontal stabilizer span and lift gradient.
r