F-105 Thunderchief flexing elevator wire problem/design

[Gunner]

Anyone having trouble with the long thin wires that goes from the servo arms, thru the short tubes on the fuse and all the way back to the elevators? Not flown yet, due to snow...... but while getting everything set up, this thin wire has such a long way to go that it just flexes under a small bit of down pressure on the elevator. Seems like the air in flight would do the same thing, causing loss of movement in both elevators. I removed the clevis at the elevator horn and slide a long thin plastic tube over the rod then put the clevis back on. Seems like there should have been some support or a different mount setup for this long tin wire.

[xviper]

Did you disconnect the rod from the control surfaces and "exercise" the surfaces to get the hinges loosened up? If you just took it out of the box and bound it up and operated the sticks without doing this, then those wires are encountering more resistance and is more likely to bend.

[Gunner]

Mmmmmmmmm that's a possibility, but still that is a pretty long thin wire with no support.

[xviper]

Those foam hinges are extremely stiff when the plane first comes out of the box. I have a HobbyKing SU-35 pusher prop. The servo on each side has a thin wire that actuates the ailerons. The ailerons and the elevators are connected by a very long 8" wire. I hang the plane from the ceiling and one of the rods are bowed a little from the hanging strap going under it. Those hinges were like cement but after I work them so they are very free to move, even that long bowed wire will actuate the elevators. Stiff hinges exert a tremendous amount of resistance against control rods.
If you are concerned about it, get a length of CF rod (~1mm diameter or less) and cut it to almost the length of that wire. Find a way to push a heat shrink tubing ( or a few shorter pieces of heat shrink) onto the wire with the CF rod inside. Shrink it and you're done. You've just re-enforced the wire.

[Gunner]

You know the plastic tube they have glued to the sides of the fuse? Well, I got 2 pieces of that long enough to cover both rods almost their full length and will be giving that a try to start with, as it allows movement but not all that flexing but not glied to the fuse to make a stiff angle. Will see how that works for a start. Of course a lot of snow has to melt first before I do anything....

[xviper]

Yeah, if those tubes do what you need, great. I have a SebArt Mig29 that uses that technique to strengthen a long wire run.

[RRHandy]

You can do the same thing that they have been doing to the dynam 262 wires, take a zip tie and bend it around a wire the same size and squeeze it together and use a heat gun to shape it then cut to length and glue it in. R

[Gunner]

???????????? Can you show a photo of that? Is that internal, or outside the fuse as on the F-105?

AMA 15146