Total Build Time: 1194 Hours.
This post has several small items in the cockpit that I finalized.
First are the push-to-talk switches installed on my control sticks. This is the little button that’s pushed to transmit over the radio. I began by removing the control sticks from the aircraft and drilling a small hole in the base of each stick, then installing a grommet for the wire to run through.
I then connected and soldered the wires to the switch in the control grip.
Secured the wires to the controls.
Reinstalled the control assembly and began tidying up the install. At this time I also installed my MGL electronic compass under the passenger seat. I secured it with heavy duty dual-lock velcro-style vastener, both to help reduce vibration and because it’s non-magnetic.
Additionally during this process I took care of another problem. The little triangular tab on the control assembly that is meant to attach the pitch trim spring was rubbing on the bottom of my seat pan.
You can see that in just a short time with me sitting in the cockpit moving the controls, it had filed a shallow groove into the seat pan.
So, while I had the control assembly out of the plane, I also cut off this tab and found a new place to mount the pitch trim spring.
Tab gone.
I then installed the pitch trim springs. The aft spring is fixed and provides nose-down spring tension.
The forward spring provides nose-up tension and is adjustable with a wheel on my instrument panel. By changing the position of this spring I can trim the plane nose-up and nose-down. Here’s a link to my blog post when I installed the trim wheel: Trim Knob Install
Here’s a pic of all of the above installed, along with the seat belts (the seat pan not installed.)
