Thorp Air Command - T18.net

Looking at the Kentucky Dam pictures I noticed
N18XS has aileron spades. Any info on these?
I did a search and nothing came up, does
It need spades?
Dave

I don't have spades and can be seen in the cockpit from directly below on a regular basis. Bernie's spades are cool though....It's just how he rolls....

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Fraser MacPhee
N926WM
Serial #279-1
Angel Fire, NM (KAXX)

Bernie is the only thorp with spades ... His plane was featured in a sport aviation years back where that subject was covered.

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Lee Walton
Houston, TX
N51863,N118LW
KEFD

Bernie's AC is beautiful with or w/o spades !

RB

To answer your question, it does not need spades.
Cubes

The spades were probably added to lighten the aileron stick pressure. Most Thorps at a high speed the ailerons become very stiff. Bob Highley replaced his riveted trailing edge ailerons with folded TE and the result is a very light aileron input. I made all my TE's folded including the rudder and have pushed it up over 230 MPH and the ailerons have light stick pressure. Look at the aerobatic planes and their TE's are 1/2" or so.

I am the owner of the T18 with spades.

Does it need them? Does it need a 180hp with constant speed, a nosewheel, or a tapered rod tailspring? The T18 has been flying for 50 years without any of those things but some owners want to personalize their planes. As Bill stated, the ailerons get heavy at higher speeds. I used to do a lot of aerobatics and wanted lighter aileron forces. For normal flying, the ailerons built per plans work just fine. You can do aerobatics just fine with the stock ailerons (but won't be as easy unless you are a manly man ).

People have different perceptions of what is "heavy". If you are used to flying a Cessna 172 the T18 ailerons are light. If you are used to a Pitts, they are heavy. Most T18 pilots would probably think the stock aileron force is just perfect.

Bernie Fried
N18XS

Bernie : You are right . Try flying a Boeing 737 with no hydraulics to the ailerons (in the Sim of course) and I can compare that to a DC-9 which is cables and pulleys to the ailerons and it has a fantastic roll rate for a transport ! At cruise speed in my S-18 I do have the "heavy" ailerons . Do I care they are heavy at cruise ? Not really . Cross County from point A to point B I have no real need to have a high roll rate ! I would just spill my coffee ! BAT MAN POW !

Bernie you still have one of the best T-18's I have ever seen !

RB

Thanks Rich,

I would have to say your red machine is one of the nicest I have seen!

Bernie

Bernie...stay right where you are and I am going to come over and give you a big kiss ! SMACK !

RB

Hey Bill, where are the seams on you’re ailerons and rudder?

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http://www.dixiefriedfabrication.com/

Aileron; folded over the front at the spar.
Rudder; the skin is one piece with the trianglar section that is riveted. I did use a few pull rivets.

I thought I was the only pull rivet guy! used a few myself....Dan

For those who are building, I did a lot of rivet hammering myself and tried to figger out how to have a third hand. I built several bucking bars that bolted to my workbench, they stuck out from the bench and would slide the part onto the bar and and rivet away. The bench ended up being the third hand..this was used on control surface parts, I have some bars that bolt to the bench that are 2&3ft long and they are heavy, but worked very well.......but I still used a few pull rivets....Dan

Dan, at one time I had all driven rivets which did not impress anyone, so I'll impress them with pulled. Besdies in my old age I'm lazy.