Aileron Control Cables

[Gabe]

I'm planning on using push-pull cables for my ailerons instead of the wires, bell cranks and pulleys in the plans. If you did this, where did you get them? And what size did you use? I see Team MiniMax has them in their online store in 1/4" and 3/16" for ~$75 a cable...

[Sam Buchanan]

I'm planning on using push-pull cables for my ailerons instead of the wires, bell cranks and pulleys in the plans. If you did this, where did you get them? And what size did you use? I see Team MiniMax has them in their online store in 1/4" and 3/16" for ~$75 a cable...

You may already know this but you will have a very heavy control installation that weighs several times what the recommended system weighs! Properly installed the Eagle cables/pulleys are light, low-friction and slop-free. What you are proposing possesses none of those properties. When building my Eagle I tried to find a good alternative to the cables/pulleys that fit the requirements of lightness, simplicity and low-$$$$....but couldn't.

The MiniMax Bowden cables are short because of the full-span ailerons. The same system on the Eagle would require longer cables with additional weight and friction.

I built a MiniMax., nice plane and the Bowden cables worked well with that design.  Cables and pulleys would have been complicated on the MiniMax.

[Gabe]

Thanks Sam, I just got an email from Mr. Cooper at Team MiniMax, and you are correct. Their cables are only 48". A LE cable would need to be in the 120" range. I know of at least one LE with push-pull cables on its ailerons, but they are 1/4" and look pretty heavy. Although it moves them quite easily, the stick resistance isn't bad.