why are gust/control locks so expensive???

woodstock

woodstock

Final Approach
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My old trainer has a crappy control lock. it's got a little hitch at the end which makes putting it in the yoke a PITA.

I threatened to confiscate it and buy a new one for the plane. the new planes all have nice smooth straight ones and they are in and out in a jif.

Sportys sells them for 130 bucks! (granted this is a real gust lock, looks like it might even take care of the rudder not just ailerons and tail).

I could make one of the darn things practically.

any ideas?
 
because that contraption composed of $8 worth of metal and paint says "Aviation" gust lock...
 
woodstock said:
My old trainer has a crappy control lock. it's got a little hitch at the end which makes putting it in the yoke a PITA.

I threatened to confiscate it and buy a new one for the plane. the new planes all have nice smooth straight ones and they are in and out in a jif.

Sportys sells them for 130 bucks! (granted this is a real gust lock, looks like it might even take care of the rudder not just ailerons and tail).

I could make one of the darn things practically.

any ideas?
Click to expand...

It's $130 to help pay for the lawsuits of jerks and their hiers that tried to take off with one still in place. No lie.

Can the one with the PITA hitch be staightened out & smoothed by the A&P mechanic ?
 
you know, I thought about that - how do you even take off? sure, you might take off a little but you'd settle back down pretty fast wouldn't you?
 
depends on trim setting and speed and density and ... here we go!!
 
I think I must check freedom of movement half a dozen times before taking off. preflight all the way to runup. and in between.

maybe they are doing the world a favor. HA!
 
Okay - stupid question now - why can't you make one and use it? First their is no requirement to have one (my Arrow doesn't - we use the seat belts). Second it's not used in flight or taxi or any time the aircraft is in movement except being towed (at least that's supposed to be the case) so why would it need an A & P?
 
woodstock said:
you know, I thought about that - how do you even take off? sure, you might take off a little but you'd settle back down pretty fast wouldn't you?
Click to expand...

Way to many have managed to do this (once, as participation in the sport tends to be self limiting). A while back Beech tried to put out an AD that required drilling a new hole in the control column of all Bonanzas and Barons to accept an new (expensive no doubt) control lock that held the wheel all the way to one side. I think their theory was that even the most brain dead pilot would notice that the wheel was stuck when it was turned 90 degrees and even if they didn't you'd scrape a wingtip on the ground before getting airborne with that much aileron deflection. Of course some dummy would manage to leave the lock in and take of with the wheel positioned correctly for the big crosswind that actually existed at the time and then crash.

Fortunately cooler heads prevailed by convincing the FAA that a gust lock was a pre-flight issue not a safety of flight issue and better addressed some other way.
 
lancefisher said:
Way to many have managed to do this (once, as participation in the sport tends to be self limiting). A while back Beech tried to put out an AD that required drilling a new hole in the control column of all Bonanzas and Barons to accept an new (expensive no doubt) control lock that held the wheel all the way to one side. I think their theory was that even the most brain dead pilot would notice that the wheel was stuck when it was turned 90 degrees and even if they didn't you'd scrape a wingtip on the ground before getting airborne with that much aileron deflection. Of course some dummy would manage to leave the lock in and take of with the wheel positioned correctly for the big crosswind that actually existed at the time and then crash.

Fortunately cooler heads prevailed by convincing the FAA that a gust lock was a pre-flight issue not a safety of flight issue and better addressed some other way.
Click to expand...

Maybe that was beechcrafts way of thinning out the gene pool.:dunno:
 
Dave Krall CFII said:
It's $130 to help pay for the lawsuits of jerks and their hiers that tried to take off with one still in place. No lie.

Can the one with the PITA hitch be staightened out & smoothed by the A&P mechanic ?
Click to expand...

Dave: Get outta here! Take off w/ low fuel yeah can picture that, Leaving pitot cover on I can see take off roll yup, I can picture taking off w/ oil dipstick left out but takeoff with a gust lock in. I just don't see it. Where was this law suit? Was the pilot blind and a double arm amputee?
 
Beth:

What plane do you need the gust lock for? Best bet for older planes is to check with salvage yards first.

For new, you're paying for fabrication of a limited number of parts; corporate overhead, storage, shipping and profit; then, as Dave brought out, it's an 'approved' aircraft part.

Dave
 
AdamZ said:
Dave: Get outta here! Take off w/ low fuel yeah can picture that, Leaving pitot cover on I can see take off roll yup, I can picture taking off w/ oil dipstick left out but takeoff with a gust lock in. I just don't see it. Where was this law suit? Was the pilot blind and a double arm amputee?
Click to expand...

Apparently it is relatively common Adam, click on this link, change the dates to 1980 and up, and word string "control lock" and increase the number of records per page to 100- I got 58 hits. Sadly about half appear to be fatal.
http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/query.asp

Maybe I will change my avatar to "Free And Correct", hmmm.....
 
AdamZ said:
Dave: Get outta here! Take off w/ low fuel yeah can picture that, Leaving pitot cover on I can see take off roll yup, I can picture taking off w/ oil dipstick left out but takeoff with a gust lock in. I just don't see it. Where was this law suit? Was the pilot blind and a double arm amputee?
Click to expand...

It happens. I almost did it once.
 
Someone recently sent me a video of a Dehav. twin in Gimli Manitoba which is said to have done this. It was somewhat sickening to see a beautiful airplane takeoff and do a death dive shortly thereafter killing all aboard. If you find it, use discretion.
 
I think this is why they have you check freedom of movement so many times in preflight and runup.
 
woodstock said:
I think this is why they have you check freedom of movement so many times in preflight and runup.
Click to expand...

Even without the check!

Rudder lock seems to me would be obvious when you CAN'T TURN THE AIRPLANE during taxi (not counting steering by differential breaking).

What about crosswind correction during taxi?

I never jump on other pilots for deadly mistakes, lest I make one myself. I just don't see how this is possible.
 
Greg Bockelman said:
It happens. I almost did it once.
Click to expand...

Hi Greg,

I have two questions for you about this for my own reference:

1. Was this on a dual flight (with a CFI)
2. Were you using a checklist for pre-flight and taxi to takeoff?

Thanks!
 
AdamZ said:
Dave: Get outta here! Take off w/ low fuel yeah can picture that, Leaving pitot cover on I can see take off roll yup, I can picture taking off w/ oil dipstick left out but takeoff with a gust lock in. I just don't see it. Where was this law suit? Was the pilot blind and a double arm amputee?
Click to expand...

It's happened more than once. I've read enough reports of it happening that it's one of my personal flying nightmares. I can't imagine how it must feel to get into the air and have no control over the plane. You wouldn't believe how many times I check free correct before takeoff....
 
Joe Williams said:
It's happened more than once. I've read enough reports of it happening that it's one of my personal flying nightmares. I can't imagine how it must feel to get into the air and have no control over the plane. You wouldn't believe how many times I check free correct before takeoff....
Click to expand...

I forgot "free and correct" while reading a checklist once with a CFI:

"Did you forget somethin' there Jason???"
"Uhh...yea, I think I have to check free and correct"
"Yup, that's a killer..." he then went into detail on why to do it every flight.
 
As a young man (so that would be back when Army guys had white name tags and wore brown boots) I did taxi with the gust control in. Corrected it before takeoff, but could see it happening. The accident that most struck me (or I should say a Baron pilot) was one where the pilot didn't want to pay for the expensive factory gust lock; so, he put a nail through the yoke. Didn't remove it before his last flight. Kinna nail in the coffin.

Dave
 
NickDBrennan said:
Even without the check!

Rudder lock seems to me would be obvious when you CAN'T TURN THE AIRPLANE during taxi (not counting steering by differential breaking).

What about crosswind correction during taxi?

I never jump on other pilots for deadly mistakes, lest I make one myself. I just don't see how this is possible.
Click to expand...

Keep in mind that there are different kinds of gust locks than what you find in your basic Cessna or Piper. Some are applied externally and don't completely restrict the movement of the controls in the cockpit. In a larger heavier aircraft, I think it's common to completely ignore the control wheel or stick during taxi.
 
Dave Krall CFII said:
Can the one with the PITA hitch be staightened out & smoothed by the A&P mechanic ?
Click to expand...

why would the control lock require a certified mechanic to work on it?
 
AdamZ said:
Dave: Get outta here! Take off w/ low fuel yeah can picture that, Leaving pitot cover on I can see take off roll yup, I can picture taking off w/ oil dipstick left out but takeoff with a gust lock in. I just don't see it. Where was this law suit? Was the pilot blind and a double arm amputee?
Click to expand...

I don't know about any law suit, but I have seen a few control locks modified to allow the key to be placed in the switch with out removing the control lock.
 
Ken Ibold said:
In front of a crowd.
Click to expand...

LOL. True.

Actually, the way my gust lock works, I would have never gotten off the ground. But I would have bent a prop and maybe nosed all the way over. Still not an outcome that I would have ejoyed.
 
AdamZ said:
Dave: Get outta here! Take off w/ low fuel yeah can picture that, Leaving pitot cover on I can see take off roll yup, I can picture taking off w/ oil dipstick left out but takeoff with a gust lock in. I just don't see it. Where was this law suit? Was the pilot blind and a double arm amputee?
Click to expand...

A plane which is in my logbook did exactly that a couple of months ago:

http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief2.asp?ev_id=20050715X01037&ntsbno=CHI05CA146&akey=1

That was number 3 out of 20 that I've flown that has crashed. Yikes!
 
this is why i like the old CIGAR TIP so much:

Controls (free & correct)
Instruments (flight & nav)
Gas (fullest tank/boost on)
Attitude (trim set for t/o)
Run up (mags/prop/oil press/volts-amps/vacuum)

Transponder (on/code)
Interior (charts/seats/seat belts/doors)
Procedures (what to do immediately after t/o, i.e. engine failure, instrument depart.procedure, etc)

the beauty of this is it's easy to remember, works in just about anything with wings, doesn't require that you stare at a paper checklist and i've been doing it since i was a student, so it's a standard routine.

good training early on is something that sticks with you for the rest of your career. i was very fortunate to have a great instructor early on.

hope this helps!

blue skies,
 
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AdamZ said:
Dave: Get outta here! Take off w/ low fuel yeah can picture that, Leaving pitot cover on I can see take off roll yup, I can picture taking off w/ oil dipstick left out but takeoff with a gust lock in. I just don't see it. Where was this law suit? Was the pilot blind and a double arm amputee?
Click to expand...

I agree, it is very hard to picture, isn't it ? (many dozens of times !)

Truth is often much stranger than fiction just because it IS actually true, per the many responses by others regarding the obvious lack of using a checklist properly by multiple pilots (not rocket science here).

...I therefore rest my case.
 
AdamZ said:
Dave: Get outta here! Take off w/ low fuel yeah can picture that, Leaving pitot cover on I can see take off roll yup, I can picture taking off w/ oil dipstick left out but takeoff with a gust lock in. I just don't see it. Where was this law suit? Was the pilot blind and a double arm amputee?
Click to expand...
There is no accounting for how DUMB people can be.
 
silver-eagle said:
There is no accounting for how DUMB people can be.
Click to expand...
The fourth accident down on this page is one of these (sorry, I can't link to the exact page): http://www.aopa.org/asf/ntsb/searchResults.cfm?identifier=BID

The accident above it is just as dumb. The pilot said he pulled back on the yoke, and the plane "wouldn't take off." It turned out he had almost full nose-down trim in. Don't people check these things before they take off?

BTW, the new accident report feature in the AOPA online airport directory is good to read. Besides reading about new ways to be a dumb pilot, you can learn a lot about the local terrain and runway conditions before you fly somewhere for the first time.
 
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