The International Cessna 170 Association

Who can give me some information about rigging the flaps & ailerons on my ragwing? The Association's SRAM book is noticably lacking in this department. There is an article in The 170 Book about rigging the ailerons,but it is aimed at the B models & mentions fairing the inboard end of the ailerons with the outboard end of the flaps. I can do this,but I don't have any rigging info for the flaps themselves.
I hesitate to just get in there & arbitrarily start adjusting things. I did a little of that already & just made things worse......

Eric

No answer but a related question. My 55 170B has a heavy left wing. We've tried adjusting the eccentrics which control wing warp and we've tried things which I forget. One thing we haven't tried is aileron rigging. When the yoke is neutral both ailerons are not in line with the flaps. Left aileron is a bit high which, it seems to me, would make that wing heavy. Should I adjust the aileron rigging?

Any thoughts on that one?

In the world of aileron and flap rigging the first place to start with is a good mechanic. If you screw up it could really hurt. Now. Start with rigging the flaps to the fairing on the fuselage. On the B models you have to check that the flaps have the correct travel in relation to the cranks. LOOK in the owners manual. There are specific instructions on how to set the flaps. Once youv'e spent 4 hours on the flaps start by putting a stick accross both control wheels and taping it in place with the wheels level. If they don't line up you have to adjust the turnbuckle behind the panel. Then check the ailerons. are they even with the outboard edge of the flaps? Time to adjust them. CHECK the travel on the bellcranks in the wing. Quite a job. After that you can adjust the rigging for travel limits and adjust the push pull rod from the bellcrank to the aileron. LOOK IN THE BOOK. Now get out the safety wire and buise your knuckles. GET THE MECHANIC TO INSPECT YOUR WORK.
Good Luck

Ailerons are adjusted with the pushrods and bellcranks out on the wing. The Owner's Manual has details on aircraft rigging. Do not just start where you "think" the problem is. Start at the beginning of the procedure, just as detailed in the owners manual, and follow thru with the entire procedure. Adjusting the turnbuckle associated with the chains behind the panel is the least likely thing your aiplane will need. Be careful just starting at some arbitrary place and twisting things.
Like N3150B suggests, read the book, follow the directions, get a qualified mechanic who knows single engine Cessnas. (The 100 Series Service Manual also gives a good description, but not the specifics of a 170. The 170 is specified in the 170 Owner's Manual, available from Aircraft Spruce and Univair, and Cessna of course.)

My 170 also has a wing-heavy condition and I have also adjusted the eccentrics as much as possible. Still heavy. I spoke with a Cessna engineer who gave me a tip I haven't tried yet. When the elevators are re-installed, the bolt holes where the two meet up may be elongated just enough, causing the elevators to not line up properly, inducing a slight roll. On the new C206's being produced today, the elevators are intentionally off-set from each other, and someone not READING the manual might reinstall those in-line with each other and cause a problem. Like I said, I haven't checked mine yet, but intend to soon.

If your aileron isn't rigged to the proper up/down travel limits, ...
If they are flying too "high" on the heavy side...
If the cable tensions are too loose and allowing the aileron to ride high...
If the opposite Flap is not completely up against it's upper stops...
If the opposite aileron is too low...

These are all more likely causes than an elevator split. A mild elevator split is normal on most airplanes, and it's not enough to cause a wing to be heavy. The above causes are far more likely. (As is a wing that's been changed or re-skinned improperly.)