Rudder Cable Systems Used in Modern Sailplanes

On 5/15/2012 12:35 AM, Ramy wrote:

When checking the rudder cables for broken strands it is best to
use a soft tissue which will readily snag on the broken strand. Of
course you can use your fingers if you like and if you have any
broken strands they can be easliy seen by the bloody drippings on
the cable.

Checked the rudder cables on my 27 - looking good. But as JJ
described, loosening the tension on one side causes a hard over to
the other side! I would like to hear how glider manufactures defends
this design! I wonder how many were killed by this design, giving
many unexplained spins into the ground from higher altitude. A glider
may still be landable without rudder control, but not with a full
rudder. Couldn't they come up with a design with a more graceful mode
of failure??

Since it's something that gradually goes bad (many flights from the
first strand breaking until cable failure) and is easily checked during
preflight, I don't think it's an issue. If not caught during preflight,
I think it would last till the annual inspection.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to
email me)