Enough elevator?

[Matt Brown]

I apparently pushed the hinge line on my elevators a bit too tight on my SV11 arf. I took a couple pics at each extreme. I’m thinking my easiest fix will be shaving a bit off the bevels of the elevators and recovering the bevel area. I’d really prefer to not need to do this but if the travel isn’t enough it’s what I’ll have to do.

Is this enough travel?

[Tim Wescott]

I measure 22 degrees deflection.  That should be enough.  Take it out, fly it, be a bit ground shy on the 4th turn of the hourglass until you're sure of it.

[Mike Griffin]

Looks fine to me.  I have planes with less and they corner fine.

Mike

[Matt Brown]

Okay, I’ll trust your opinions. I just figured if I had to mod it, now would be the time versus doing it on a completed airframe.

Thanks again guys.

Matt

[Ken Culbertson]

I just spent a week repairing a ship because I didn't have enough elevator to get me out of some dead air.  True, you don't need much more than 15 degrees to fly the pattern but when you get hit by a pocket of bad air in a tight corner or cramped space like in the hourglass or clover and you don't have it.....  You are probably going to be OK but I would try and get 45 if you can.  I never heard of a plane crashing because they had too much elevator movement.  (Ringmasters Excluded)

Ken

[Steve Helmick]

That's more elevator travel than my Eagle has, and it's enough to turn harder than it would prefer. Even I have not managed to crash it (yet). When I asked Paul Walker to fly it, he gave it the stink eye prior to flight, but said it flew fine.

HOWEVER, if you are flying it on electrons, where you should (for no known reason) set the CG way forward of where it would be with half a tank of glow fuel...it might need more elevator and flap travel. My suspicion is that those guys are trying to get more flap involvement to increase lift and make the corner radius smaller. Maybe...seems logical.  Steve

[Jim Hoffman]

Your elevator max deflection angle is fine.  I HIGHLY recommend you seal the hinge line for a variety of reasons.  It will make you elevator more effective

[M Spencer]

Some people put a straight edge ( steel ruler ) agaisnt the hinges , and push the elevator UP . If its on that side . Then V c V .
We wont tell you who weve seen doing this . Or why all the Mags talk about tight tail to elev gaps .
A board ( flat thing ) on the elevator ( and maybe tailplane ) might stop fingers going through , bits breaking off , or all the joints in there going.

Or put some fineish wet & dry paper on the steel rule , and knock of a wee bit here & there .
 
If you open the gap sitting say bits of plastic sheet in for a while ( to increse clearance ) you might wanna seal / tape the gap , underside .

We could do a cartoon of two 45 degree hardwood things , a big vice , and your aeroplane ! . 

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ACTUALLY , seeing its not IN THE AEROPLANE , if the inges aint glued yet , a piece of 1/16 sq bass glued along the centerline ,
dont ask which side , would get another 1/16 " out there , and yards of movement .