Whenever a nut is subject to rotation, it is required to have a drilled bolt, castellated nut, and cotter key. In the top photo you can see that the proper bolt/nut combination is correctly used on the forward rudder cable link attachment, but not on the aft one. Similarly, in the bottom photo the nut on the control column, which uses a brass insert as a bushing, requires a castellated nut. If a bolt is used through a rod end bearing, the use of a fiber locknut is approved, as the bushing in the rod end bearing rotates instead of the bolt.
In Case You Missed It
Unusual Attitude
Vans Aircraft founder Richard VanGrunsven considers flight safety, and how improving our building and piloting skills would do more to reduce the number of mishaps than additional regulations would.
Wind Tunnel
Flight testing for longitudinal stability problems continues this month as columnist Barnaby Wainfan details tests for stick force as related to trim and stick-free stability of an aircraft. The object is to gather data and analyze it to see if the hypotheses about the nature of the problem hold up under scrutiny.
Wind Tunnel
Got separation anxiety? Vortex generators can keep the airflow attached where it belongs.













