Control Cable Tension

[dwightsmall]

I was recently flying my 2006 Legend Cub through light rain and felt a vibration or flutter in the control stick. I looked at the aileron cables on both left and right sides of the plane. The cable on the left wing was flinging water droplets in all directions. The left aileron cable, where it passes through 3 fair leads along the back side of the forward strut, was whip-sawing or doing a sine wave routine. I couldn't see any flutter in the aileron(s). I had noticed that my cables were not as taut as the cables are on a new Legend Cub at my airport. I phoned the factory and asked what the correct tension should be and was told that the tension was set by "feel" at the factory before a new plane is delivered. I then put a tension meter on the new Legend at my airport and the tension was 20 (1/8th inch cable) so I've now tightened my cables to match. My question is: Did Piper give any specs on aileron cable tension for the J-3 and, if so, what is it? I consulted AC-43-13 and it didn't give any help except to say that cable tension should be set to the aircraft manufacturers specifications. How about tension on the elevator and rudder cables, would they be the same as for the ailerons?

I'm also wondering if the cable in exposed areas should occasionally be treated with LPS 1 or 2 or 3.

 

[Josh]

 

[Renkou1]

 

[JoeS]

 

[bob turner]

 

[cubdriver2]

 

[Jorgen]

 

[huston marlowe]

 

[JimC]

 

[dwightsmall]