I am going to pull my ailerons off tomorrow to repaint them and I was curious if there was any trick to making sure the cables don’t jump off any pulleys or such. My plan was to get a friend to help and to disconnect both sides at the same time, then tape the cables on each side to the wing skins to keep them slightly under tension. Anyone already done this and have any tips or is it as simple as it sounds like it could be?

It’s pretty much as simple as you suspect. There should be “keepers” on the pulley mounts that prevent the cable coming off.

That said, you should pull the appropriate inspection covers when you put it back together to ensure the cables are routed properly and are on their pulleys.

Pay particular attention to where the cable passes the rear strut upper attach point; the loose cable can easily get hung up on top of and behind that, which is sub-optimal.

Thanks for the info, Andy! I'm looking forward to getting to back together without the unsightly corrosion on the steel parts.

Be sure to check the cable routing as it passes by the strut attach straps. One cable can get over the aft strap then rub and abraid. There is a SB regarding this.

maules.com wrote: ↑

Wed May 11, 2022 2:58 pm

Be sure to check the cable routing as it passes by the strut attach straps. One cable can get over the aft strap then rub and abraid. There is a SB regarding this.

Always appreciate the help, Jeremy! I’ll be sure to double check as it goes back together.

If painting don’t forget to check balance.

gbarrier wrote: ↑

Thu May 12, 2022 6:04 am

If painting don’t forget to check balance.

I ended up just redoing the paint on the hinges and not doing the whole ailerons. Looks like more than I want to tackle myself!

I took my left aileron off yesterday to install a trim servo. Was pretty painless. Reinstalling it was just as easy. Just make sure the cotter pin holes are in the right position when you tap the hinge pins back in. I put a zip tie on two cables to keep them semi-tight.

Only thing to note is with new hardware installed, the cable tension was higher than before so a simple adjustment of the center turn buckle put everything back to where it needed to be. The aileron removal service letter is very informative for rigging the ailerons and replacing cables if needed.