LM701  STOL N1345L

Spring Loaded Steering Rods in a 701

The front wheel on a standard 701 is steered with a couple of rigid rods connected to the rudder petals.  One thing I noticed and heard from several people is how hard the rudder was to turn.  The reason the rudder seems hard to turn is because you are also turning the front wheel.  Not only is the front wheel held down by a bungie cord, it sets in a "V" to hold it in the straight forward position.  So you are fighting two forces when trying to control the rudder.

Having experience with gyroplanes which also have front wheel steering via the rudder petals, I decided to incorporate the same approach of spring loading the steering rods on my 701.

It's a little difficult to explain, but the springs allow you to turn the rudder without turning the front wheel until a certain amount of pressure is put on the springs.  It is totally adjustable.  When the aircraft is on the ground the weight of the aircraft takes the pressure off the "V" notches allowing the wheel to turn easier, especially when rolling.  Just think about it a little bit.

Here are a few pictures.

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