Airplane rudder hand controls By Michael Dean on 27 Apr 17:49

I should also mention, for those not aware, that FAA approval is required to use these in any certified aircraft. That approval woudl be in the form of either a Supplement Type Certificate (STC) or a 337 "Field Approval".

How much are these? Where can I find them? It is urgent that I obtain a set of these. My son has his private pilots license but was injured almost two years ago. He is paralyzed from the chest down but has full use of everything above. Please conact me with as much info as possible.
thank you!!!
Brett Martin
brettpobastad@hotmail.com

Brett,

These controls used to be made by Union Aviation, in Sturgis Kentucky. I paid about $600, back in the late 90's, for mine. And that included all the necessary paperwork, including the Cessna 172 & 177 STC's.

Unfortunately I don;t think Union is making them any longer. I had conact with Mike Smith, president of the International Wheelchair Aviators, anf I know there are others looking to buy a set. They, and myself, have tried contacting Union Aviation, without any success.

So I took measurements of my set, and modeled them in CAD. I'm working on a set of deimensioned drawings, but have not got them done yet. when I do finish them, I'll make them available (no charge) so people can build their own set. However, they will have to apply to the FAA for their own STC, in order to legally use them in a certified aircraft. (No STC needed for experimental homebuilts.)

In the meantime, get a hold of the IWA (http://www.wheelchairaviators.org/) for more information about disabled flying. (Mike Smith is also a paraplegic.)
I would also suggest you contact "Able Flight" (http://www.ableflight.org/). They provide flight training, and have scholarships available, for the disabled. they may also be able to help you.

Good luck.

Thanks so much, Michael. That's the best news I've heard in awhile about airplane hand controls. Keep me posted on your drawings.

Brett Martin
461 E Island Lake Rd
Shelton, WA 98584
brettpobastad@hotmail.com

Very Nice Michael, these will be perfect for a homebuilt. Is the material primarily C4130 steel ?

Hi Peter. I can't be sure, but I assume they're made from 4130. I think they would work with a number of homebuilts. Provided they don't interfer with any of the other controls. I've looked over few of the factory made LSA's, a couple years ago, and I think they could be modified to work with them as well. However, you would need approval from the aircraft manufacturer to be legal. (And I couldn't get it for the specific model I was interested in.)

Thanks Michael, Do you have any photos of the original union controls? I am interested to know if there is any plating or coloration

had issues with the download,any sugestions?

Ethan, what kind of problems are you having? And what file type do you prefer?

Sorry for the late replay, Peter. I don't check Grab Cad nearly as often as I should. I'm not sure if the plating on my original controls are nickel or chrome. But they are definately plated. There are photos of the original Union hand controls at the IWA web site. Here's the link: http://www.wheelchairaviators.org/hand_controls.html