OEM Rudder Crank Unit

OEM rudder adjusting crank unit installed to Captain-side kick-stand. The upper portion of the stick shaker can be seen in the foreground

The two OEM rudder adjusting crank units have been sitting in storage for considerable time, and I thought it was time to add them to the simulator and replace the very poorly made and ‘cheesy’ reproductions.

The unit is not a small item that can easily be attached to the lower kick stand of the Main Instrument Panel (MIP). Each crank handle attaches to a 8-inch-long box, that houses the various circuitry, cabling and a dozen or so aircraft circuit breakers.

Connection to the aircraft’s system is via two Canon plugs at the rear of the unit, while movement of the pedals forward or aft is facilitated by a long metal cable that connects to the rear of the handle.

The unit is not light-weight and weighs in at just over 1 kilogram.

The rudder crank handles do nothing other than add to the aesthetics of the simulator. However, if wanted the various circuit breakers can be connected to an interface card (I will not be doing this).

rudder adjusting crank unit (prior to cleaning). The long metal cable that connects to the rear of the handle (enabling the forward and aft adjustment of the pedals) has been removed. The white crank handle hangs loose and needs to be attached to the box using plastic fasteners (empty holes). The black circular pull on/off circuit breakers can be seen below the white handle

Installation to MIP

There are several methods that can be used to install the mechanism to the Main Instrument Panel (MIP).

If you are using an OEM MIP, then connection of the mechanism to the kick-stand is a matter of using the existing bolts and placement holes. Fitment to a reproduction MIP is accomplished differently and depends upon how the MIP has been fabricated.

I fabricated an aluminium cradle (saddle) that is attached by two nuts and bolts to the lower portion of the kick-stand (under the kick-stand out of sight). The rudder adjusting crank unit slides into the cradle and a small screw holds the unit in the correct place. A similar assembly could easily be made from wood or ABS plastic and painted Boeing grey.

The method of attachment differs to the way the unit is attached in the real aircraft (classic or Next Generation). I have abutted the upper section of the unit against the lower kick-stand. In the real aircraft the mechanism is attached by a metal mounting bracket and screws. As stated above, the type of MIP you are using and how it's fabricated indicates the best way to attach the unit (unless you want to bastardise the MIP).

737 Next Generation rudder adjusting crank *(courtesy @ Kar*l)

Classic (500 series)

The rudder adjusting crank I have installed is from a classic 500 series airframe. The difference between the classic and the Next Generation is minimal, however the method that the mechanism is attached to the lower kick-stand differs considerably.

The classic is as shown in the above two images while the Next Generation, shown at left connects directly to the kick-stand via a a series of brackets that form part of the lower kick-stand structure.

For those who are interested in a reproduction unit, AeroSim Solutions in Australia has a reasonable facsimile.

Read about an alternate use of the circuit breakers.