Some versions of the Apache III may have been shipped with the rudder control horn mounting hole drilled too low. The rudder control horn mounting hole is pre-drilled at the factory prior to the rudder being covered. The hole is about .25” (6mm) in diameter and is located just aft of the rudder hinge line towards the bottom of the rudder. The hole can be located by holding the vertical stabilizer and rudder assembly and backlighting it from behind. A limited number of Apache III’s produced in the fall of 2003 and shipped to market in the Nov 2003 through Spring 2004 time frame may have the hole drilled about 1.25”(31mm) too low.

Resolution.

In Brief: Drill a new hole for the rudder control horn approximately 1.25” (31mm) higher than the hole pre-drilled at the factory.

In Detail: Insert the vertical stabilizer and rudder assembly into the mounting slot in the top of the fuselage. Locate the rudder control rod protruding from the top of the aft end of the fuselage. Free the rudder control rod from any lockdown tape installed near the servo tray for shipping purposes. From the aft end of the fuselage, extend the rudder control rod until it reaches the rudder hinge line. The rod should be approximately in line with the rudder control horn hole. If it is not, mark where the control rod crosses the rudder hinge line. Remove the vertical stabilizer from the fuselage. Drill a new rudder control horn hole to align with the control rod. Drill the hole to be the same diameter as that of the incorrectly placed hole done by the factory. Install the rudder control horn assembly in the new hole per the instruction procedures in the manual.