The Elowitz / Kearney Mk II Cherokee Gust Lock

Here are some pictures of the gust lock I recently made. Originally I just tied the yokes together and to the bottom of the instrument panel. based on comments from Roger Elowitz, I decided to use a 5/8" dowel to tie the yokes off. This eliminates any stress on the control tubes as the yokes are not under any stress. From the center of the dowel, a strap goes from the dowel to the bottom of the instrument panel. I use a cam lock fitting to keep the webbing snug (but not tight). To hold the webbing under the panel, I place the male end of a snap under the dash. The female snap end is on the end of the webbing. The excess webbing that goes through the cam lock is looped around the hand brake just to remind me to release the hand brake before I lock up.

The photo on the left shows the doweling and the 5 straps. The two on either end have Velcro that wrap around the control yokes. The center strap shows the silver snap at on end. Note that the webbing extends 2-3" beyond the snap to make removal from under the instrument panel easy. The cam lock is not very clear but it is the black piece of plastic on the center strap just below the doweling.

Installation is show in the right photo. The doweling goes BEHIND the control yoke as the center strap will pull the doweling forward. It is important to only snug the center strap so as not to put forward pressure on the control columns.

To see a sketch of Mk II Gust Lock the straps etc, click here