A-10C control stick - which material is it made of?

[ZeeMan90]

Hello fellow hawg drivers,

 

recently I have wondered how close the TM Warthog stick is to the original in terms of the selected material. 

Is the real stick also made of metal or another material such as resin or plastic? 

Judging from several photos the cuts, dents and chipped paint indicate metal. However,

I haven't been next to the real thing so I rather ask you guys.

 

Looking forward to your answers.

 

Stay safe and always 3 green!

 

Best regards

 

Zee

Edited August 25, 2021 by ZeeMan90

[christianholmes]

It's metal. Probably CNC machined steel. The TM HOTAS stick is cast. I don't know what kind of metal it is, but probably cheap- which is fine, I'm sure a real warthog stick costs thousands. Real aircraft pedals are machined steel as well. I love my TM pendular pedals, but I've seen stories of people easily breaking them. The motion is very realistic, although real aircraft have more travel and damping. I'm going to add the motorcycle steering damper mod when I can, but the brakes need some love too- I'll have to figure something out. 

[Hammer1-1]

Most aircraft controls are made of 7075T6 aluminum or comparable alloys, mostly to reduce weight of the aircraft. The combing over most of the instrument panels are made out of phenolic type compound not unlike fiberglass but more plastic-ish to reduce weight as well. Very rarely will you see steel or heavier used in aircraft construction unless its ballast or structural critical like landing gear (high stress, beryllium), engine mount points (high temps, stainless steel) or balancing the aircraft (ballast, depleted uranium or tungsten). Even most screws are made of titanium.

[Frederf]

https://www.essexindustries.com/products/f-16-fighting-falcon-sidestick-control-grip/

 

Some kind of aluminum anyway.

[jaylw314]

Most controls are made of either aluminum or magnesium alloys.  Aluminum is light and pretty strong, but magnesium is even lighter and stronger.  Not sure about the A-10 IRL, but magnesium does seem to be preferred in aircraft controls for whatever reason--maybe tradition, maybe to reduce the inertia of the controls, maybe because magnesium is a little more corrosion resistant to sweaty hands?

[Hammer1-1]

1 minute ago, jaylw314 said:

Most controls are made of either aluminum or magnesium alloys.  Aluminum is light and pretty strong, but magnesium is even lighter and stronger.  Not sure about the A-10 IRL, but magnesium does seem to be preferred in aircraft controls for whatever reason--maybe tradition, maybe to reduce the inertia of the controls, maybe because magnesium is a little more corrosion resistant to sweaty hands?

Yeah it also burns.......like a mofo.

[Rick50]

 

I vaguely seem to remember some people saying the TM stick is made of... "zamak" or something? Never heard of it myself before or since. A metal that I think can be injection moulded or die cast without too much trouble. I think it's zinc with some other material, maybe a filler? Injection moulding for low manufacturing expense, but with the feel of a higher quality metal grip. 

 

I remember a while ago reading on the board here that real Hornet sticks are made with a high strength (obviously aerospace grade and strength) resin, but that might not have always been the case for "every" Hornet ever put into service. I did get the impression that at least a few real sticks on Hornets did get a paint layer applied, that might start wearing off after many years of use. I believe Canada's earliest Hornets are near 40 years old now!

 

Edit:

found "zamak"!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zamak

ZAMAK (or Zamac , formerly trademarked as MAZAK[1]) is a family of alloys with a base metal of zinc and alloying elements of aluminium, magnesium, and copper.

The name zamak is an acronym of the German names for the metals of which the alloys are composed: Zink (zinc), Aluminium, Magnesium and Kupfer (copper). The New Jersey Zinc Company developed zamak alloys in 1929.

 

The most common zamak alloy is zamak 3. Besides that, zamak 2, zamak 5 and zamak 7 are also commercially used. These alloys are most commonly die cast. Zamak alloys (particularly #3 and #5) are frequently used in the spin casting industry.

 

A large problem with early zinc die casting materials was zinc pest, owing to impurities in the alloys. Zamak avoided this by the use of 99.99% pure zinc metal, produced by New Jersey Zinc's use of a refluxer as part of the smelting process.

 

Zamak can be electroplated, wet painted, and chromate conversion coated well.

Common uses for zamak alloys include appliances, bathroom fixtures, and die cast toys. Zamak alloys are also used in the manufacture of some firearms.

Edited August 28, 2021 by Rick50

[jaylw314]

4 hours ago, Hammer1-1 said:

Yeah it also burns.......like a mofo.

Yes, well, it only ignites at temperatures where you're unlikely to be alive enough to be worried about it. Sparks from signal wires are not going to ignite it.

I'd also point out that aluminum is the main ingredient in thermite, but we still make planes out of it

[Hammer1-1]

Its the main ingredient yes, but its iron oxide that sustains combustion IIRC.

Edited August 28, 2021 by Hammer1-1

[jaylw314]

9 hours ago, Hammer1-1 said:

Its the main ingredient yes, but its iron oxide that sustains combustion IIRC.

 

The iron oxide is just the oxidizer in thermite, or essentially a source of oxygen.  Aluminum will burn in oxygen, but it's just so danged hard to ignite.

 

Magnesium is easier to ignite, but it's still no slouch.  Ironically, racing wheel rims are sometimes made of magnesium alloy, and rims with failed tires are probably one of the easiest ways to get it to ignite!