Had a customer bring in a AA5B (Tiger) for some work. He mentioned that it had had a good going over a few years back by a shop that had a guy who knew Grummans. Sure enough, in the log book entry a few years back there a entry telling of the changing of the rudder springs and the riggin of rudder cable tension according to the manual (section and page number, and yes they were correct).

When the plane was opened up and checked, we found the original rudder springs in the plane, and the turnbuckles for the rudder still had the putty in the holes from the factory. See the picture, rudders cables are painted blue and red at the turnbuckles and the control arm.

So springs were changed (oh joy), rudder locked at neutral, blocks behind the rudder petal and the cables for the rudder are laying on the floor. Cables adjusted, rudder deflection was checked 21 L, 20 R (TCDS says 25 +- 2 L&R) so the rudder was set at 26 L&R.

What do your turnbuckles say about your maintenance?

Followed up by calling the shop that had done the work and was told the the mechanic was no longer there, some of his work was not correct.