Yes the 2-33 was designed for a purpose, to train people to fly gliders. That does not mean it
should not be well designed. The Ka-4 I flew had not had any out of the ordinary maintenance done to the control system yet was almost completely slop free, and older than any 2-33.

If you check the slop/looseness of the average 2-33's control system you find that it does not serve the purpose for which it was intended. There is always a huge amount of slop present. In any aircraft this leads to more difficult handling and in a trainer makes the learning process more difficult. Many of us have become so used to the short commings of the 2-33 that they are no longer seen.

Despite what engineering folk lore says a steel bushing based glider control
system requires more maintenance to keep it slop free than a ball bearing one
does, I speak from the experience of maintaining both types of systems. I have
found worn bolts in Schweizers brought on by the steel bushing system that I
have never found in a German control system. In over 15 years of inspecting
gliders and even more years working on them I have not yet found a sealed ball
bearing that required replacing, the cycle rate is very low. This is not to say
they do not break but I have not found one yet. When worn the sealed ball
bearing or rod end is relatively easy to replaced and readily available.

By contrast the steel bushing must be drilled out and a new tube welded in and
then reamed to size. I did that to a 2-33 and it flew like a very different
glider. The handling was far more crisp due to the lack of slop, however within
a year or so the same old slop returned simply due to the design of the system.

Yes, the 2-33 it will be around for a long time but I am not sure that is
something to be proud of. Defenses continue to be made for it but it is what it
is, it should not be presented as something it is not.

Robert Mudd