Fuselage strut fitting - FAA Airworthiness Concern Sheet (merged)

[Robert Lees]

Re: Fuselage strut fitting - FAA Airworthiness Concern Sheet (merged)

I'm going to close this one for a while. The NPRM has been issued...see this thread.

Rob

[Forrest Barber]

Re: Fuselage strut fitting - FAA Airworthiness Concern Sheet (merged)

Keep the other thread for data as much as possible, dander up!!
You should come here and answer the phones, to maintain my trust with the NTSB & the FAA I cannot & will not reveal some information till it is final on the docket.

[Greg Bockelman]

Moved from the Attach Point Results Thread.

How can I make it any clearer, do the inspection per the SB........ I believe that will comply with the AD ( if there is one).

Sorry, Forrest. I didn't mean to get your dander up but your first sentence in this thread,

The Revision for the Attach fitting inspection SB 2007-002 issued Nov 8th, 2007 will have a new importance shortly.

sort of muddied the water in my mind.

I am 90% it will comply

As does THAT statement. All I was trying to do was clarify to the best of your ability. And it isn't TOTALLY irrelevant to the thread.

I am 99.9 % it will become an AD...... soon!!
Please keep this thread for data input......

Of that, I am sure.

[VictorBravo]

Re: Fuselage strut fitting - FAA Airworthiness Concern Sheet (merged)

Bill, nice job and great detail.

A couple of suggestions: one would be to remove reference to eddy current inspection under #5 since that is no longer an approved method. (would just help to reduce confusion as it was and then wasn't, etc.)

The other suggestion would be to utilize the pins mentioned in #10 in steps 3 and 4. ie, tap out the bolts on both ends of the struts and leave in place the easily removed pins (drifts, punches, etc) That way one isn't wrestling with a stuck bolt with the other end of the strut free.

JACKPOT ! Thanks! That is an excellent idea, I will incorporate it into the document. Keep the ideas coming...

Bill

[fearofpavement]

Re: Fuselage strut fitting - FAA Airworthiness Concern Sheet (merged)

Bill, nice job and great detail.

A couple of suggestions: one would be to remove reference to eddy current inspection under #5 since that is no longer an approved method. (would just help to reduce confusion as it was and then wasn't, etc.)

The other suggestion would be to utilize the pins mentioned in #10 in steps 3 and 4. ie, tap out the bolts on both ends of the struts and leave in place the easily removed pins (drifts, punches, etc) That way one isn't wrestling with a stuck bolt with the other end of the strut free.

[VictorBravo]

Re: Fuselage strut fitting - FAA Airworthiness Concern Sheet (merged)

This is the current version of the document I wrote concerning safe and sane removal of struts, for inspection of the struts or lower fitting. Inexperienced mechanics please do not be put off by the detail and length of the instructions, all that detail actually makes it simpler.

Eventually, I will add photos to this document and turn it into an illustrated mini-manual (like Rob did with the brakes). At one time I wrote instruction manuals (R/C model airplanes) so I am all set up to do it in a presentable format.

For what it's worth, your comments, suggestions and additions/deletions are very very welcome. It's intended that after this method is field tested and fully de-bugged, it can be made into a recommended or authorized procedure acceptable to the Foundation and the FAA. I may or may not use every suggestion, and I may or may not fight like hell to defend my own methods, but all suggestions will be sincerely considered.

General Disclaimer ! Although the legality of an individual owner removing the struts (to take them in for X-ray, etc.) without an A&P present is fairly defensible, a non-mechanic owner re-installing them without the supervision of a licensed mechanic is not permissible by current FAR's. So this method is only partially "legal" for a non-mechanic owner to do by himself. However I stand by my position that this method will be of some usefulness to any licensed mechanic who is not experienced with Taylorcrafts, and will serve to help any mechanic prevent damage to the aircraft.

[Don]

Re: Fuselage strut fitting - FAA Airworthiness Concern Sheet (merged)

Hi Bill, I will take you up on your offer to Email this info to me.

My Email is [email protected]

Thanks so much for the generous offer

Don

[VictorBravo]

Re: Fuselage strut fitting - FAA Airworthiness Concern Sheet (merged)

After reading a few posts over the last months, from people who are still concerned with removing their struts (to inspect the fuselage fitting or just take the struts off for testing), I finally finished the second draft of a suggested method to remove the struts. (first draft was posted a couple of months ago). If anyone's interested I'm glad to e-mail it or re-post it. If the Foundation or FAA wants to use it they are welcome. This procedure is presented in what should be hopefully idiot-proof detail.

[T.Taylor]

Re: Fuselage strut fitting - FAA Airworthiness Concern Sheet (merged)

OH MY, that is too cool, go fur et, T.

[VictorBravo]

Re: Fuselage strut fitting - FAA Airworthiness Concern Sheet (merged)

Hi Bill, just a question, does this mean you'll get rid of you signature line, Friends don't let friends fly nosewheel aircraft???

(sorry, off topic)
I dunno. I may have to. Looking at several off-airport videos of the plane I can see a case for building it with the nosewheel. The shape of the fuselage REALLY does not lend itself to a tailwheel on that design. The way the plane is landed on short curved roads and such in the video makes me think that a good heavy duty nosewheel setup might be a necessary evil for this airplane.

Then again there is a tailwheel option sold by the factory, but it re-uses the existing main gear which makes the plane look even uglier (if that's possible).

I did a little amateur photo bashing on a picture of one of the customer built tailwheel versions. I lengthened the main gear, rotated the plane to ah igher ground angle, and changed thenose art from Betty Boop to Bugs Bunny. Check out this "artists concept" of what a taller tailwheel 701 might look like.

[T.Taylor]

Re: Fuselage strut fitting - FAA Airworthiness Concern Sheet (merged)

Hi Bill, just a question, does this mean you'll get rid of you signature line, Friends don't let friends fly nosewheel aircraft???:grumpy:
scratchbuilding the CH-701 on the cheap,
Happy New Year, and it is always good to read your posts, T.

[Forrest Barber]

Re: Fuselage strut fitting - FAA Airworthiness Concern Sheet (merged)

The word document works fine, Dave is refering to a photo he is trying to add. I will go to the airport today and see what I have over there. I have a cover plate from Dave they are nice and fit up under the gear fairing and surround the strut fitting.

[VictorBravo]

Re: Fuselage strut fitting - FAA Airworthiness Concern Sheet (merged)

OK, not being real well versed in the legalities of putting fairings on a Certified plane,

close control surface gaps, etc.

The one place I do not know a lot about is air inlet and exhaust around the cowling.

FAR 43 allows an owner/pilot to install or remove non-structural and non-flight-critical fairings. Worst possible case scenario, your IA can sign this off as a minor alteration. If called to answer for your audacity, throw their own book at them, specifically their recent "best practices for aging aircraft" pamphlet. Position these fairings as "protective covers to prevent water, dirt and pitting", and then say you faired them in so as NOT to create changes or disturbances in air flow in that area (that's what you will mostly be doing anyway... disabuse yourself of the idea you will gain 10 MPH).

DO NOT just close off the gap between the wing an aileron. It is a slot that is designed to be there for low speed control.

The rudder and elevator gaps, have at it with glee... so long as you do not create a situation where the seal could jam the controls. There is no laminar flow there, so you are 99% concerned with sealing the gap and 1% concerned with parasite drag. Bottom line... pick the right tape and tape up the gaps without the tape stretching when the control surfaces move.

Inlet and exhaust in the cowling, be very careful. I have months of personal experience with this, recently (like yesterday)

The Taylorcraft system is a marginal design that is very difficult to improve on, without making several changes. The problem is that the cowling is too tight on the engine, and the cylinders are too close to the prop flange, and those big smiling triangular inlets are in the wrong place, and the exit is all wrong, and there's no room to make a decent "inlet diffuser", and on and on.

IMHO the air should go in at the bottom of the nose bowl, upwards through the cylinders, then out the top or the sides of the cowl, not the bottom. This would certainly be a major project from a paperwork AND a tin-bashing standpoint. For what my opinion is worth, get a banged up, cracked, ugly set of cowlings and modify them, don't screw up a rare nice set of T-craft cowlings. Once you prove out your new cooling system (updraft, downdraft, water spray, whatever) then you can approach the FAA with whatever data you have. If they say OK, then you can play with it some more. If they say no, put your old cowl back on.

[Larry Lyons]

Re: Fuselage strut fitting - FAA Airworthiness Concern Sheet (merged)

OK, not being real well versed in the legalities of putting fairings on a Certified plane, I plan on (way in the future after a several year rebuild) making and putting on some very well researched fairings at all the attach points, wing and strut, landing gear and fuselage, wheel pant and gear, close control surface gaps, etc. Another words clean her up as best I can with out having to change the total design. A lot of work but so what, I need something to do in my shop anyway after the rebuild and I think it will surprise us with the speed gains to be had. I am always surprised with what the Reno guys can do to a standard plane with a few modest changes. The one place I do not know a lot about is air inlet and exhaust around the cowling. There was a good article in Sport Aviation a short time back about that and I can see it will take some work and study but I have time to study as I rebuild.

[flyguy]

Re: Fuselage strut fitting - FAA Airworthiness Concern Sheet (merged)

I'm thinking modeling clay form around the fitting then fiberglass over. Remove glass, remove clay, trim, UV proof, paint, put on with screws into aluminium held down under fabric over. Seal with gasket material/sealer.

Or, leave open like it has been for the last 3 years and just fly the plane. LOL.
DC