Was a bit breezy in Alberta

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photofly
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Re: Was a bit breezy in Alberta

Post by photofly »

Posthumane correctly put me right by pointing out that lift generated by the wings isn’t reacted by the spar or strut while the aircraft is tied down. So there’s no danger of airframe over-stress due to lift.

I do wonder about the tie-down ring hinges though.
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RatherBeFlying
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Re: Was a bit breezy in Alberta

Post by RatherBeFlying »

Was it the strap or the ratchet that failed?

If the strap failed, was it at a stress concentration point?

Stop by a climbing store. You won't find ratchet straps or polypropylene ropes there. Get some dynamic rope and a book on knots.
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co-joe
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Re: Was a bit breezy in Alberta

Post by co-joe »

I wonder about the UV effect on those straps. I would imagine that lighter coloured straps might be less affected. Going full on Herc straps just seems like overkill and could lead to over tightening really easily. I have had darker coloured ratchet straps come appart after holding the canopy on an old beater pickup for a couple seasons. They literally disintegrated.
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Beefitarian
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Re: Was a bit breezy in Alberta

Post by Beefitarian »

Hey guys. I'd like to share two crazy ideas I thought of here.

First you could lesson the uv effects on the straps (or ropes) if you made some nice cloth tubes out of a uv resistant cloth like they make fishing shirts out of. Think a really long shirt sleeve without the shirt. Not sure how to source the material.

Second, you could make or buy some lift spoilers that attatched to the top of the wings. They used to be somewhat common in the old days. If I made them I would integrate them into a cover to keep uv off the wings too. Easier to see and you could put them in the trunk of your car before flying, plus you don't have to sweep the snow and frost off the wings.

Sorry to see your plane upside down. Have they said it's for sure beyond repair?
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Posthumane
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Re: Was a bit breezy in Alberta

Post by Posthumane »

UV weakening of the straps is definitely a possibility. The straps broke in the middle, not at the attachment point to the hooks or anywhere near the ratchet mechanism.

Beef - I thought of the same ideas as you before, just never implemented them. My wife and I made a set of wing covers for the plane out of a rubberized rip stop nylon, and my thought was to add a little sleeve to the top surface where a rigid spoiler insert could be added. Trouble is, I didn't use the wing covers outside of the winter months as they were a bit of a pain to put on and take off.

The plane is definitely beyond repair. And if there was any doubt about its repair-ability, the local AMO that was hired to flip the aircraft back over sealed the deal by essentially crushing the the rear section of fuselage and ripping off the tail in the process.

I'm parting out what's left of the aircraft, so if anybody needs any interior bits, landing gear, or engine parts (O-300) let me know. In other news, I'm thinking of buying a Mustang 2 from Sask.
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Beefitarian
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Re: Was a bit breezy in Alberta

Post by Beefitarian »

Well I hope your insurance provider is treating you better than the AMO treated the poor little plane. Yeah I have tons of great plans that never get acted upon.
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