Jump to content

Metal brace on main faring broke at weld. JB weld or re weld?...


Gmoore7

Recommended Posts

My pre flight found the small metal piece that holds the front part of the faring with a screw broken from the weld. Obviously broken from vibration.

Two questions for my intelligent forum friends please. 1. Can I clean this up and put it back with JB weld or should I get it tack welded? 2. Is it dangerous to fly without the wheel farings?

Your comments are always appreciated.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

yea, take off 10oz. thats about what they weight.

 

I think that was meant to be facetious, but...

 

...if they really weighed less than a pound, you might get away with "negligible change" on the W & B.

 

More than that, I believe a new calculation would be required.

 

Of note, I have a copy of a CT "Pilot's Operating Manual" on my iPad. I went to the Section 5 Installed Equipment List to see what the wheel pants actually weighed. I think it's the first time I've seen an Equipment List presented without weights given for the items listed. It seems odd since I'd think thst's the primary reason a pilot would look there in the first place.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Advisory circular 43.13, 10-2, paragraph c:

 

 

c. Negligible Weight Change is any

change of one pound or less for aircraft whose

weight empty is less than 5,000 pounds; two

pounds or less for aircraft whose weight empty

is more than 5,000 and 50,000 pounds; and

five pounds or less for aircraft whose weight

empty is more than 50,000 pounds. Negligible

c. g. change is any change of less than 0.05%

MAC for fixed wing aircraft, 0.2 percent of the

maximum allowable c. g. range for rotary wing

aircraft.

 

Wheel fairings have some decent weight to them, but they won't be enough to endanger you unless you are flying that close to the edge of the envelope. Still though, your local FSDO could be dicks, and if something were to happen, you don't want to tangle with them. It takes a few seconds to run down a temporary W&B sheet and the logbook entry.

 

Anyways, wheel fairings are not required on CT aircraft, and you will even find an LOA here allowing it: http://ctflier.com/i...rs-of-approval/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

FYI,

 

Before anyone has a front flat and needs to change it make sure that after you take the side screws out of the wheel pant that the pant will lift up high enough to have access to the axle nut. If you don't use a Dremel tool with a sanding disk and make the "V" notch at the top deeper. One thing to use as a counter weight to hold the tail down is a tie down chain on the ramp and use your tail strap. I always carry a couple of ropes to tie down and for things like this. A wife comes in handy here too. :)

 

Note:

Most (not all, some debris) front wheel flats seem to be coming from too low a tire pressure and during taxi the tire walks on the wheel. Never let the pressure go below 30 psi and you'll not have to worry.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We are talking about taking about wheel pants OFF! Of the very small weight, this would make the weight LESS by that very small amount. And it virtually located in the cofg.

Please don't over-engineer this and use common sense.

 

We all know how extremely tiny in weight these things are, but that's not why W&B exists. Over the life of an aircraft, a tiny change here, tiny change there, etc, can add up. Also, weight isn't the only thing in weight and balance. The balance part is probably more important ;).

 

Anyways, just bringing up a regulatory requirement. In the case of these wheel fairings, your chance of ending your flying career is higher because of an inspector with a shiny new badge than an accident caused by their removal. As a person who works with FAA inspectors (former and current) a lot, they get their rocks off of hanging people from a noose over little stuff like this. Sometimes it's a true belief in aviation safety (yes these inspectors do exist!), sometimes it's a power trip.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...