Builder Hints

July 1983

CAUTION: SWAGING NICOPRESS SLEEVES

A properly installed nicopress sleeve will hold beyond the point where the cable breaks. Be certain that you are swaging your cables correctly. The "cheap’ nicopress swaging tools that commonly sell for around $15.00 and work by tightening bolts, are fine. That is what we use here at RAF.

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It is important to use the tool correctly. The sleeve should be oriented vertically per the sketch with the cables as snown. ten ot bolts equally, about a half turn at a time until the two steel faces of the swagino tool are firmly together.

CAUTION: COUNTOURING AILERONS

We have had this one in the CP before but it is important enough to warrant a rerun. The leading edges of the lower surface of your ailerons must be rounded per plans per page 19-14. If you have a sharp corner here your aileron could develop a heavy vibration at full control deflection from 90 to 120 knots. Sand this corner round to follow the shape of the steel mass balance weight.

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CAUTION: EXPERIMENTAL PROPS

Testing experimental props may be a hazardous thing to do. A Long-EZ builder/flyer was testing a pretty fancy, thin bladed, flexible prop when both blades failed just outboard of the hub. Fortunately this particular prop had a ply of Kevlar wrapped over the prop full span. Only the Kevlar stopped the blades from departing the airplane, the pilot made a safe landing.

AILERON HINGES

Mike Rhodes reports having difficulty bonding the aileron hinges to the aileron and keeping everything aligned at the same time. He came up with a neat idea to use a piece of scrap foam rubber between tile wing and the hinge which due to its springiness will hold the hinge tight against the aileron at A2 and AS until the Rondo sets. (see sketch).

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FUEL TANK AND SUMP BLISTER LEAKS

There is nothing more discouraging than getting your airplane ready all the way through to paint and then to find fuel tank leaks. Lately a few builders have reported leaks found in the sump blisters. You must paint a generous coat of Safe-T-Poxy on the inside of your fuel strakes, on the side of the fuselage, on the forward face of the centersection spar and the inside face of the baggage wall and outboard rib. Do not neglect to do this. Its a good idea to squeegee the epoxy onto these surfaces to ensure that you force the epoxy into any tiny pin holes that nay exist. Allow the epoxy on the inside of the top of the strake to tack up or even cure before installing.

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