Hi, I am looking for any tips or advice on installation of the sportsman stol kit.Sportsman stol installation
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Sportsman stol installation
Hi, I am looking for any tips or advice on installation of the sportsman stol kit.
I have installed a couple of sportsman kits and the shop is installing another one as we write. Just checked and this one also came from Stene.
I like to tape the foam blocks in place, aligne them with the template and check for height conformity with a 6' straight edge or longer. Then mark their position on the wing with a marker. After you glue them in place, double check height and shave down the high spots. Next drill the leading edges for the rivet holes before fitting them to the wing. You can use cargo tie down straps to help hold and suck the leading edge to the foam blocks IF you are careful and don't get carried away and over tighten.
I like to bevel the trailing edges of the leading edge skins slightly so they tighten down tightly to the original leading edge skin when you rivet. Also determine where the overlap seam is between the inboard skin outer edge and the outboard skin inner edge. Then flute the outboard skin inner edge in the bend radius not qiute up to the lapseam, this allows you a tighter fit between the skins. Then if you bevel the inboard skin outer radius slightly you get a nice tight no gap seam between inboard and outboard skins.
I also like to dress the trailing edges of both skins so they match instead of doing the Cessna thing of mashing rivets however they happen to align the skins.
Also for a nice looking job you will need to spot fill all the pinhole voids in the fiberglass parts before you install and paint.
Most of the ones we have installed we have been rebuilding the wings so we can shoot all the rivets as solid MS20426-AD3 counter sunk rivets. if that is not an option we like to use #3's where we can reach and the cherry rivets where we have to.
Finally I think I would consider adding more rivets in the inboard and outboard skin seam as that is an area that seems to work lose and start the cherry rivets to smoking
If you are still awake and not totally confused I hope this helps. Brian
I like to tape the foam blocks in place, aligne them with the template and check for height conformity with a 6' straight edge or longer. Then mark their position on the wing with a marker. After you glue them in place, double check height and shave down the high spots. Next drill the leading edges for the rivet holes before fitting them to the wing. You can use cargo tie down straps to help hold and suck the leading edge to the foam blocks IF you are careful and don't get carried away and over tighten.
I like to bevel the trailing edges of the leading edge skins slightly so they tighten down tightly to the original leading edge skin when you rivet. Also determine where the overlap seam is between the inboard skin outer edge and the outboard skin inner edge. Then flute the outboard skin inner edge in the bend radius not qiute up to the lapseam, this allows you a tighter fit between the skins. Then if you bevel the inboard skin outer radius slightly you get a nice tight no gap seam between inboard and outboard skins.
I also like to dress the trailing edges of both skins so they match instead of doing the Cessna thing of mashing rivets however they happen to align the skins.
Also for a nice looking job you will need to spot fill all the pinhole voids in the fiberglass parts before you install and paint.
Most of the ones we have installed we have been rebuilding the wings so we can shoot all the rivets as solid MS20426-AD3 counter sunk rivets. if that is not an option we like to use #3's where we can reach and the cherry rivets where we have to.
Finally I think I would consider adding more rivets in the inboard and outboard skin seam as that is an area that seems to work lose and start the cherry rivets to smoking
If you are still awake and not totally confused I hope this helps. Brian52 170B s/n 20446
56 172 s/n 28162
Echo Weed eater, Jezebeel
56 172 s/n 28162
Echo Weed eater, Jezebeel
Thanks for the information, when your talking about checking for height conformity with a 6' straight edge are you talking about checking alignment of foam blocks with each other? The reason I was asking for info on installation is I have heard of cases where after installation of the kit one aircraft had lost up to 7 MPH in cruise, in another case I have heard the same mechanic installed the kit on three identical aircraft, one had great improvement in performance and the other two didn't really change. Is there that much of a chance of installing the leading edge either to high or to low?