Pre-Inspection ??

[bbryan]

This question maybe a little late in the game since all my fabric work is done, but is a pre-inspection required during the building phase of a KF3 ?

[Dorsal]

Was not for me.

[cap01]

probably not , but depends on what your dar requires . seem it varies from dar to dar or in different areas . mine didnt even require the wing tips removed or the inspection plates opened . wouldnt hurt to find a dar in your area and give him a call and see exactly what they are interested in . if nothing else it will remove the mystery of the process and you will know what to expect when the time comes to get a/w inspection done . also you can get an idea of what they are going to charge which seems to vary

[Dorsal]

I agree completely with Cap, keep you DAR involved and it will make final inspection go much more smoothly.

[SkyPirate]

On my current project ,..which isn't a kit,..but the process is the same evidently ,..my DAR has told me that she doesn't want to see the plane until it is completed and ready to fly,.. I call her every 6 months or so just to touch base ,..but I also have 3 A&P's and an AI that I keep in touch with concerning the build on a regular basis,..more so to witness the build in case their are any questions on who built it ( just in case I have to change my DAR or she get's transfered etc),..aside from photo's and bills of sale for materials.

Chase

[t j]

I did like Sky Pirate is doing. I haven't kept up on the rules but back in the mid 90's some inspectors expected to see that a "Knowledgeable person" had made inspections during the construction. It was not required that the "Knowledgeable person" sign an entry in the construction log.

I made entries in my builder's log of a couple A&P mechanics that had looked over my work and one when my EAA chapter had a meeting in my shop and inspected the work in progress.

[HighWing]

As I recall, in the old days a pre inspection was mandated by the FAA. Then the rules changed - not so now. One issue not mentioned so far is insurance. When I finished my first project in 1998, Avenco would write first flight insurance if you had a pre-cover inspection by an EAA tech counselor. Not sure the policies now, but It seems to me that in the real world, the insurance companies have sort of become defacto enforcers of the FARs.

[bbryan]

Thanks, that was good information. Thinking about adding an inspection ring between every rib just in case somebody wants to take a look, What are you guys thoughts on this? I have three on each wing currently.

[Dorsal]

3 per sounds like plenty to me, I used 2 on one side and 1 on the other.

[DesertFox4]

Thinking about adding an inspection ring between every rib just in case somebody wants to take a look, What are you guys thoughts on this?Sounds like extra effort for little return.

We put zero inspection rings in my wings per my Tech Counselor. He'd help build 38 Kitfox's at the time so I went with his recommendation. Nothing to inspect. No moving parts, pulleys, cables, pins, bolts, push rods, fuel lines ect. If the DAR wants to look in the wings just leave the tips off. He/she can see the whole thing from the end. Not sure what they'll be looking for though. Maybe to admire your beautiful rib stitching job.;) If in doubt glue in the inspection ring reinforcement ring and don't cut out the fabric until you really need to look in there, which you won't.

Some people put one next to the pitot tube in case someone runs into it at an airshow with their hat and breaks it off (it happens). I mounted my pitot tube inboard one rib so it's protected by the strut. No one runs into mine. Works perfect there. Again thanks to my Tech Counselor (Murle Williams) for that mod. and all the rest on my Kitfox.

[cap01]

the inspection hole is a good idea at the pitot tube . my wings were covered in 1992 and they were installed for good on the plane in 2008 . after the instruments were installed , i did a pitot check and the system would not hold any pressure . came to find out that the surgical tube that connected the metal pitot tube to the poly pitot hose had rotted over the years . luck for me they had installed a inspection ring in the area of the pitot tube .

[Dave S]

Chuck & All,

On the inspection covers - a person can always glue in rings, finish the airplane, and not cut the hole until or if it becomes apparent you actually need it - little effort and little cost at that point. The deal is if you do not put in a ring when you can - can't be done later - kinda the got it but don't need it is better than need it and don't have it. I glued in rings on all rib bays except for the bays occupied by the fuel tanks - both wings have wires inside. There is a tendency among some repairmen who do a lot of covering to become more generous with installing rings with new covering and not cutting the hole - experience will do that to a person.

Just an FYI on the surgical tubing - traditional surgical tubing is made of latex (and is normally the same color as the yellow/tan surgical gloves made of the same stuff although some latex laboratory tubing is black in color) Latex tubing has a short life because it is very succeptible to oxidation and UV radiation - it will deteriorate in a relatively short time. Tygon tubing does not have this problem (but there are a lot of different formulations for tygon depending on its uses). I have seen latex surgical tubing used in certified aircraft pitot systems which also deteriorated and I am not certain if that was original equipment or not - I suspect it was not and may have been put in the pitot connection when the old "razorback" fiberglass covering:eek: (which is also garbage) was applied.

Sincerely,

Dave S
KF 7 Trigear
912ULS Warp

[rogerh12]

Howdy all;

Well my old Model 2 had no wing inspecton plates, but it did have the drip ports on the back of the wing to drain water out (it was setup to accept floats, be never flown off water). Wasp used the drain holes to fly inside the wing and make nest, lots of them. Without inspection plates I could not clean out the wasp nest, so I wish I had one between every rib.

Also, if a wing gets stuck or somethign drops on it, I would think having inspection holes might make it possible to verify or even fix the damage without removing the fabric.

hope this helps
Roger

[cap01]

dave , i replaced the surgical tubing with a piece of fuel hose . dont think ill have to worry about that rotting in my lifetime . thats what they had done on mine , installed the rings but didnt cut them out . another good place for a ring is in the area of the tail wheel spring attach bolt . ive cut that one open also .

[Dave S]

Chuck,

The fuel hose is a perfect solution for this connection also - got some of that connecting my static line - it'll last a long, long time.

Dave S

[bbryan]

Ordered a few more rings yesterday and may add some more. Wing tips are permanent. (BUMMER). I wont be looking at any pretty rib stitching because I elected to go against good advice and use Martin clips. But, don't try this at home yet. It actually came out very nice and 3 hrs. per wing but does leave a small ridge from leading to trailing. Might look cool after painted or not. Not sure what the DAR will think. Probably the same thing most of you guys think.Holds the fabric very well. If it works out well I'll post some pics, if not I'll just hide in shame. AGAIN!