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wing inspection holes and covers

Posted: Mon Jan 15, 2018 1:47 pm
by ralphhsd
I am seeking information and suggestions for wing inspection holes and covers. Where are you locating them, how are you creating them, etc. I have some pictures showing glued in rings but not cut out with covers and other pictures that don't show any at all around the strut mounting area. I saw one at Brodhead in past years that had Plexiglas covers over a plywood frame that had been attached inside the wings. I would really like to hear how that was done. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated

Ralph in SD

Re: wing inspection holes and covers

Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2018 7:50 pm
by Steve D
We put rings anywhere we thought we might want to look someday. Most are not cut out. But now is an easy time to put the rings on.

Re: wing inspection holes and covers

Posted: Thu Jan 18, 2018 11:32 pm
by taildrags
I put up a few pictures of where my airplane has inspection covers on the wings, here:

http://www.flysquirrel.net/piets/repair ... ction.html

I have a few others on the empennage, along with a removable rectangular metal cover on the underside of the aft fuselage right below the walking beam that actuates the elevators. That cover has been very helpful when working in the aft part of the empennage and I highly recommend it. I also highly recommend either a metal or clear Lexan inspection cover on the belly by the front cockpit rudder pedals. Kevin Purtee pioneered this little detail on his first Piet and it is an excellent idea because once your plane is built, getting into the front cockpit to work on anything under there is very difficult. Kevin's clear Lexan cover provides the added benefit of providing the front cockpit occupant (navigator, bombardier, or sightseer) with a way to look down under the aircraft. I should get Kevin to write up a short item for the next Newsletter on his belly viewport/access cover. My airplane has the fuel tank in the nose and I can't tell you how many times I have been up under there working on my fuel shutoff valve or something else, twisted and squeezed into position to work down there, and forgotten a tool or dropped a nut or washer and have had to disentangle myself with great effort to get back out. Kevin's little trapdoor makes that a non-issue.

Re: wing inspection holes and covers

Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2018 5:27 am
by Pappy
First off use a clevis on all your cables, guys short cut on the bay cross cables in the wings and the thimbles stretch or flatten out and the cables loosen up. I put an inspection hole on each out board strut connection to check the bolts on the spars, little tricky but worth it. and my new piet has better inspection ports on the pulleys see pics
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