I dare you to find a worse wiring job!

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Gregg Leslie

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Feb 12, 2026, 5:49:18 PMFeb 12
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And it’s not my work!

IMG_4884.jpg

Gregg Leslie

Kevin Shultz

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Feb 12, 2026, 6:06:50 PMFeb 12
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Gregg, I’m dying to see the “After” picture after you rewire it.  Please share!

Thank you,
Kevin C. Shultz

On Feb 12, 2026, at 5:49 PM, Gregg Leslie <as...@hotmail.com> wrote:


And it’s not my work!

<IMG_4884.jpg>

Gregg Leslie

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Gregg Leslie

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Feb 12, 2026, 6:29:34 PMFeb 12
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Probably not this spring
Gregg Leslie

On Feb 12, 2026, at 6:06 PM, Kevin Shultz <kevin.c...@gmail.com> wrote:

 Gregg, I’m dying to see the “After” picture after you rewire it.  Please share!

Mark Mocho

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Feb 12, 2026, 7:39:33 PMFeb 12
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Hah! That's not even close to the worst! I once got a glider in the shop that had every kind of wire you could imagine, including household lamp cord, solid-core speaker wire, four conductor phone cable, and 12 gauge stranded (running a speaker!) and on top of that had every kind of tape and connector you could think of electrical tape, masking tape, painters tape, duct tape, Bowlus Maxi-tape, SCOTCH TAPE (!) and some that may not have a name. To this day I kick myself for not taking a photo.

Hank Nixon

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Feb 12, 2026, 8:15:17 PMFeb 12
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Snakes!
I hate snakes!
LOL
Not even in my top 5 worst.
UH

Charles Mampe

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Feb 13, 2026, 12:31:07 AMFeb 13
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NO! Not coming into the shop.

LOL.

On Thursday, February 12, 2026 at 5:49:18 PM UTC-5 Gregg Leslie wrote:

Ron Branham

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Feb 13, 2026, 12:35:28 AMFeb 13
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unorganized chaos!  Perfect!
Sent from my iPhone

On Feb 12, 2026, at 7:39 PM, Mark Mocho <markm...@gmail.com> wrote:

Hah! That's not even close to the worst! I once got a glider in the shop that had every kind of wire you could imagine, including household lamp cord, solid-core speaker wire, four conductor phone cable, and 12 gauge stranded (running a speaker!) and on top of that had every kind of tape and connector you could think of electrical tape, masking tape, painters tape, duct tape, Bowlus Maxi-tape, SCOTCH TAPE (!) and some that may not have a name. To this day I kick myself for not taking a photo.

Dave Nadler

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Feb 13, 2026, 11:08:45 AMFeb 13
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On Thursday, February 12, 2026 at 7:39:33 PM UTC-5 Mark Mocho wrote:
Hah! That's not even close to the worst! I once got a glider in the shop that had every kind of wire you could imagine, including household lamp cord, solid-core speaker wire, four conductor phone cable, and 12 gauge stranded (running a speaker!) and on top of that had every kind of tape and connector you could think of electrical tape, masking tape, painters tape, duct tape, Bowlus Maxi-tape, SCOTCH TAPE (!) and some that may not have a name. To this day I kick myself for not taking a photo.

I received a brand-new LS-6 with factory-installed lamp cord to the battery.
Fortunately things have improved a bit since those days!

John DeRosa

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Feb 13, 2026, 4:41:53 PMFeb 13
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WORST???  Heck, this is NORMAL!   I've seen it over and over again.   I call it the "I will add-add-add wires until something breaks" syndrome.  

The only solution is to remove one wire at a time, carefully noting what two devices it went between, then rinse and repeat.  

- John (OHM)

Charles Mampe

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Feb 13, 2026, 4:48:37 PMFeb 13
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Don't forget to redo the weight and balance once done!!

Mark Mocho

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Feb 13, 2026, 5:52:16 PMFeb 13
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In 2017, Bob Carlton and I converted four Arcus M gliders to turbojet power. Three were brand-new gliders from Schempp-Hirth and did not have the motorglider power system installed. No engine or associated components or wiring. No problem. We just added the turbojet, the retraction system, engine bay door actuators and our own wiring. The fourth Arcus originally had the regular Solo engine and propellor and we needed to remove the components. Tom Stowers removed the engine and retract mechanism. We had to take out the engine control wiring. It took us weeks, as all of the wiring was in a complex wiring loom with tiny (20 gauge) Tefzel leads running everywhere. All of the wires were white with unreadable printed markings in German. No master schematic was available, so we had to clip the hundreds of cable ties, cut the braided sheathing off and trace every single wire individually, make sure it did not interfere with the avionics or basic aircraft systems and cut it out of the main wiring harness. In total, we removed seven control boxes, about 25 multi-pin connector plugs and all of the wiring. When it was all out, we weighed the big ol' pile of stuff removed. It was FORTY-TWO (42) POUNDS! Amazing what it takes to run a two-cylinder, two-cycle Solo engine. The turbojet system took six pounds of wire and two control boxes.

Gregg Leslie

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Feb 13, 2026, 6:05:18 PMFeb 13
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Wow!
Gregg Leslie



On Feb 13, 2026, at 5:52 PM, Mark Mocho <markm...@gmail.com> wrote:

In 2017, Bob Carlton and I converted four Arcus M gliders to turbojet power. Three were brand-new gliders from Schempp-Hirth and did not have the motorglider power system installed. No engine or associated components or wiring. No problem. We just added the turbojet, the retraction system, engine bay door actuators and our own wiring. The fourth Arcus originally had the regular Solo engine and propellor and we needed to remove the components. Tom Stowers removed the engine and retract mechanism. We had to take out the engine control wiring. It took us weeks, as all of the wiring was in a complex wiring loom with tiny (20 gauge) Tefzel leads running everywhere. All of the wires were white with unreadable printed markings in German. No master schematic was available, so we had to clip the hundreds of cable ties, cut the braided sheathing off and trace every single wire individually, make sure it did not interfere with the avionics or basic aircraft systems and cut it out of the main wiring harness. In total, we removed seven control boxes, about 25 multi-pin connector plugs and all of the wiring. When it was all out, we weighed the big ol' pile of stuff removed. It was FORTY-TWO (42) POUNDS! Amazing what it takes to run a two-cylinder, two-cycle Solo engine. The turbojet system took six pounds of wire and two control boxes.
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Ryszard Krolikowski

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Feb 13, 2026, 8:38:49 PMFeb 13
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Maybe I'm wrong, but my last rewire ing on my Ventus, I went Schempp Hirth way: no switches, just 8 circuit breakers in line on the top of the panel clearly marked to be use as a switches. This cut almost in a half number of the wires behind the panel.
Ryszard Krolikowski

John Godfrey

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Feb 13, 2026, 9:03:25 PMFeb 13
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Typical Klixon breakers are not intended to be used as switches.  There is one specific series that is though.

Charles Mampe

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Feb 13, 2026, 9:16:19 PMFeb 13
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Correct, most breakers are NOT to be used as switches. Over time, they get worn (if used as switches) and will trip at a lower load than what was specified. Granted, it will take quite a few cycles, but it is still a concern.

Frghtdg

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Feb 14, 2026, 7:56:02 AMFeb 14
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Give him credit…his GPS mice are over 8” apart.
R

Ryszard Krolikowski

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Feb 14, 2026, 1:09:25 PMFeb 14
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Charlie,
Arcus, new Ventus have instead of switches, high performance
E-T-A push-pull, rated 10 000 manual switching. Not sure if I found correct one:
I fly almost 200 hrs a year but 5 different gliders. 3 hr average per flight so only main braker gets 66 manual switching if I would fly only one glider . So it should be Okay for next 150 years:)
I had to replace ETA breaker in Stemme and ASH25e, and those ware never used as a switches .
If you look at your Schleicher switch data sheet it is  also rated 10 000 switching.
Next time you go to a contest take a look at Arcus panel.
Ryszard Krolikowski

John DeRosa

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Feb 14, 2026, 8:37:41 PMFeb 14
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Carlie - Yep, breakers are NOT to be used as switches unless they are 
classified as breaker/switches such as the Tyco W31.

NOTE: FAA AC 42 11-51 says “Use of a circuit
breaker as a switch is not recommended.”
 
Yes, Klixon/Sensata breakers are specifically *NOT*
rated for use as a switch per the manufacturer.  
Unsure about Tyco breakers.

Finally, the FAA says only use 5A and larger breakers or fuses due to the 
internal resistance of either.  See FAA Circular
AC 42-13-1B Chapter 11 Table 11-3.  

My 2 cents.  Be safe out there.

John (OHM)

George Haeh

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Feb 15, 2026, 5:29:26 PMFeb 15
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Don't expose your tender eyes to the wiring behind a Roman winch panel after rodents have been nest building. 
--
  George Haeh

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