Inspection Covers

[Richard McShane]

Does anyone have a source for the covers with 4 arms to hold to cover in place.  To two armed ones tend to fly off.

 

Thank you

 

Rick McShane

[roger miller]

I would love to find the same thing – been using leading edge tape to keep them from working loose, not a great solution.

 

Roger Miller
N23TS

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[James Piros]

Check the steen aero lab flush mounted inspection covers to determine if they are adaptable for your application 

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[Bruce Green]

I made some myself, drilled out the rivets holding the spring on and made a 4-armed piece out of aluminum, put nutplates on it for 4-40 screws  and seemed to work pretty good.  I have since then used the recessed inspection plates and tapped the spring for 4-40 threads and had good luck with that.  One trick that someone showed me years ago was to not put a screw through the inspection ring.  Instead, move the screw hole towards the center of the inspection cover just inside the inspection ring.  It still clamps just as well and doesn't weaken the inspection ring.  Much easier to put in and I have never lost one, nor have I ever stripped out the threads in the very thin spring which surprised me.

 

Bruce Green

N110GM

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[Rob Riege]

Typically Univair and Wag Areo have the two spring or four arm covers.  They call them Aeronca inspection plates and they seem to be pretty dear at over $30 apiece. 

If it is a new cover job, I have used and been very happy with the Steen Aero Lab flush covers on an Acrosprt II. The down side is that they take a little more planning during installation to install flush.  I also remember the hole being slightly smaller so if large hands need to go through the inspection hole, it can be a challenge.  

~ Rob

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[cjw7...@airmail.net]

High Everybody,

I had very bad experience with fastening inspection covers using screws on my Pitts S1T, before I recovered the plane in 2011 (finishing date). On some covers I had 3 and 4 screws screwed into the holding springs. In the prop wake, primarily under the low left wing, right top wing and on the tail under the left horizontal stabilizer the screws were ripping of the fabric and the covers blew quite often, in spite of up to 4 screws very tightly fastened. On the bell cranks there was no problem, even without screws.

In 2011 I first tried the Champion (Aeronca) covers without any screws, but 3 or 4 covers blew during balancing the prop, even before I first flew. I find those springs too soft. Furthermore, during installation one has to be extremely careful not to overbend (or overstraighten) the springs, once that happens they are useless because the holding force drops dramatically. 

I immediately replaced them all with single spring recessed covers I ordered from Aircraft Spruce, but I also ordered from their manufacturer additional springs and riveted them on each of the covers. Those springs are much stronger than Aeronca springs are, the spring material us much harder, and so far I have not caused oberbending on a single spring. True, the plates are heavier, but they are held in place very well, stronger than anything else I have ever seen. 

In addition to the above I applied 18 mil

3M Polyurethane Protective Tape 8681HS on Ranthane polyurethane paint sprayed on top the Stitts system as friction pads on the spring locations and additionally used four short pieces of the same tape on top. It is hard to peal off the tape (I have never used the solvent/remover 3M recommends) for inspections, but it is worth the hard inconvenience. Here is how it looks 7 years later:

After my recent annual I run out of my old 18 mil tape and I did not realize that Aircraft Spruce now sells 8 mil variation of the tape. It looks not tough enough to me, so I will have to watch it. I will probably end up with ordering the 18 mil version soon. 

I have never seen anybody else using that system, but personally I recommend it, as a pilot, as an A&P and as a mechanical engineer. For those flying much more than I do, I recommend watching the tape. If one of the tape pieces cuts through, replace all the remaining 3 pieces. Polyurethane tape is protected very well from aluminum fretting. I would not use tape in the inside of the fabric, but Polybrush (or equivalent) needs to be watched. If some wear occurs because of the springs, it should be easy to brush on bit of Polybrush on the inside.

Regards,

CJ 

N49330

KAXH, TX

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