Microlight wing "snaps" during takeoff

[lamercyfly]

Hello again Gert. Yes, the camera captured it well:)

You can really appreciate how much the wing fabric rises and rolls forward on the frame by flying overhead another Aquilla or Windlass wing and noticing how the wing fabric actually pushes up against the landing cables. If you check the distance between the cables and the fabric whilst the wing is on the ground, you will see that the fabric actually rises about 12 - 15 cm.

You know that piece of wetsuit material that covers the landing cable junction, well that is actually there to protect the wing during flight, not so much during transport. I took that wetsuit material off, so that we can easily preflight that junction, because it actually, by defualt I would assume, acts as a sacrificial anode, rusting the 2 little bolts very, very quickly at Sea Level operations. So yeah, I took the wetsuit material off and sent the trike around SA with one of my overseas students who had just qualified. When he returned 10 days and 50 hours later, there was a lekka hole through the top of my wing where that landing cable junction had worn through the wing fabric:))

You must check those 2 little bolts very regularly. They, together with the little washers, corrode terribly at Sea Level. I have had one of those bolts snap whilst trying to remove the nut, it was so weak from corrosion.

Cheers and happy flying......

[John Young]

by defualt I would assume, acts as a sacrificial anode, rusting the 2 little bolts very, very quickly at Sea Level operations.

Affirm - they are sacrifice bolts.

Regards
John

[Havoc]

This has happened to me aswell give me a call and i'll explaine what happened ..flo 0826662000