Tailspin's VP-1 Project & Sun Bird Deviation

[Tailspin]

Hi All

Just fitting the 6X600 wheels with the brakes and trying to get the CAA thing sorted.

[grostek]

Hi Gavin,

How is the VP coming along, and have you got your ATF for proving flights yet?

Kind regards,

Gunter Rostek.

[Tailspin]

Nope

CAA want me to do a stress test on the wings. Looking for some space to setup the bird get her rigged and then i can make a jig to invert her and start with the tests.

[LarryMcG]

Hi Gavin

Was told the same thing, but submiited an applcation for exemption - cost R1080 but was given an exemption from stress testing.

Some say that it is an option, that I shouldnt have paid the bucks, and that we can choose to test fly, not stress test?

Have you tried that?

Give me a shout if I can help with paper trail!

Larry

[Tailspin]

Larry

I will give you a shout soon.

Starting a new company at the moment so CAA is on back burner till end next month then will get back into the swing of things.

[grostek]

Hi Gavin,

Sorry to hear about your extra trouble.

A small tip (Maybe)

When the Cubby guys tested their wings under CAA supervision I was there as sand sackfiller at the scale and loader onto the wing, in general just helping out.

Anyway as only the wing was tested, they used the Collumn of the building as the jig.
They welded a cross piece to the column at hip height and hihger up the column a bracket where the lift struts could be bolted.

The wing was mounted upside down to the cross piece on the column the lift struts bolted to the fitting higher up and proof loading commenced.

The point of all of this was so that a fuselage need not be mounted upside down in cradles where the possibillity of damage to the aircraft during turning over and fitting into cradles was a real certainty.

You may want to discuss this option with CAA as you will need a lot less space and just a sturdy (say 203mm x 203 mm H Beam) and 2 smaller cross pieces (one for the wing and the other lower down near the floor for the lift struts) that can be welded to this Column to do this test.

The fitting for the lift struts is below the wing on the column now because the VP struts sit on top of the wing and the wing is inverted so that sacks can be placed on it.

I have attached 2 sketches to show the method.

I hope this helps you and that you will be able to use this method.

Kind regards,

Gunter

[Tailspin]

Thanks Gunter.

I will take a look see. I know the wing is good till 6G's but i will only be testing her to +4.

Watch this space.

[Guest]

Gavin it's because of the wooden structure that worries the CAA. I went through the same problem with the L-18 even though an aero engineer checked the whole design!

The metal and tupperware aeries can be mathimaticaly proven (even if all the fastners are not installed correctly, or rivets not drivven to spec making the thing weak) wood is just not that eazy , and I was told by a CAA official that the glue joints could be a problem, hence the test

You need to only test 1 wing and attach points for them.take alot of photos from every angle at 25%,50%,75% and full load and check full movement on aileron.

Even though the Part 24 clearly states that a load test is required only for a prototype or first of production plane (wich yours and the L-18 isn't) CAA still want's it and you will not get away without it!

Good luck
Theuns

Ps. I have pix of my load test ,i will e-mail them to you if you want.

[Willie]

Ps. I have pix of my load test ,i will e-mail them to you if you want.

Please mail them here.

[Guest]

I can if someone tells me how to upload the pix to a reply?

Cant see the "attach" function here as on AVCOM

Theuns

[Tailspin]

Hi Theuns

Mail the pic's to me and i will put them up.

eogavin @ unisa . ac . za

[Guest]

Will do

Theuns

[Frequent Flyer]

hi tailspin, i'm looking for plans for a fly-aby or a VP, where can i get a set?

[Tailspin]

You can ask me very nicely or you can go to

http://www.volksplane.com

[swiftprop]

Hi Gavin
Any more progress on your project?
Flying regards
Andre