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So my plane had to spend the night outside in a rainstorm on its way back from Colorado . The next morning I had a wet seat. Once I got Her home I noticed some of the screws holding the wing root trim on the top of the wing were loose and I could see gaps under the trim . Didn't have a screwdriver with me but obviously I plan to tighten them all.
Is there a sealant , RTV I can add ?
Is it normal ?
Sorry, new aircraft owner so I hope I have used the correct term to describe the area but its where the wing meets the Cabin
That's normal on mine. It doesn't leak when flying thru rain, but it does while sitting overnight in rain or while washing. Would be nice to seal, or you'll just learn where to leave a towel so the seat doesn't get wet. Only my pilot side seat gets wet, not the pax. And if you have the rotating cup air vents, remember to turn them upside down when expecting rain or before a wash!
Not sure which "wing root trim" you are referring too, but the long aluminum strip running from the leading edge of the wing to the trailing edge should not have screws in it along the wing. Mine are only secured by the leading edge under the fairing that covers the leading edge of the wing to the windshield. There are tensioners at the training edge of the wing accessible through the hole at the trailing edge fairing. Tighten the tensioner until the top wing root fairing is flat on the fuselage and top of the wing. That should seal it up.
I think where you are pointing looks pretty tight to me. How about the strip that runs from the leading edge to the trailing edge. That was the source of my problem once to get water onto the pilots seat when parked in the rain.
Juergen, you are right-on, as usual. That's the weak link for water intrusion into the cabin. Crappy design, frankly. Longitudinal and transverse flow should have been addressed at the factory, let alone sitting idle overnight in the weather, or worse stored outside. Crime against fabric to store outside. Anyway, this area could be improved immensely for aerodynamics and water-proof-ness. (not-a-word).
Fabric is usually wrapped all the way around from the top of the fuselage to the window frame so that area would be sealed. I would spend some time with a water hose turned down and see where the water is coming in. Will surprise you somtimes how it gets channeled. I would explore everything posted above because there are screw holes all over. I don't like silicone. I use urethane sealant which is also what the windshield manufacturerers sell to seal them. Bostik 1100 FS is what I get locally in different colors.
I explained in post three how to get that strip to lay tight to the fuselage and wing. You need to take the tank cover screws out and then tighten the tensioners in the trailing edge of the fairing. Then you need to check if the tank cover screws still fit. If not, then the tank cover and the wing root cover have to come off and the screw holes for the tank cover need to be elongated a little.
You made it home? Who did you get to fly with you? Sorry we didn’t get a chance to meet. I never got look at your Pacer up close, a little water leak isn’t to bad considering, for a new purchase. Normally I would have a lot of problems stuffed up my you know what. Hopefully you have only a few problems, I think she took good care of her plane, from what I heard. Have a great day, Greg
Last edited by shelbysautosales; 02-28-2019 at 11:44 AM.