Harold Kroeker
FRIEND
Winnipeg, Canada
During my recent annual inspection of my Clipper, my AME noticed that one of my bungee cords was badly frayed.
This struck me as rather odd as I had replaced them 3.5 years ago so we investigated further and found that the tube that the landing gear rests against was dented on the bottom so badly that the tube had actually split and created a sharp edge that cut through the bungee.
The other side was almost as badly dented but had not split yet.
I made a temporary stand to hold up the plane and we removed the landing gear.
Following AC 43.13 “Splicing Tubing by Inner Sleeve Method” We cut the damaged section out of the tube #11567-57 which is 1” OD x .035” wall about 8.5” long angled at each end, made a replacement tube using 1” OD x .049 wall 4130, and used 7/8” x .058 wall 4130 for liners. I cleaned all of the paint off from the area to be welded and nearby.
We then called in a certified aircraft welder who welded it all up. He also welded on a section of 1” id x .058 4130 tube to reinforce the area that the landing gear rests against instead of the flat piece of .062 1025 steel shown in drawing 11473 part number 11473-15.
A little paint and a lot of reassembly and it was better than new. No picture of the completed repair because I was too keen to finally go flying again to take one.
Has anyone else encountered damage to this tube on a Clipper? My plane has spent a fair part of its life on skis and I suspect that this damage is was caused by that.
This struck me as rather odd as I had replaced them 3.5 years ago so we investigated further and found that the tube that the landing gear rests against was dented on the bottom so badly that the tube had actually split and created a sharp edge that cut through the bungee.
The other side was almost as badly dented but had not split yet.
I made a temporary stand to hold up the plane and we removed the landing gear.
Following AC 43.13 “Splicing Tubing by Inner Sleeve Method” We cut the damaged section out of the tube #11567-57 which is 1” OD x .035” wall about 8.5” long angled at each end, made a replacement tube using 1” OD x .049 wall 4130, and used 7/8” x .058 wall 4130 for liners. I cleaned all of the paint off from the area to be welded and nearby.
We then called in a certified aircraft welder who welded it all up. He also welded on a section of 1” id x .058 4130 tube to reinforce the area that the landing gear rests against instead of the flat piece of .062 1025 steel shown in drawing 11473 part number 11473-15.
A little paint and a lot of reassembly and it was better than new. No picture of the completed repair because I was too keen to finally go flying again to take one.
Has anyone else encountered damage to this tube on a Clipper? My plane has spent a fair part of its life on skis and I suspect that this damage is was caused by that.
