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Swinnys 4 Place Bush Explorer
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Date: 1-2-2013
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Number of Hours: 6.00
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Manual Reference:
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Brief Description: Assembly of the root ends of the spars
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After spending a considerable amount of time studying the wing drawings and identifying all the parts, and reading though the assembly manual, I actually made a start on the assembly of the root ends of the forward spars.
When comparing the way the spars are constructed with the make up of a C172, and the spars of the Tundra Aircraft, I started worrying a little about the claimed wing loadings by the kit supplier.
There simply does not appear to be enough strength in the area at the strut attachment region of both spars, even though I am aware that the spar thicknesses have been slightly increased in recent years & a few of the lightening holes have been removed.
I asked Tony Watkin, the current design owner, for details of the wing load tests or some form of verification that a suitably qualified Aeronautical Engineer had in fact undertaken testing or calculations showing the wing loading claimed.
In the first place I was advised by Mr Watkin that the information I was seeking was Company 'Propriety Information" (whatever that means), and that they do not give it out!
After a number of emails wherein I pressed more ernestly for load test calculations or the like, I was fobbed off and told to speak with the previous owners of the aircraft design. This was exactly in keeping with the numerous times over the past few years wherein I had sort assistance from this company.
Me thinks he has nothing, otherwise why wouldn't this info be freely provided in order to promote the sales of the kits? An alternative and more sinister thought could be that he is hiding something!
And of course, you guessed it, the previous design owners don't want to be found and have dissapeared all together following an incident in 2009 wherein an earlier version of the C.A.D.I. design L160 model had a wing failure in flight. The Canadian TSB Lab report into that incident stated that the wing on the aircraft in question could barely withstand a loading of 3 g.
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Both forward spar root ends
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Drilled, deburred & etch primed
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Root end other parts primed
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