Brief Description: Installing the Gretz Pitot Tube Mount Part 1
Decided to start installing the Gretz pitot tube mount. Spent some time looking at other builders construction logs to see where they mounted their pitot tube, I decided to go one bay outboard of the aileron bellcrank on the left wing. This seemed to be a common theme. This way the pitot tube is located adjacent to an inspection access. Read through the mounting instructions and reviewed the drawings that came in the kit. One of the parts had to be fabricated out of .032 aluminum into a 3/4 inch angle brace that attaches to the rib and supports the backing plate so it will sit flush under the wing skin. I didnt have anything to bend aluminium so I spent some time building a crude bending brake. Seemed to work ok. I deviated from the instructions a little and match drilled the backing plate to the main spar to check for alignment. The instructions have you match drilling the backing plate to wing skin from inside the wing. I thought this would be very difficult so by drilling the backing plate to the spar, I can go back and mount the backing plate directly to the wing skin spar rivet holes and match drill the rest of the holes into the wing skin. The joggle in the backing plate isnt large enough for the thickness of the wing spar flange to make it set up against the wing skin. I saw where another builder added a .022 aluminium spacer so thats what I decided to do.
Fabricated angle support for Gretz mount.
Backing Plate clamped into position to check alignment.
