The Europa sits very nicely in the wind, it might rock around a bit but it's
important
that the tie down ropes are only loosely tied with some slack, it's rare
that the wind will blow hard enough to move the aircraft, (on grass anyway),
In 3 years of tying down a Europa at out stations I've never had it pull up
hard against the tie downs so they are not under continuous stress, mainly there
for the odd gust that might come through.
Depends where you live and what your weather patterns are of course
Gavin Lee..............ZK-EPA
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-europa-list-server@matronics.com
[mailto:owner-europa-list-server@matronics.com] On Behalf Of Frans Veldman
Sent: Tuesday, 22 November 2011 11:28 p.m.
Subject: Re: Europa-List: Eye bolt tie down through wing/flap hinge block (trike
only)
--> <frans@privatepilots.nl>
On 11/22/2011 01:35 AM, Nigel Graham wrote:
> Don't forget that this mounting point was originally designed and
> stressed to mount the outrigger on the original mono-wheel. Consider
> if you will, the compressive shock loads imposed by an unforgiving
> landing on rough grass,
Yes, I realize that. But what is the duration of a landing roll compared to a
whole
night in constant movement due to the wind? it is unlikely that you will
experience metal fatigue just due to the landings, but how about prolonged
rocking
in the wind? Isn't this the same reason why we try to restrain the flight
controls while parked in the wind? Normal rudder use is different than constant
movement due to the wind, although the movement by itself is similar.
> or the lateral loads imposed during turning.
I don't have a mono but I think the lateral load is taken up solely by the main
gear, and the outrigger just keeps the wing of the ground.
I doubt that the hinge attach points will see any sideways loads at all during
their life, that is, if they are used for their intended purposes only.
It is just a piece of metal sticking out of the wing, I can imagine that it can
easily develop metal fatigue just at the edge where it protrudes if you wiggle
it long enough. The material and the construction both indicate that it is not
designed for this kind of movement, but I'm not a metallurgist so I could be
wrong.
Frans
|