All,
I read with interest the article in Europa Flyer on the "G-OMIK" event. Last
year
my Europa suffered a failure of an external support strut, in the hangar, while
the gear was retracted. It has been repaired, but there was some evidence
of a previous ground loop, or a high sideways stress landing, discovered. (i.e.
before I bought it) So I haven't got a crystal clear picture of the history.
Although, quite rightly, the failure mode is not speculated upon in the article,
I
can't quite see that any stresses were introduced to my bolts during my
incident, mainly due to the lack of forward speed. My thoughts are that when the
top of the tyre impacts the top of the tunnel, that induces a large longitudinal
force on the landing gear frame in the aft direction. (But just my thought).
During the repairs of my aircraft the landing frame has been subject to two
independent NDTs and
neither found any cracks.
So, I am thinking of replacing these bolts are a precaution. At the end of the
day they are a few quid to save a lot of money and effort in repairs.
Has anyone yet followed the advice laid out in Europa Flyer? And exchanged the
4 off 5/16" UNC x 2.25" Long bolts which hold the two LG03s in place? I'm asking
about experiences in completing the job - these are the question in my mind
at the moment: -
1) Is it a simple case of swapping the bolts?
- What I am asking is are there any special precautions to
take. Is this case of supporting the aircraft on blocks, then carefully
removing/replacing one bolt at a time, before finally setting the
torque correctly and wire locking.
2) Would it make more sense to do this job with the gear retracted?
- My thoughts here is that the bungee cord is at minimum
tension when retracted.
or 3) Is it better to remove and replace the bungee cord?
4) Are there any "gotchas" that have been experienced, when doing this
job?
Very best,
Jon
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http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p=489631#489631
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