"Safety wire" -- any kind in particular?

[epaslick]

... but do you have a decent pair of safety wire pliers? It's a lot easier with the correct tool (although when I was in A&P school I had an old instructor who like to twist the wire by hand...).

[Raymo]

Originally Posted by skylor

There seems to be a persistent belief that .041 safety wire is required for prop bolts. This is not the case, at least for Hartzell propellers. The quote below is straight from the Hartzell Compact Hub Owners Manual:

(8) If required by the aircraft maintenance manual, safety all mounting studs with 0.032 inch (0.81 mm) minimum diameter stainless steel wire or equivalent aircraft safety cable and associated hardware (two studs for each safety). Refer to Figure 3-6.

Skylor
RV-8

Interesting. Every application I've seen called for .041 by the aircraft MFG manual. I wonder which takes precedence if the prop MFG disagrees? (Speaking of Certificated AC)

[Saville]

Suppose you are inspecting an airplane to determine if you want to buy it, or you just bought it.

Now you'd like to know where there ought to be safety wires so that you can determine if they exist.

Is there some way to determine what needs to be safety wired?

thanks!

[flion]

Not 100%. Typically, if it has a stop nut it doesn't require safety wire. Platenuts supply the self-locking ability that elastic stop nuts do but I have seen some applications where safety wire is used in conjunction. Castellated nuts use either cotter pins (typical) or safety wire (like prop nuts). But when there is no nut, you have to rely on specs. Typically, if it calls for a drilled-head bolt, it needs safety wire; otherwise it is not required. For example, the case bolts on my Superior engine did not require safety wire but the set screws securing the tappet guides did. Caveat: don't rely on what you find installed as your guide. I've seen people 'temporarily' replace a drilled bolt with an un-drilled one 'just to get home' which was then forgotten.

[DaleB]

Originally Posted by Raymo

Interesting. Every application I've seen called for .041 by the aircraft MFG manual. I wonder which takes precedence if the prop MFG disagrees? (Speaking of Certificated AC)

I see no disagreement there... the prop manufacturer specifies minimum .032, aircraft manufacturer specifies .041.

[TCONROY]

Originally Posted by Raymo

Interesting. Every application I've seen called for .041 by the aircraft MFG manual. I wonder which takes precedence if the prop MFG disagrees? (Speaking of Certificated AC)

I too was told that .041 safety wire must be used for prop studs/bolts. I then read the Hartzell manual and it says minimum of .032. .032 is much easier to bend and twist so I elected to use it and I'm not the least bit worried about my prop falling off

[Bill Dicus]

Didn't matter to me... My FAA inspector wanted .041, so the 32 came off! Thought the larger wire was harder to work with. OK once you go thru the learning curve....

[Mike H]

Originally Posted by Raymo

Interesting. Every application I've seen called for .041 by the aircraft MFG manual. I wonder which takes precedence if the prop MFG disagrees? (Speaking of Certificated AC)

The aircraft manufacturers maintenance data always takes precedence over any component maintenance manuals if there is a difference or if the aircraft manufacturer publishes maintenance procedures for vendor sourced components. It is actually up to the aircraft manufacturer to determine part/component compatibility/eligibility for installation and operation on each aircraft model. The airframe OEM can and will determine installation and check out procedures, operational limitations and scheduled maintenance requirements and frequencies. Often times the airframe OEM will use the component manufacturers data for all of the above, but not always.

[RV7A Flyer]

Originally Posted by Bill Dicus

Didn't matter to me... My FAA inspector wanted .041, so the 32 came off! Thought the larger wire was harder to work with. OK once you go thru the learning curve....

So once again, an FAA inspector making up his own rules and regulations, this time *in direct contradiction to the prop manufacturer's instructions*.

I guess they can just make up anything they want on whatever whim they have on any given day, eh?

[thiggins]

So I think the new place for the EAA videos is here:

https://www.eaa.org/Videos/Hints-for-Homebuilders