What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

How to remove wheel fairings, permanently

[email protected]

Well Known Member
After reading the latest Service Bulletins, I removed the nose wheel fairing to inspect the nose fork for cracks. I didn?t find any. I also removed the fairings from the main gear tires, in order to give them a careful inspection too. What a job that was, at least for me, possibly because I was working alone, did not have any way to lift the wheels off the ground, and was not the plane?s builder, so what I did and saw was all new to me. That done, I decided not to reinstall the fairings. Instead, I plan to replace the fairings with Matco hub caps. I prefer the look of the fairings, but I like being able to see the tires and brakes, and to easily check the tire pressure.

Taking the main gear fairings off exposed the wheel fairing brackets. They?re no longer necessary, of course, and they are ugly. They make my plane look like the Roman battle chariots I used to see in movies in Saturday afternoon matinees when I was a kid.

My questions:

1. It looks as though I can remove the outboard brackets and bracket mounts (parts U-00002 and U-00004) simply by unscrewing the two bolts (AN3-37A) that fasten the outboard brackets to the wheels. And it looks as though when I do that, I will not be unfastening the wheel from the plane, because (it appears) the wheel is fastened to the axel solely by an Axel Nut. Is that right?

2. I?m less certain whether I can safely remove the inboard fairing brackets. It looks as though the inboard brackets are fastened to the wheels with four bolts (AN3-4A). But I can?t tell whether those four bolts also play a role in fastening the wheels themselves, or the brakes, to the plane. Can I remove the bolts and the brackets without doing anything that makes the wheels and brakes less secure?
 
Might be worth weighing the removed parts, when you're done, and updating the weight and balance document.

Dave
 

Thanks for your response. These are the drawings I looked at to learn enough for me to write my original post. They taught me some stuff, but left me with the questions I asked, because I didn't build the plane, and because I just can't do anything that might cause the wheels to come off.;)
 
Think of this as an experiment, and save the parts. You may be disappointed in the performance degradation. Unlike the fairings on, say, an old 172, Vans fairings actually work.
 
Nose wheel fairing, nose strut fairing, and 2 main wheel fairings is actually worth 5 to 7 TAS knots, realistically, at 5200 rpms.

They are very functional items on the RV-12, IMHO. Yes Air press checks and tread checks are a bit more of a PIA. But good retreads will last a whole lot longer than the factory tires sold by Van's.

rgawer probably has the most accurate data of any one here on the improvements the wheel fairings and main gear strut to fuselage and wheel pants fairings make with existing main wheel pants. It's cumulative, and it adds up very fast, the improvements.
 
Last edited:
I also tend to leave mine off since I like to be able to inspect my wheels and brakes, but I leave the brackets since I put the fairings back on when I plan a long cross country. That extra 5-7kts makes a difference when flying 1000 miles.

With practice you get better/faster at taking them off and putting them back on again. I'm at around 10-15 minutes now.
 
I also tend to leave mine off since I like to be able to inspect my wheels and brakes, but I leave the brackets since I put the fairings back on when I plan a long cross country. That extra 5-7kts makes a difference when flying 1000 miles.

With practice you get better/faster at taking them off and putting them back on again. I'm at around 10-15 minutes now.

10-15 minutes is remarkable. It took me much longer to get the fairings off, and it seemed to me that putting them back on would be an all-day affair. Do you do something to get the tires up off the ground? I bought an L-shaped screwdriver for the screws on the bottoms of the fairings, but even with that tool, getting those screws out was tricky.
 
Last edited:
My RV-12 Performance

Think of this as an experiment, and save the parts. You may be disappointed in the performance degradation. Unlike the fairings on, say, an old 172, Vans fairings actually work.

Lon, I agree with Bob's comments, you may be disappointed with the performance. I installed the fairings because I like the appearance, had flown my Grumman Cheetah for nearly twenty years with fairings and wanted to get similar air speed with my RV-12. I am pleased with the results and may have less opportunity for foreign object debris damage to the underside surfaces. I also believe I use less throttle during landing approach. I don't feel a need to use a tire pressure gauge often, but do visually check at preflight. Obviously, the fairings are a matter of personal choice to suit your needs.
 
Bob and Norm, Thanks for your input. I?m going to carefully store the fairings and brackets so I?ll have them if I decide to put the fairings back on, or if I eventually sell the plane to someone who wants to put them on.
 
10-15 minutes is remarkable. It took me much longer to get the fairings off, and it seemed to me that putting them back on would be an all-day affair. Do you do something to get the tires up off the ground? I bought an L-shaped screwdriver for the screws on the bottoms of the fairings, but even with that tool, getting those screws out was tricky.

Just roll the tire up on a 2X4 then you will have more room. :)
 
Lower profile tools

Thanks for the link. The L-shaped screw driver I bought is a different brand but otherwise is just like yours. Even with this low profile screwdriver, I still found it difficult to get at the screws on the bottom of the fairings.

I've been using the Craftsman set linked below for 20 years. They will get into tighter spots than the tools previously linked above.

https://www.amazon.com/Craftsman-Reversible-Ratcheting-Screwdriver-Wrench/dp/B004BWB96C?SubscriptionId=AKIAILSHYYTFIVPWUY6Q&tag=duckduckgo-d-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B004BWB96C

Charlie
 
10-15 minutes is remarkable. It took me much longer to get the fairings off, and it seemed to me that putting them back on would be an all-day affair. Do you do something to get the tires up off the ground? I bought an L-shaped screwdriver for the screws on the bottoms of the fairings, but even with that tool, getting those screws out was tricky.

It's possibly more like 20-30 minutes? Certainly no longer than that. The bottom screw is a PITA but I use a ratcheting screwdriver as others have mentioned for those. Mine is like this: https://www.amazon.com/Neiko-03044A-Ratcheting-Screwdriver-Close-Quarters/

I then use an electric driver for all the other screws. I had a relatively cheap SKIL branded one from WalMart for a long but which worked fine, but recently upgraded to a Bosch PS22-02 that I love. It doesn't really matter much though as long as there's an electric motor spinning that screw and not your arm. It's important to use one that has a torque clutch though. It takes some practice to not cam out the relatively soft stainless steal screws when using an electric driver but it's SO MUCH FASTER. I'd suggest buying lots of spare screws (100s) and aggressively throw away any that do cam out. They're cheap and the time you save is definitely worth it.

Taking them off shouldn't take very long. Getting them back on takes a bit longer but also isn't a huge deal. To get the screw holes to line up I have a few screwdrivers where the end has been ground to a relatively sharp point that I stick through the hole and through the nutplate to hold things in place while I add screws in other holes. Finger tighten a couple screws in a few threads until everything is in place, then go and put in the rest of the screws with just your fingers or a driver... a couple threads, just enough to know you're not inserting the screws cross threaded. Then come through with the electric driver to tighten everything down - being careful to set the torque clutch setting on the screwdriver such that you don't over-torque the screw and damage the fiberglass. For some of the lower screws it's helpful to put an extension on the driver since it makes it easier to get the correct angle. With practice you'll get pretty quick at it.

Also, if you don't already have one, get a shop creeper. It makes moving around under the plane a LOT easier. Just don't run into the radio antenna. :)
 
Last edited:
Maybe next time you put the wheel pants on, after a tire inspection, you leave just the bottom screw that's a PIA out?
 
I just made a small plywood ramp to elevate the tire about 4" which allows the use of a regular screw driver to get at the bottom wheel pant screw.
 
Back
Top