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Drilling hole in wheel pants for "air-hole."

T

Tram

Well Known Member
Hey guys-

Picked up some 1" plugs in the aviation isle at Lowe's and I am planning on putting a 1" hole in the pant so that I can air up my tires without removing the pants..

I don't have a ton of drilling fiberglass experience and I'm just looking for a few tips before I get rolling.

I was thinking about drawing the hole on the pant, drilling a hole large enough for my dremel sanding wheel to get in, donning the mast and long sleeves and cranking the rpm's up to 20,000 and letting it rip..

Anyone see issues with this?
 
Unibit

Borrow a 1" unibit. (Stepdrill) Much easier.....

Also, I am going to do the same and use a laser set up to target the stem valve. Reinstall the back pants without disturbing the set-up. This procedure worked great for locating the holes for mounting the pants. No I didn't think of it, I shamelessly stole it from a VAF member.
 
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Ok, I'm just trying to visualize it.

I guess you're mounting the laser to the stem for a straight shot through the pant?
 
No, just get something to hold your laser pointer. Set it a couple feet from the wheel, pointed at the valve. Put wheel pant on. Drill where the laser points. If you don't have a unibit, a regular hole sole will work just fine. Just make sure you have a cap (or door) the size of the hole saw if you want the hole covered.
 
alpinelakespilot2000 said:
No, just get something to hold your laser pointer. Set it a couple feet from the wheel, pointed at the valve. Put wheel pant on. Drill where the laser points. If you don't have a unibit, a regular hole sole will work just fine. Just make sure you have a cap (or door) the size of the hole saw if you want the hole covered.
Click to expand...

Too easy and a great idea.. Thanks. :)
 
Tram said:
Too easy and a great idea.. Thanks. :)
Click to expand...
Also, remember to point the laser from the same angle as the valve is pointing so that your hole is located such that your air hose will go straight to and properly aligned with the valve. Make sense? This may mean, for example, that the hole you cut is actually higher than the location of the valve stem. Just play with the orientation of the wheel until you get the stem pointed to where you'd like to cut the hole in the pant.
 
alpinelakespilot2000 said:
Also, remember to point the laser from the same angle as the valve is pointing so that your hole is located such that your air hose will go straight to and properly aligned with the valve. Make sense? This may mean, for example, that the hole you cut is actually higher than the location of the valve stem. Just play with the orientation of the wheel until you get the stem pointed to where you'd like to cut the hole in the pant.
Click to expand...

Makes perfect sense.

Thanks for the tip! I love this board..
 
I was told those plugs will chip the paint over time.
Andy Patterson, the fellow that built a fabulous cover plane featured on Kitplanes a few months ago sent me these pictures of a snazzy way to do it.
ANDY16.jpg

ANDY17.jpg
 
Another solution

Here's another solution that is easy to install and very aesthetic. It's a 7/8" stainless steel spring loaded hole plug. It sits flush with the surface and requires no tool to operate. Hole was drilled with a Unibit. I recommend the hinge be located to the forward side of the hole. I've attached a couple of pix.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us



Uploaded with ImageShack.us
 
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Also..

While the valve stem is aligned with the new hole, paint a white stripe on the sidewall of the tire, down to the ground. Next time you need air, simply push the airplane until the stripe points down...instant alignment!:)

Best,
 
Tram,
Don't know what kind of plugs you bought at Lowes, but I bought the plastic ones - they come in white so it matches quite closely to my paint on my plane. You can also paint them if you wanted to. These plastic ones lay down almost completely flat to the pant with very little 'lip' exposed to the slipstream. I've had them on two airplanes so far for several years and have never had a chip in the paint. I used a unibit to make the holes and it cut very cleanly. To line up the hole for the cut, I just eye-balled it with a smaller bit to start and then just opened the hole in what looks about right. With a 1" hole, you don't have to be perfect. Your air hose 'extender' line you'll need to reach in to the tire valve will allow some miss-alignment. I use a straight piece of fuel line hose (from auto zone) that just fits over the threaded tire valve cap to unscrew the cap. It all works very well and doesn't take much time at all to service my tires. I use a pocket knife to pry off the plug and then just pop it back in when I'm done. No chipped paint and if the plug gets dirty I can just buy a new one for about a quarter..... while you're at Lowes you can pick up a rattle can of paint designed for painting plastic in a wide array of colors if white or black isn't suitable.
 
Air Hole

Break even analysis:

10 min to remove front half of wheel pants 4 times a year=40 min.

4 hours to source and fabricate air holes.

40min / 240min = 6 years flying time

Just messing

Ken
 
pierre smith said:
While the valve stem is aligned with the new hole, paint a white stripe on the sidewall of the tire, down to the ground. Next time you need air, simply push the airplane until the stripe points down...instant alignment!:)

Best,
Click to expand...

Pierre, what a simple but excellent suggestion.

It makes me wonder how the early amateur aircraft builders ever built a decent plane without the advantages of the internet and the subsequent free flow of ideas and information that stemmed therefrom.
 
Laser for hole locations.

GLPalinkas said:
Borrow a 1" unibit. (Stepdrill) Much easier.....

Also, I am going to do the same and use a laser set up to target the stem valve. Reinstall the back pants without disturbing the set-up. This procedure worked great for locating the holes for mounting the pants. No I didn't think of it, I shamelessly stole it from a VAF member.
Click to expand...

Here is the laser set up my wife and I used to locate the fairing screw holes. If I decide to go ahead and make the valve stem access hole I will use the laser, a 1" unit bit and $.25 white Lowe's hole plugs. I used a white one for access to the elevator/push tube bolt at the back of the aircraft. Worked great and barely noticeable.

The laser is a cheap level type unit from Lowes. Ryobi and it was about $50. I used it numerous times on the wing alignment, etc. You could just use a cheaper $5 keychain laser to locate the hole if need be.

296irg7.jpg


34o7jhi.jpg


91kzn5.jpg
 
Ken said:
Break even analysis:

10 min to remove front half of wheel pants 4 times a year=40 min.

4 hours to source and fabricate air holes.

40min / 240min = 6 years flying time

Just messing

Ken
Click to expand...

I know you're just kidding Ken, but on a more serious note. The problem with having to remove the wheel pants to check the air pressure in the tyres is that it acts as a disincentive to do so. It's the same reason why I didn't want to opt for a plenum over the engine....it's just another disincentive to regular checking of the top side of the power plant before long haul flights.

Ease of access to critical componentry is a safety consideration in that it promotes timely inspection.
 
Captain Avgas said:
I know you're just kidding Ken, but on a more serious note. The problem with having to remove the wheel pants to check the air pressure in the tyres is that it acts as a disincentive to do so. It's the same reason why I didn't want to opt for a plenum over the engine....it's just another disincentive to regular checking of the top side of the power plant before long haul flights.

Ease of access to critical componentry is a safety consideration in that it promotes timely inspection.
Click to expand...

Fly on a slightly low tire or remove the wheel pant? For a 30 minute hope around the pattern, I'd be tempted to just go rather than pull the pant.

I'm planning on waiting until the tires need air again and using that time to pull the pant and drill..

The laser setup is a very good idea.
 
That reminds me I should go look at our local Home Depot again when i'm out today.

I have the older style wheel pants, with only five screws to remove them it's a pretty easy job. The biggest problem is that I get about a half-dozen removes/installs of the countersunk-head axle screw before the phillips recess is stripped out. And yes, i'm using a proper-sized Snap-on bit for it, too. Phillips heads are just prone to stripping.

Pulling them forces me to check my brake lines and brake pads too, which can't be a bad thing.
 
Snowflake said:
The biggest problem is that I get about a half-dozen removes/installs of the countersunk-head axle screw before the phillips recess is stripped out. And yes, i'm using a proper-sized Snap-on bit for it, too. Phillips heads are just prone to stripping.
Click to expand...

I just went to Torx screws.
 
Tram said:
I just went to Torx screws.
Click to expand...
I'm switching to Torx for the smaller 6-32 and 8-32 screws, but I haven't found a torx, hex, or robertson (square) version of the 1/4-28 screw that goes in the end of the axle nut. If you have a source, i'd love to hear about it.
 
Captain Avgas said:
Here's another solution that is easy to install and very aesthetic. It's a 7/8" stainless steel spring loaded hole plug. It sits flush with the surface and requires no tool to operate. Hole was drilled with a Unibit. I recommend the hinge be located to the forward side of the hole. I've attached a couple of pix.
Click to expand...

Bob, Where can you get these?
 
Ken said:
Break even analysis:

10 min to remove front half of wheel pants 4 times a year=40 min.

4 hours to source and fabricate air holes.

40min / 240min = 6 years flying time

Just messing

Ken
Click to expand...

Or you buy some good Air Stop tubes and reduce the 4 times per year to one, and that's the time you have to take the pants off anyway to do the inspection.

Since I put in the Air Stops I have only had to put air in it once or twice at times other than the condition inspection. These were usually associated with a large temperature swing. I intend to start using nitrogen in the very near future to help with that.

At least try some good tubes and then spend the time and effort to put the plug in if they don't work for you.
 
CFI1513840 said:
Bob, Where can you get these?
Click to expand...

They come from Aircraft Spruce. See here:

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/menus/lg/wheel_wheelaccess.html

Mine cost me nothing because they were given to me as a gift by a good friend Peter James (built a lovely RV7). His explanation for wanting holes in his wheel pants was very interesting and I would like to pass on his exact comments.

"The main reason I bought them was to avoid a brake fire demolishing the aircraft as happened with a friend's Glasair. When the fire took hold and the tyre deflated he couldn't get his extinguisher into the spat as it was hard on the ground. Eventually when he heard the fuel boiling he walked away".

Pete's comments are very good food for thought when you consider that:

a) Most RV builders have the bottom of their wheel fairings below the wheel rim. In other words in the event of a deflation (read brake fire) the bottom of the wheel fairing sits right on the ground. That will make it extremely difficult to extinguish a brake fire.

b) Most RV builders use the Vans recommended 5606 brake fluid which is flammable and has a relatively low flash point.

c) The standard Vans design for the brake lines (soft aluminium tube to the caliper) is problematic and instances of failure are very common.
 
Captain Avgas said:
Pierre, what a simple but excellent suggestion.

It makes me wonder how the early amateur aircraft builders ever built a decent plane without the advantages of the internet and the subsequent free flow of ideas and information that stemmed therefrom.
Click to expand...

I have had the same thought innumerable times.
 
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