Pitot line interference with aileron bracket

robjohnson · #1 10-15-2006, 12:19 PM

I have been working like crazy today to get the aileron brackets (brackets for pushrods inside the wing) and brass bushings in shape for installation. Finally got everything smooth as silk, and when I went to install the left aileron bracket, I discovered it is going to interfere with my pitot line

I am using Nyloseal tubing that is connected with AL tubing via silicone hose. The joint is one bay outboard of the aileron bracket. Thoughts on what I can do at this point to prevent this from chaffing? Is it acceptable to wrap the pitot line with a small section of silicone tubing where it touches the bracket?

Any help is greatly appreciated!!!

Thanks!

robjohnson · #2 10-15-2006, 12:27 PM

Ok, so I thought a minute on this, and I am wondering if a 1/4" adel clamp would work here. I don't have access to put a nut on a bolt for it -- can adel clamps be blind riveted to the spar web? Is there a better idea to correct this?

AndrewTR30 · #3 10-15-2006, 01:52 PM

I slid a length of clear tubing over the nylon tubing. It covers the pitot line from rib to rib in the bay where the aileron bracket is mounted.
http://websites.expercraft.com/Andre...ry&log_id=6165

mburch · #4 10-15-2006, 02:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by robjohnson

Ok, so I thought a minute on this, and I am wondering if a 1/4" adel clamp would work here. I don't have access to put a nut on a bolt for it -- can adel clamps be blind riveted to the spar web? Is there a better idea to correct this?

I did this... used the next-longer size for one of the bolts that attaches the bellcrank brackets to the spar, and put an extra washer and adel clamp under the head:

http://www.rv7blog.com/index.php/2005/12/31/pitot-line/

Probably better than drilling a hole in the spar web just to hold a clamp!

mcb

Ironflight · #5 10-15-2006, 02:22 PM

I ran into the exact same dilemma, and since I had an extra coil of soft aluminum tubing from another project, I elected to go metal all the way from the pitot to the wing root. That way, I was able to band it out of the way of the intereference, and it stayed put.

Probably a lot of ways to solve this, as stated by others above!

Paul

robjohnson · #6 10-15-2006, 04:05 PM

Thanks for the responses, guys! I ended up doing as I stated in my second post. There was already a small hole in the spar web from the manufacturing process -- a tooling hole, I suspect. I enlarged it slightly, and put a fat blind rivet in there to hold an adel clamp in place. I tried routing it above or below the spar brackets, but I wasn't comfortable with the bends that would have had to be in place.

Thanks again! I guess I just needed to bounce the idea off of someone before I went to work.

Rob

sportpilot · #7 10-15-2006, 07:38 PM

This may not work for you, but you may want to take a look anyway. We have just finished installing the Gretz heated pitot, and we ran the tube down the conduit with other electric wiring. We ran our strobe power supply in the pitot hole to keep it separated from other wiring. You cant see it but we put an adel clamp on the aileron bell crank bolt. Is this what you are working with?

Pitot tube for Gretz looping into the conduit

More pictures of the RV9a pitot installation