Condition inspection find

[Berchmans]

I just completed the condition inspection on my RV8 and thought I would pass on an interesting find. Everything with the aircraft was found to be just fine during the inspection except for the aft bolts that hold the mounting blocks for the flap torque tube. The aft bolts on both sides of the aircraft were backed out between 1/4 and 3/8th's of an inch!

[SmilingJack]

Good report Burke!

I will be sure to double check them next month during my condition inspection.

Thanks!

[JFRV8]

Burke:

My condition inspection (currently in progress) found the following:

1. Left brake fitting leak, had to replace brake linings and reseal fitting.
2. Right fuel tank leak. Removed tank, opened up, and found really bad news. Remember all my problems with engine sputtering? The blocked vent caused the ribs to fold in the middle. The flop tube had wood around the fittings which disintegrated. There was a quantity of wood particles in the tank. On top of that, the flop tube fell off the tank wall fitting when I bumped it. New tank parts on the way, I am going to scrap the old tank.

I am amazed that I was able to fly on the right tank at all, let alone make the long trip down from Alaska (which was awesome!).

Everything else is fine.

Jonathan

[Berchmans]

Jonathan, Wow....wood in the fuel tank!...must be really careful with assuming a partially completed project...has worked out so far anyway. Have fun building the new tank

[JFRV8]

I think the wood came from the original flop tube.

Here is a picture:

[Berchmans]

Speechless...

[flyboy1963]

you can just imagine, in some hangar somewhere, there's some ol' mechanic who (still) says something like....
"....yep, those flop tubes'll bang up yer tank.....so's ya just wanna put a chunk 'uh wood on there.... so's they don't move so fast, ay'uh."

????

[BenNabors]

An interesting aspect is that if the wood was floating, it would lift the flop tube. That is a very strange modification to the fuel system.

Originally Posted by JFRV8

I think the wood came from the original flop tube.

Here is a picture:

[BruceMe]

Originally Posted by JFRV8

the flop tube fell off the tank wall fitting when I bumped it

I will skip the long scary story from my own build. Fuel systems are the area of greatest concern. From this... I have to confess my wisdom. There are exactly two kinds of fuel systems right and deadly.

As we aren't "factory trained", us novice types are particularly susceptible to the later (I know I was). Please everyone get an expert to review the entire fuel system... and by review, I mean open the inspection port on the tank, pull on hoses and have someone confirm you've done all the SBs (there are at least 3 on all wing-tank RVs) and purge visual inspect filters and QC all the hoses and fittings and use fire sleeve where appropriate. The fuel system is the only system under your control as builder that just can't fail.

[sblack]

Originally Posted by JFRV8

Burke:

My condition inspection (currently in progress) found the following:

1. Left brake fitting leak, had to replace brake linings and reseal fitting.
2. Right fuel tank leak. Removed tank, opened up, and found really bad news. Remember all my problems with engine sputtering? The blocked vent caused the ribs to fold in the middle. The flop tube had wood around the fittings which disintegrated. There was a quantity of wood particles in the tank. On top of that, the flop tube fell off the tank wall fitting when I bumped it. New tank parts on the way, I am going to scrap the old tank.

I am amazed that I was able to fly on the right tank at all, let alone make the long trip down from Alaska (which was awesome!).

Everything else is fine.

Jonathan

Ok, the problem here is that somehow a beaver got into your tank.

Ok seriously, that is just unbelievable. One for the "what were they thinking" file.