|
-
POSTING RULES

-
Donate yearly (please).
-
Advertise in here!
-
Today's Posts
|
Insert Pics
|

10-24-2011, 02:14 PM
|
 |
|
|
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Marshall TX (KASL)
Posts: 1,783
|
|
Look at the failure mode in the pic. The head of the bolt pulled open the tank. Now, with no head on the bolt, since the center section member ROTATES in this failure, a strong bolt with no head might still "grab" inside the section and not just come out of the hole. The result could then be the same as a bolt with a head. (So the less a strong bolt or pin projects inside the member (as seen looking forward), the better.) But a bolt that would either easily shear or easily bend would not pull forward with the rotating section and tear open the tank. In normal flight, the current bolt or replacement is just carrying a vertical load - it is not keeping the tank from moving appreciably forward or aft.
|

10-24-2011, 03:17 PM
|
|
|
|
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Jesup, Iowa
Posts: 1,657
|
|
Hey Bill - -
That is why - I - recessed the 'pins', and greased the holes also. They are only engaged in the channel by maybe 1/4". I am VERY confident they will pull out of the channel ( if needed ). The strap will keep it in general position.
John Bender
322.7 hours
|

10-24-2011, 04:26 PM
|
|
|
|
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Clearwater, Florida
Posts: 398
|
|
[quote=JBPILOT;589202]That is why - I - recessed the 'pins', and greased the holes also. They are only engaged in the channel by maybe 1/4". I am VERY confident they will pull out of the channel ( if needed ). The strap will keep it in general position.
John,
While encountering flight turbulence and vertical forces during takeoffs and landings, especially on eneven, sod surfaces, wouldn't the aft connection of the tank be subjected to bending and metal fatigue?
|

10-24-2011, 04:29 PM
|
|
|
|
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: High Wycombe, UK
Posts: 288
|
|
My personal feelings on the tank are that I'm happy with the design but will take note IF Van's feel a modification is necessary.
Regarding the canopy latching, perhaps because we are in cooler climes but I never taxied the RV-6 with the canopy anywhere but latched and have the same plan with the 12. Shut the canopy and lock it, go fly, stop and open canopy!
What I did do (because it's fun making widgets for the SkyView like for wing pins in/out) was to position a simple PTT type press button switch on the canopy latch plate.
To link it to a canopy 'open'/'locked' widget on the SkyView, I used one wire from the interior flood light to go to the canopy switch abd SkyView, then simply put the flood light staight to earth on the roll bar with the other wire providing power as normal to the flood light.
Works a treat - red widget 'open', green widget 'locked'.
__________________
Jerry Parr
England
Ex RV-12
Loving Rotax....
|

10-24-2011, 04:33 PM
|
|
|
|
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Jesup, Iowa
Posts: 1,657
|
|
Good point - -
If it happens, I'll let you know. I do fly off turf once in a while. If it comes out of place, I think it will be very obvious. The filler holds it quite a bit also. I think it is fairly stable. I did land on a 'new to me' turf field near Des Moines late last week. Seemed to stay in place ok. It was not a super smooth strip either. Got bumped around a lot. Thanks for the point.
John Bender
|

10-24-2011, 04:36 PM
|
|
|
|
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Byron Bay, NSW
Posts: 104
|
|
The risk is very high
I think there is a real need for a fix to this issue, in days not months. Joe in post #41 expects it to take a long time for Vans to come up with an engineered, tested solution. Larry in his post #29 sees waiting as an option. I cant agree. The likelihood of a fractured tank in a forced landing on rough terrain seems to me to be 100%. It makes me nervous to fly just thinking about it.
Let?s hope Vans sees it this way. It is only going to take one fire to ground the fleet.
In my opinion, all we can do in the meantime is assess the options ourselves and make a change.
Rod
|

10-24-2011, 06:04 PM
|
|
|
|
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Jefferson, Oregon
Posts: 86
|
|
Try race car fuel cell...
I am not a fan of the RV-12 fuel tank and I made changes after my airworthiness inspection; but I think that any changes Vans makes to the RV-12 tank design will most likely be more easily done by just installing a 20 gallon tubular fuel cell. They sell in racing catalogs for under $300. and can be mounted in cradle/clamp mounts quite easily. I really think this is an application and a time when we really shouldn't have to re-invent the wheel.
Just thinking out loud...
Jay Sluiter
Albany, OR
|

10-24-2011, 07:12 PM
|
|
|
|
Join Date: Mar 2006
Posts: 55
|
|
Fuel Tank
Years ago I built a Rotoway Exc which had two custom molded , left & right tanks. They had a CD, which I still have, showing them dropping at height of maybe fifty feet full of fuel and showing no signs of leaking. They are probably still using the same tank. The tanks were held in place by metal straps.
I took with my RV9 tilt up and failed to lock the side latch. I was at 4m when I noticed a gap between the canopy and the frame. I didn't want to tell my passenger I erred I just told him we were going to do a stall. As I pulled up I continued to put pressure on the latch until the internal pressure neutralized and the latch engaged the pin. Passenger didn't know my error. I didn't panic. With the 12 don't overreact. Years ago I went for a demo ride in Vans RV9A slider with one of there best pilots. We took off and got about fifty feet in the air when he realized he didn't close the slider. He dove down and landed immediately to correct the problem. Was this the right thing to do?
Ron Russ
Viking RV 12 and other planes
|

10-24-2011, 07:29 PM
|
|
|
|
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: San Pedro
Posts: 1,013
|
|
Agree
with Jay and Rod - caution is necessary here. I trust Van's to come up with a real 'fix' not a quickie 'good enough fix'. I like the spun tank idea - no metal seams to open up - again, I say, I'll be happy to pay a lot of $ for a really good fix. I don't want anyone to take a gasoline shower as the result of flipping it over on rough ground or landing out.
|

10-24-2011, 08:32 PM
|
|
|
|
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Spruce Creek, FL
Posts: 370
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by E. D. Eliot
with Jay and Rod - caution is necessary here. I trust Van's to come up with a real 'fix' not a quickie 'good enough fix'. I like the spun tank idea - no metal seams to open up - again, I say, I'll be happy to pay a lot of $ for a really good fix. I don't want anyone to take a gasoline shower as the result of flipping it over on rough ground or landing out.
|
Perhaps you would like to talk to ATL they make great fuel tanks for just about everything, I had one for my car many years ago and it worked fine. Take a look at their web site it is very interesting.
http://atlinc.com/index.html
Best regards,
Vern
|
| Thread Tools |
Search this Thread |
|
|
|
| Display Modes |
Linear Mode
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
All times are GMT -6. The time now is 01:44 AM.
|