[NBowers]

In response to a quote from another forum section on Adjusting Fastener Receptacles, suggesting which company does or does not feature them in their kits...

....To shed some light on this subject, I designed and originally patented the adjusting 1/4-Turn fastener receptacle and licensed it to Milspec when I was a majority owner. The original design was for my Dad's RV4 project at the time and it became a great test bed. For the record, the patent expired, actually two of them expired. Skybolt has always included the latest version of the adjusting receptacle in every Vans kit we have ever sold, always made in the USA. Camloc does not have an adjusting receptacle and LISI (Mondanock) does not have an adjusting receptacle (for the 4000 series Camloc). Like the adjusting receptacle concept combined with Skybolt's years of hands on experience (real hands on....not page copied out of a book or a catch phrase), we introduced the Diamondhead fasteners (non-galling NASM5591 rated), the interlocking flange, and the non-float grommet unique to Skybolt kits. These designs have made the cowling installation build less of a nightmare and more of a production quality process, while focusing on a grand champion level of perfection....that is functional.

Skybolt has not stopped there. A unique design I recently completed for one of our nation's primary UAV program as a retrofit, will soon come back to the Skybolt Vans RV market. Like the adjusting receptacle, it will be a game changer and mark a new frontier in fastening. Look for this in later 2016. I intend to make the Vans version a simple retrofit, so don't worry about being the last customer for the old style fastener. If you are using a Skybolt kit, we will discount or trade out the conversion for all kits sold in the past 12-months of the release.

I owe a lot to the Vans RV builders and community for my foundation of innovations. If I can get it to work on an RV4, 6,7 8, 10 or an RV14 it can also work on military planes and what works on military planes, I can also get it priced right to work on Vans RV planes.

For the record,

Ned Bowers - Skybolt Founder and Lead Innovator

 

[Vlad]

Thanks for good work Ned. I have your adjustable camlocs I bought and installed in 2009 and I love them! Even considered an old style it's a great value. Waiting for your innovative design...

 

[Mike S]

So, after reading your post, I ask myself ----------- why did he post this, what is he trying to accomplish with this post????

 

[NBowers]

In response to a quote from another forum section on Adjusting Fastener Receptacles, suggesting which company does or does not feature them in their kits...

....To shed some light on this subject, I designed and originally patented the adjusting 1/4-Turn fastener receptacle and licensed it to Milspec when I was a majority owner. The original design was for my Dad's RV4 project at the time and it became a great test bed. For the record, the patent expired, actually two of them expired. Skybolt has always included the latest version of the adjusting receptacle in every Vans kit we have ever sold, always made in the USA. Camloc does not have an adjusting receptacle and LISI (Mondanock) does not have an adjusting receptacle (for the 4000 series Camloc). Like the adjusting receptacle concept combined with Skybolt's years of hands on experience (real hands on....not page copied out of a book or a catch phrase), we introduced the Diamondhead fasteners (non-galling NASM5591 rated), the interlocking flange, and the non-float grommet unique to Skybolt kits. These designs have made the cowling installation build less of a nightmare and more of a production quality process, while focusing on a grand champion level of perfection....that is functional.

Skybolt has not stopped there. A unique design I recently completed for one of our nation's primary UAV program as a retrofit, will soon come back to the Skybolt Vans RV market. Like the adjusting receptacle, it will be a game changer and mark a new frontier in fastening. Look for this in later 2016. I intend to make the Vans version a simple retrofit, so don't worry about being the last customer for the old style fastener. If you are using a Skybolt kit, we will discount or trade out the conversion for all kits sold in the past 12-months of the release.

I owe a lot to the Vans RV builders and community for my foundation of innovations. If I can get it to work on an RV4, 6,7 8, 10 or an RV14 it can also work on military planes and what works on military planes, I can also get it priced right to work on Vans RV planes.

For the record,

Ned Bowers - Skybolt Founder and Lead Innovator

Now that I let the cat out of the bag, after I wrote this, I began planning the retrofit so that the new fastener will be an easy swap out from the current Skybolt version....but it will not work with the Milspec version without drilling out receptacles...basically scrapping a non-compatible version. I want a true plug and play retrofit.....the same parameters placed on us on the UAV project....no modifications to any holes or drilling allowed. To do this, we need to make a slight modification to the newest Skybolt kit receptacles beginning with all kits shipped after today. I will be happy to swap out any receptacles in any kits not yet installed. With this kit revision, all new installations will be ready for the new fastener later in 2016 with some really nice features never seen before.

We estimate to do a swap is 2 hours to remove the old grommets and 1 hour to retrofit the receptacle inserts.

What is really neat about this revision is that we address cowling float but we allow the ability to swap inserts for any hole that is not perfectly aligned to switch to a float. It only takes a few non-floating receptacles to prevent cowling float. With this revision, all our receptacles will look identical; some or all can be floating, some or all can be non-floating.

The eventual swap is super easy with no restriction on how many swaps you desire over time. Also in the process, I weighed the new receptacle and noted that Skybolt has and will have a 15% weight advantage over the competing part using the current SK40S5 stainless Diamondhead studs.

If you thought two competing kits were the same, one certainly cheaper (no interlocking flanges, studs that gall and/or have pin failure....something we too fought for years....and fixed), we would like you to look beneath the sheets. They are not the same by a long shot.

If anyone has stamped flanges that are not Skybolt flanges, I would like to offer free Firewall Kits ($000.00) for any Vans RV for the first 10 independent samples with a copy of the invoice received. Photos also have some value. Please send me a private message.

More to come.....like photos.

Ned Bowers - Skybolt