ChiefPilot
Well Known Member
After putting it off for some time, I today tackled installing the steps on
my RV6A fuselage. Everything went really well, especially bending the flange around the step to conform to the fuselage (no more than 5 minutes a side). The only downside (and it's not something I did...for once!) is that the tube does not reach all the way to the F-626 web - it's about a half inch too short. This also means that I cannot pass the bolt through the F-6125 plastic block - the bolt hole is right even with the end of the tube (see pix below).
The fuse is a quickbuild fuse, so I'd expect that it's put together correctly. Some sanity measurements show that to be the case, so what I have are two steps whose tubes are too short. I can think of three possible remedies :
1) Have a longer piece of 1.5" 4130 Chrome-molly tubing welded to the existing tubes
2) Double up the F-6125 plastic blocks
3) Get another set of steps from Van's - hopefully ones with the correct tubing lengths
My preferred solution is #2, but before I go this route I was hoping some other builders might offer their thoughts on how to proceed.
Thanks!
my RV6A fuselage. Everything went really well, especially bending the flange around the step to conform to the fuselage (no more than 5 minutes a side). The only downside (and it's not something I did...for once!) is that the tube does not reach all the way to the F-626 web - it's about a half inch too short. This also means that I cannot pass the bolt through the F-6125 plastic block - the bolt hole is right even with the end of the tube (see pix below).
The fuse is a quickbuild fuse, so I'd expect that it's put together correctly. Some sanity measurements show that to be the case, so what I have are two steps whose tubes are too short. I can think of three possible remedies :
1) Have a longer piece of 1.5" 4130 Chrome-molly tubing welded to the existing tubes
2) Double up the F-6125 plastic blocks
3) Get another set of steps from Van's - hopefully ones with the correct tubing lengths
My preferred solution is #2, but before I go this route I was hoping some other builders might offer their thoughts on how to proceed.
Thanks!