I am one who reported my cracked riveted dimpled holes to Van's a few weeks back. Though I have not yet been contacted directly, I take these updates on VAF and the Van's site as a great sign that my concerns will ultimately be addressed to my satisfaction. I don't even have any lingering questions while I await further instructions, so the communication is working well for me.
My -14A emp kit predated the timeframe indicated, thankfully, as did the vast majority of parts for my wing kit. A couple dozen wing kit parts that were on backorder at the time of crating came to me months later and included laser-cut parts, principally ribs. The holes in those ribs looked wonderful, so I am rather confident that whether a part has laser-cut holes is NOT the be-all and end-all as to whether there is a safety concern, but a combination of factors.
The notches in laser-cut holes only started to become evident in my fuselage kit, crated end of year 2022. I already had to replace two seat ribs due to the cracks and will very likely have to replace my aft gear brace assembly, which is a bummer since I will have to drill out several dozen AN426AD4 rivets out of the bottom skin--a little scary. I have bulkhead side channels that are laser-cut with notches that, post-dimple/pre-rivet don't look too bad but may be up for drilling out and replacement.
In a weird way, not working on my fuse for three months this winter may end up saving me time and headache, as by now I'd have surely put to use many more of the notched laser-cut holes still left in my fuse kit.
My -14A emp kit predated the timeframe indicated, thankfully, as did the vast majority of parts for my wing kit. A couple dozen wing kit parts that were on backorder at the time of crating came to me months later and included laser-cut parts, principally ribs. The holes in those ribs looked wonderful, so I am rather confident that whether a part has laser-cut holes is NOT the be-all and end-all as to whether there is a safety concern, but a combination of factors.
The notches in laser-cut holes only started to become evident in my fuselage kit, crated end of year 2022. I already had to replace two seat ribs due to the cracks and will very likely have to replace my aft gear brace assembly, which is a bummer since I will have to drill out several dozen AN426AD4 rivets out of the bottom skin--a little scary. I have bulkhead side channels that are laser-cut with notches that, post-dimple/pre-rivet don't look too bad but may be up for drilling out and replacement.
In a weird way, not working on my fuse for three months this winter may end up saving me time and headache, as by now I'd have surely put to use many more of the notched laser-cut holes still left in my fuse kit.