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Maintainability -- AKA Whining

Ed_Wischmeyer

Well Known Member
So I'm putting the nosewheel fairing back on this afternoon after adding air to the tire, but without my reading glasses -- I normally have three pair of reading glasses in the car but two pair had been given to homeless men so that they could read the church order of worship and the third pair broke. I was pretty sure that the back two screws on each side were #8 and the rest were #6, but without my glasses, I couldn't tell them apart. And when the parts aren't completely aligned, sometimes a #6 will feel like it fits where a #8 belongs...

It's interesting that in Homebuilt Judging at Oshkosh, maintainability is hardly a factor, if at all, but there's an opportunity for real innovation. If I were king of the universe, what would I do to make RVs more maintainable? Yes, I know, real men work past these things without complaint, but sometimes I wonder if real men might fix these things once and for all:
* Access panel screws of different sizes and lengths. I'd outlaw all #6 screws, only allow #8, and require all to be of the same length on the entire airplane;
* Screws that are hard to put a screwdriver on, like the floorboard screws up against the fuselage sides;
* Nuts and bolts that are hard to get a wrench on;
* Nuts on prop governors;
* Oil filters that make a mess when you take them off;
* Baffles that interfere with spark plug access;
* Running wires from the instrument panel out into the wing or tail when the plane is already built;
* Exhaust manifold nuts. Once when I was struggling to get one of those nuts loose, a passer by taunted me and said I should have gotten SnapOn. I yelled back that I was using SnapOn...
* Eliminate hiding places for errant nuts and washers, like just ahead of the main spar;
* Eliminate awkward reaches, like baggage compartment bulkhead screws;
* Access to connectors on the back of the radio rack without having to disassemble the whole shebang.

A friend had an early Bonanza that was impossible to work on. He said that back when his plane was built, nobody cared how long it took to work on a plane. Early Mooneys are similar.

How much better can we do?
 
First, I congratulate you on the loss of your reading glasses.

Second, I would hope that efforts to aid maintenance on larger aircraft will trickle down to us sooner rather than later, in both the certified and experimental world. An acquaintance who works on the 787 says he barely scratches a knuckle any more, and body contortions are down to a trickle.

In the meantime, tricks of the trade learned here and elsewhere have helped my less agile body accomplish tasks on my RV in a reasonable manner. Glad all you old, er, experienced retired guys are here! :)
 
Agree -

#6 screws are a stripped Phillips head waiting to happen - and I swore I'd eliminate all I could on the 10 after dealing for decades on the 6. Yet there they are, #6 screws all over my latest build, despite my oath to convert them all to 8's. I am disappointed in myself.
 
Easier Decowling

A cowl that hinges in the middle at the top in the Longitudinal axis which has 3 slotted retaining pins on each side to allow fast easy safe access to 95% of the engine compartment.
 
Bill, the #6 screw you are looking for to solve your head stripping issues is the NAS414P. More than twice the tensile strength of the factory supplied version. I've replaced all #6 screws in my aircraft with these and they are fantastic.

Tom
RV-7
 
Bill, the #6 screw you are looking for to solve your head stripping issues is the NAS414P. More than twice the tensile strength of the factory supplied version. I've replaced all #6 screws in my aircraft with these and they are fantastic.

Tom
RV-7

Source? I have searched and can’t find them. Thanks in advance.

Edit:
Found them: NAS 514P
 
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There are no #6 screws on my rocket, all#8. I also modify inspection panels to make them easier to access. Why remove a large floor panel when there is just one fitting to lubricate. Cut a small inspection hole in the larger panel and cover it with a small two or three screw cover.
When building your plane look for ways to make inspections easier.
 
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