Fellow RV Builders, if you haven?t already heard the good news, Skybolt has announced a huge 25% promotion on all aircraft cowling kits we have developed over the past 25 years. To kick off our 25th Anniversary, we thought it would be helpful to touch on some of the statements, questions, and responses we?ve accumulated as a company over the past 25 years of working with aircraft/engine cowlings and their fastening systems. So here it goes.
1) Statement: Hinge is less expensive and typically forms a nice seam at the cowling attach points. Response: We won?t argue with this, but we wonder why, in Cessna or Piper's quest to save costs, they didn?t elect to use hinge. Is it because they knew that aircraft would be returning for warranty maintenance costing considerably more than the initial savings? A properly installed series of CLoc fasteners has every bit of "finished" quality as hinge. Many builders will say that they have hundreds of maintenance free hours with hinge. In all of our time spent with our displays at Oshkosh or Sun ?n Fun, we find that the builders that prefer the hinge are becoming a minority. Builders who have used our CLoc systems remain pleased, year after year. We have made huge improvements to the Skybolt 2008 Kits (available now) as far as fastener wear or galling..more information later. We want our fasteners looking new in 2018!
2) Statement: Cowlings using the CLocs bulge. Response: A leftover from earlier days when cowlings were too thin/thick lesser quality fiberglass, and builders did not plan on internal structure to carry the load. For years we supplied a product we called Skybeam with 4" spacing between fasteners. Then, Sam James and Vans began using higher quality materials and provided for the option to use CLocs. To satisfy any question of bulging, we increased the fastener count by decreasing the hole spacing to 3.5", thus eliminating Skybeam and the time to install it.
3) Question: Firewall and/or cowling split support strips - What material should I use? Response: When we originally built our 1st Van's aircraft using Camlocs, we used .063 6061 as support strips and scalloped the strip between fasteners to allow the strip to compound bend. Some builders have successfully used .040 and it seems that the comfort level is .050 6061 material.
4) Statement: Dash 2 studs with SK245-4 receptacles around the firewall. A friend, critic, and confidant claimed that the cowling would actually move under dynamic loads if you utilize floating receptacles in the entire cowling. Response: The definition of move is a debate, but if the theory is of concern, an easy fix to the dynamic load movement is to use SK215-4 (rigid) receptacles along the cowling sides
.
5) Question: Are CLocs expensive? Response: Without a doubt, they are more expensive than hinge. They certainly do not have a place in the original cost goal of Vans Aircraft when they set out to design a $17,000 fly-a-way aircraft. Only, I haven?t seen a Vans RV airplane on many flight lines valued less than, maybe $100,000 or more? What is really expensive is a fastening system that is aggravating and has to be fixed or denies us easy access to check important things before we blast off into the yonder.
6) Statement: If Vans intended to use CLocs they would have designed it into the plans in the first place. Are we venturing away from the way the design was meant to be? Refer to item 5).
7) Question: If Vans Aircraft did not design a Camloc cowling, then who did? Response: The basic design has been used for decades on everything from a Navy Corsair to a Cessna or Beechcraft, right up to the A380 and B787. Even better, it is on tons of Vans RV airplanes! What Skybolt did was to adapt the design to the builder market, make it pretty, make it durable, and make every attempt to instruct the user on how to install it. Much of the instruction knowledge we gained came from building and maintaining our own fleet of airplanes and attending Oshkosh and Sun ?n Fun as vendors/instructors and attendees for over 30 years combined. Our face to face exchange of information and hands on demonstrations with thousands of builders is more important than anything that can be attempted over the phone.
For 2008, Vans customers are really going to love what we have improved to reduce galling of the heads through outstanding manufacturing techniques and materials. Finally, Skybolt feels that we have solved 99% of the pitfalls of a fastener designed for a Corsair or a Boeing and made it perfect for your pride and joy Vans RV aircraft. In 2009 you can bet we will improve something yet again.
8) Question: Firewall Kit versus the Complete Kit. Response: We supply, on average 3-4 kits per week to the Vans market. About half of those kits are complete and the other half Firewall only. So many of the ?Firewall only? customers come back and by the Side Kit. The other half of that half regrets that they did not install the complete kit to begin with after 100 hours of flying. It appears that the decision is more monetary than practical, much of the time. Typically, in our response to a customer that is on the fence about the Complete Kit versus the Firewall Kit, we will urge you to purchase the Complete Kit and if in the weeks following you really feel like the hinge method along the sides is calling you home, we will gladly refund the difference between the two kits. In fact, we have never had a customer tell us that they regret installing the Complete Kit. As far as the monetary choice, springing for the extra money for the Complete Kit has never been a regret once that aircraft leaves the ground for the first time. That first flight is so exuberating, the investment that goes into these aircraft becomes overly satisfying.
If you come up with an item 9 or 10, please come forward as these topics help us to help you. You make us better so that we can serve you better. In the mean time, Skybolt is hard at work looking for ways to find that final 1% to be your perfect fastener solution.
80 Knots, Throttle Hold, Engine Instruments Checked...V1,VR,V2...
Respectfully, Ned Bowers - Skybolt
1) Statement: Hinge is less expensive and typically forms a nice seam at the cowling attach points. Response: We won?t argue with this, but we wonder why, in Cessna or Piper's quest to save costs, they didn?t elect to use hinge. Is it because they knew that aircraft would be returning for warranty maintenance costing considerably more than the initial savings? A properly installed series of CLoc fasteners has every bit of "finished" quality as hinge. Many builders will say that they have hundreds of maintenance free hours with hinge. In all of our time spent with our displays at Oshkosh or Sun ?n Fun, we find that the builders that prefer the hinge are becoming a minority. Builders who have used our CLoc systems remain pleased, year after year. We have made huge improvements to the Skybolt 2008 Kits (available now) as far as fastener wear or galling..more information later. We want our fasteners looking new in 2018!
2) Statement: Cowlings using the CLocs bulge. Response: A leftover from earlier days when cowlings were too thin/thick lesser quality fiberglass, and builders did not plan on internal structure to carry the load. For years we supplied a product we called Skybeam with 4" spacing between fasteners. Then, Sam James and Vans began using higher quality materials and provided for the option to use CLocs. To satisfy any question of bulging, we increased the fastener count by decreasing the hole spacing to 3.5", thus eliminating Skybeam and the time to install it.
3) Question: Firewall and/or cowling split support strips - What material should I use? Response: When we originally built our 1st Van's aircraft using Camlocs, we used .063 6061 as support strips and scalloped the strip between fasteners to allow the strip to compound bend. Some builders have successfully used .040 and it seems that the comfort level is .050 6061 material.
4) Statement: Dash 2 studs with SK245-4 receptacles around the firewall. A friend, critic, and confidant claimed that the cowling would actually move under dynamic loads if you utilize floating receptacles in the entire cowling. Response: The definition of move is a debate, but if the theory is of concern, an easy fix to the dynamic load movement is to use SK215-4 (rigid) receptacles along the cowling sides
.
5) Question: Are CLocs expensive? Response: Without a doubt, they are more expensive than hinge. They certainly do not have a place in the original cost goal of Vans Aircraft when they set out to design a $17,000 fly-a-way aircraft. Only, I haven?t seen a Vans RV airplane on many flight lines valued less than, maybe $100,000 or more? What is really expensive is a fastening system that is aggravating and has to be fixed or denies us easy access to check important things before we blast off into the yonder.
6) Statement: If Vans intended to use CLocs they would have designed it into the plans in the first place. Are we venturing away from the way the design was meant to be? Refer to item 5).
7) Question: If Vans Aircraft did not design a Camloc cowling, then who did? Response: The basic design has been used for decades on everything from a Navy Corsair to a Cessna or Beechcraft, right up to the A380 and B787. Even better, it is on tons of Vans RV airplanes! What Skybolt did was to adapt the design to the builder market, make it pretty, make it durable, and make every attempt to instruct the user on how to install it. Much of the instruction knowledge we gained came from building and maintaining our own fleet of airplanes and attending Oshkosh and Sun ?n Fun as vendors/instructors and attendees for over 30 years combined. Our face to face exchange of information and hands on demonstrations with thousands of builders is more important than anything that can be attempted over the phone.
For 2008, Vans customers are really going to love what we have improved to reduce galling of the heads through outstanding manufacturing techniques and materials. Finally, Skybolt feels that we have solved 99% of the pitfalls of a fastener designed for a Corsair or a Boeing and made it perfect for your pride and joy Vans RV aircraft. In 2009 you can bet we will improve something yet again.
8) Question: Firewall Kit versus the Complete Kit. Response: We supply, on average 3-4 kits per week to the Vans market. About half of those kits are complete and the other half Firewall only. So many of the ?Firewall only? customers come back and by the Side Kit. The other half of that half regrets that they did not install the complete kit to begin with after 100 hours of flying. It appears that the decision is more monetary than practical, much of the time. Typically, in our response to a customer that is on the fence about the Complete Kit versus the Firewall Kit, we will urge you to purchase the Complete Kit and if in the weeks following you really feel like the hinge method along the sides is calling you home, we will gladly refund the difference between the two kits. In fact, we have never had a customer tell us that they regret installing the Complete Kit. As far as the monetary choice, springing for the extra money for the Complete Kit has never been a regret once that aircraft leaves the ground for the first time. That first flight is so exuberating, the investment that goes into these aircraft becomes overly satisfying.
If you come up with an item 9 or 10, please come forward as these topics help us to help you. You make us better so that we can serve you better. In the mean time, Skybolt is hard at work looking for ways to find that final 1% to be your perfect fastener solution.
80 Knots, Throttle Hold, Engine Instruments Checked...V1,VR,V2...
Respectfully, Ned Bowers - Skybolt
