Started working on my ZipTips. I've read through about 50 threads about them on this site, but I didn't see any comments on how people are attaching the access panel. I'm planning to do the following three things to mine - as they say at weddings, please speak now if anyone thinks I'm about to do anything wrong!
1 - My RV-10 wings have about 1/2 inch of skin at the end of the wing. The ZipTips have about 1 1/4 inches of thin material to fit into the end of the wing. So, I will be grinding down about 3/4 of an inch of the fiberglass to make the indentation line flush against the end of the skin.
2 - I plan to attach the wingtips by dimpling the skin for #6 screws, countersinking the fiberglass, and attaching nutplates to the wingtips. Any comments on whether I can attach the nutplates directly to the fiberglass? Or should I add a 0.02 inch aluminum backing strip? The fiberglass on the flange seems thick enough to not need it, but is it worth the work to add that?
3 - Most importantly, how have others attached the access panels? I thinking I will use K1000-06 nutplates and 6R6 screws. Given how thin the fiberglass is here, I think that 0.02 aluminum is required between the nutplates and fiberglass. About 12 screws/nutplates seems right to me.
Any thoughts out there? Am I on track with all of this or has anyone else tried something different? Thanks!
1 - My RV-10 wings have about 1/2 inch of skin at the end of the wing. The ZipTips have about 1 1/4 inches of thin material to fit into the end of the wing. So, I will be grinding down about 3/4 of an inch of the fiberglass to make the indentation line flush against the end of the skin.
2 - I plan to attach the wingtips by dimpling the skin for #6 screws, countersinking the fiberglass, and attaching nutplates to the wingtips. Any comments on whether I can attach the nutplates directly to the fiberglass? Or should I add a 0.02 inch aluminum backing strip? The fiberglass on the flange seems thick enough to not need it, but is it worth the work to add that?
3 - Most importantly, how have others attached the access panels? I thinking I will use K1000-06 nutplates and 6R6 screws. Given how thin the fiberglass is here, I think that 0.02 aluminum is required between the nutplates and fiberglass. About 12 screws/nutplates seems right to me.
Any thoughts out there? Am I on track with all of this or has anyone else tried something different? Thanks!