I noticed this and thought the group should know about it. I don't have any contact information for Badger Bob, but this is pretty much what he's looking for. It's also in our neck of the woods.
I would be happy to go check this airplane out for somebody for the cost of gas to get there and back. Just have to do it on a weekend. I can be bought during the week too, it's just more expensive
We bought it Friday, got it back home (iowa) and I started taking the fabric off today at school (a&p) It's a pretty clean plane for its age. the spars have me stressing out a little bit right now but hopefully they will be ok.
Yeah I'm pretty excited about it. I know it's going to be pretty tough getting it all done with only having 3 hours a day to work on it but I think we can get it done by next year.
It shows from start to scratch building a wing. In fact this gent made his own spars, something that you do not have to do but its a step by step thread. Its not rocket science, just do one step at a time and go from there.
Get a few of the other students working with you and it helps. My practical exam for my A&P was done on the airplane and once the plane flew my license was done.
Thanks for that link. We are going to do a ultrasound on the spars to see if they are ok and go from there. Hopefully it wont need new ones but I'm sure it would be a good experience building a set. I need to budget this project as good as I can so building a set vs. buying a set would be ideal. Do you know where I could get a hold of the service letters/bulletins for it?
Never heard of it either but I have only been an A&P for 30 years and worked with Aeronca's for 32 years. Personally I would remove the covering, look at everything underneath, especially the spars. If the spars look good, no cracks in them, no damage and pay special attention to the nails holding the ribs in place.
If all looks good I would not fuss with ultrasound or any other inspection. Ultrasound is for checking inside things and there has never been an issue that we know of with problems inside a spar. If there is a problem, it always shows some distress on the outside.
A suggestion, make sure you run wiring in the wing for lighting and possibly strobes on the tip. Even if you do not put them in now, its a bear to do it later.
One other thing, especially if you keep the old spars. Take loads of photos and document your work. Really looks nice for inspections later on and if you decide to sell the plane means a lot.
It does seem the best way to locate any cracks, etc. is to take the wings outside into natural light and look them over carefully. I know that areas I checked with a flashlight and the covering off never showed up in a dark hangar.. Also, there's likely to be lots of scratches that look like cracks from the ribs being slide around previously and the spars are most likely laminated which often also appear to be cracks unless you know what you're looking at. Be sure to pull the attach plates from the butt ends and look that area over also. I'd consider re nailing the ribs with ring shank nails rather than the original wire type. Hopefully, the spars will be Ok which will save you a lot of $$$. One other thing, check the drag wires carefully for scratches where someone has used a plier or vice grip to hold the wire while trying to adjust the tension. It usually happens on the support wires at the horizontal stabilizers but I've seen it in the wing too.
MikeB
Hey thanks a lot guys!
We only have class mon-thurs so I wont be able to do anything on it until Monday. Luckily I've made some awesome friends since we have started school and they are helping me work on it whenever we get the chance to. With the spars issue aside, the rest of the plane seems really clean. There are a few things that need to be taken care of that I've came across so far (bad stringer and some of the wood on top of the cabin is not so good, the wrapping and bottom cowl have some pretty good size dents in them, and the one that has me scratching my head is the filler neck on the fuel tank is bent towards the right. Where is a good starting point as far as fixing things? Would you start with the wings or go through the fuse and engine?
As far as the covering goes, I would start with one of the control surfaces. This would give you a generally feeling of the process and it's cheaper to make mistakes on small surfaces rather than a wing or fuselage. Covering the wing is fairly involved and time consuming.
MikeB
Josh i was on this one to. but after talking with the owner and thinking about the possable problems and the hassel in giting it back to nw ia i got cooled feet. John i hope this works out for you. I think you got a good deal . i found a champ 7aca with aluminum spars so i jumped on it. but its 300 mi away so i must wate for better weather to bring it home. keep us posted on your progress. all us iowa boys will have to git to gather this summer and check out our the champs. keep hamering on it and good luck. Bob
Yes thats the one. ( lake geneva wi -X owner lives in ill ) its a nice staight plane theres some smal lbugs hear and there but it turn out good. ill post some photos when it comes home. thanks Bob
