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Quick things to look for after you've inspected the outside

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jindoguy(at)gmail.com
Guest

Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2007 7:24 am Post subject: Quick things to look for after you've inspected the outside

I learned all this the hard way, take it for what it's costing you. 

You've looked at the outside of the plane, and it's in okay condition.

Here's three areas that can really burn up time fixing. 

 Look at the electrical system. Is it a clean install, or a batch of patches and inline fuse holders. Use the Rotax Installation manual to determine if the rectifier/regulator has the ballast required if necessary. One needs a 1 amp load, the other doesn't. Are there grounds to airframe all over the place or is there the minimum to handle the loads. My personal limit is three, one for the engine, one for the battery, and one for the instrument panel. 

Next look at the fuel system. Bing recommends replacing fuel lines every two years. Are the lines firm when you squeeze them or soft and squishy (yeah it's a high tech term, but it works). Does the system design look like it had a plan in mind, or was it put together as a series of after thoughts? Pull off the carb tops, what do the needles look like, do they spin in the clips? Are the latest spring cups installed? Are the little O-rings in place and in good condition. How about all the rubber covers? Shiny and new looking or weathered and split. 

Last look at the control cables. Most people use two nicos. Are they in line, or twisted? Do the cables lay flat against each other between the nicos (bubbles)? Is there any sign of wear, broken strands, or corrosion? Are they stainless steel or galvanized? 



Rick

-- 

Rick Girard

"Ya'll drop on in"

takes on a whole new meaning

when you live at the airport.  [quote][b]

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lucien

Joined: 03 Jun 2007
Posts: 721
Location: santa fe, NM

Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2007 6:16 pm Post subject: Re: Quick things to look for after you've inspected the outs

 	  jindoguy(at)gmail.com wrote: 	
		  

Last look at the control cables. Most people use two nicos. Are they in line, or twisted? Do the cables lay flat against each other between the nicos (bubbles)? Is there any sign of wear, broken strands, or corrosion? Are they stainless steel or galvanized? 

	




This is a good point and an important thing to look for on the Kolb and any airplane for that matter. 



stainless steel cable has a slightly lighter appearance to it than the correct galvanized steel cable that should be used on installations that go around pullies like on the Kolb. So you can often recognize SS cable by its bright appearance. Galvanized has a more zinc-like color to it, a bit darker.



Do NOT use SS cable for control cables on the Kolb - SS cable will start to break strands where it goes around the pullies under the seat (on my FS II anyway) as early as 20 hours after installation. Don't ask me how I know this......



To check the condition of the cables on a Kolb, run your fingers (or at least a piece of cloth) over the cables right where they run into the pully grooves (under the seat on my FS II). Any broken strands will immediately snag on the rag (or jab your finger, ouch!). Even one strand broken means the cable is unairworthy and should be replaced before the plane is next flown.



Also, look at the type of nicopress sleeves used - galvanized cable ends should be made only with the copper nicos. These sleeves are NOT the correct ones to use with SS cable, there's a special type of plated sleeve that has to be used on SS cable, the problem is a dissimilar metal corrosion issue, not one of strength.



Finally, splices in control cables are OK, believe it or not, as long the technique used to make the splice is one of those outlined in AC 43.13. So make sure any splices are done correctly, again using the right sleeves or hardware....



Anyone who comes to look at my plane, I'll show you how to examine all this....



LS

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LS
Titan II SS

R. Hankins

Joined: 18 Jan 2006
Posts: 185
Location: Grants Pass, Oregon

Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2007 10:13 am Post subject: Re: Quick things to look for after you've inspected the outs

 	  Quote: 	
		  Do NOT use SS cable for control cables on the Kolb - SS cable will start to break strands where it goes around the pullies under the seat (on my FS II anyway) as early as 20 hours after installation. Don't ask me how I know this......" 	




I just checked my stainless steel control cables this week.  I'm doing an annual and  getting ready for my E-LSA inspection.  After 438hrs there is no fraying where the cables go around the pullies under the seat (or anywhere else).  I recieved SS cable with my kit from Kolb and used it.  It still looks great (although it's a bit dusty).  Are you sure you had the correct type of SS cable in your FSII?  It should have been the 7x19 strand extra flexible cable.  If you used 7x7 or 1x19 strand, it would cause the failure you mentioned.  If you did have the correct type, look for a source of abration.  It is not normal for the correct cable to fail in the manner you described.



Just about every Kolb out there has stainless steel cables and they are still being supplied with kits.  It is great to point out a potential problem, but don't be too quick to make blanket statements based on a data set of one.  There is no problem with using the proper stainless steel cable for the controls in a Kolb.

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Roger in Oregon
1992 KXP 503 - N1782C

planecrazzzy
Guest

Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2007 11:20 am Post subject: Re: Quick things to look for after you've inspected the outs

As Far as "I" know.....Kolb supplys Galvanized cables....



That's what they sent me.....



Use a magnet on them to be sure....



 Gotta Fly...

 Mike & "Jaz" in MN

.

.

.

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R. Hankins

Joined: 18 Jan 2006
Posts: 185
Location: Grants Pass, Oregon

Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2007 11:54 am Post subject: Re: Quick things to look for after you've inspected the outs

Just ran out to the barn with a rare earth magnet from an old hard-drive and tested my cables.  Stuck like glue.  Hmmmm......  Please stand by while I extricate the foot from my oral cavity.



I just helped a friend with a Firestar II replace his control cables last month.  He ordered them from Travis at Kolb and told me they were stainless.  I'll ask him to do the magnet check as well.



Back to the barn....

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Roger in Oregon
1992 KXP 503 - N1782C

lucien

Joined: 03 Jun 2007
Posts: 721
Location: santa fe, NM

Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2007 7:04 pm Post subject: Re: Quick things to look for after you've inspected the outs

 	  R. Hankins wrote: 	
		  Just ran out to the barn with a rare earth magnet from an old hard-drive and tested my cables.  Stuck like glue.  Hmmmm......  Please stand by while I extricate the foot from my oral cavity.



I just helped a friend with a Firestar II replace his control cables last month.  He ordered them from Travis at Kolb and told me they were stainless.  I'll ask him to do the magnet check as well.



Back to the barn.... 	




After my first set of SS cables that failed, I ordered the current cable directly from Travis over at Kolb - it is galvanized steel cable.



One problem on the FS II is possibly that the pullies are pretty small in diameter. The design is still kosher tho, according to AC 43.13 as far as I could tell (there's a specification of a limit to the angle of bend of a cable around a small pully and I believe it was 15 degrees).  Perhaps SS cable still isn't suitable on such small pullies (it is probably ok on larger pully setups).



In my case, the pullies were new AN pullies (also ordered from Travis at Kolb); there was no detectable abrasion or wear that was causing the broken strands. They were just plain breaking at the pully, apparently from fatigue, I couldn't see any other cause for it.



The galvanized cable, however, is holding up fine with no visible wear or breaking strands.



So I'm currently going with the pully theory on why the SS doesn't work. On my titan, for example, the rudder cables are SS and are giving no problems with broken strands. They don't go over any pullies though, only through plastic friction blocks on their way back to the rudder horn. I havn't detected any broken strands where they go through the blocks....



LS

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LS
Titan II SS

jindoguy(at)gmail.com
Guest

Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2007 7:22 pm Post subject: Quick things to look for after you've inspected the outside

Guys and Gals, From AC 43-13 1b Chapter 7, Section 8, Paragraph 7-140, page 7-27

"General. Aircraft control cables are generally fabricated from carbon steel or corrosion resistant steel wire of either flexible or nonflexible-type construction." 



RIck



On 9/29/07, Russ Kinne <russ(at)rkiphoto.com (russ(at)rkiphoto.com)> wrote:[quote] --> Kolb-List message posted by: Russ Kinne <russ(at)rkiphoto.com (russ(at)rkiphoto.com)>



I believe this is the 300 series. Not too common

do not archive



On Sep 29, 2007, at 8:51 PM, Charlie England wrote: 



 	  Quote: 	
		   --> Kolb-List message posted by: Charlie England

 <ceengland(at)bellsouth.net (ceengland(at)bellsouth.net)>



 R. Hankins wrote:

> --> Kolb-List message posted by: "R. Hankins" 

> <rphanks(at)grantspass.com (rphanks(at)grantspass.com)>

> Just ran out to the barn with a rare earth magnet from an old hard-

> drive and tested my cables.  Stuck like glue.  Hmmmm......  Please 

> stand by while I extricate the foot from my oral cavity.

> I just helped a friend with a Firestar II replace his control

> cables last month.  He ordered them from Travis at Kolb and told

 >> me they were stainless.  I'll ask him to do the magnet check as well.
	


 	  Quote: 	
		  > Back to the barn....

> --------

> Roger in Oregon

> 1992 KXP 503 - N1862C

 Some alloys of stainless are magnetic. Sorry; don't know which 

"Ya'll drop on in"
	


takes on a whole new meaning

when you live at the airport.  [quote][b]

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