Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Terry Pender on November 25, 2009 at 7:32am

Will the kit include the solid rivets, AN-x bolts, NAS-x, bolts, AS5 and A5 rivets,etc? Will there be a part list for plans builders?
Thanks
Terry

Permalink Reply by Matt Heintz on November 25, 2009 at 8:24am

Terry,
Yes, the upgrade kit does include all required hardware such as solid rivets, stainless steel rivets, spar bolts etc.
Yes, we can supply the shipping parts list to scratch builders.

Permalink Reply by Chet M. Kruleski on November 25, 2009 at 5:29pm

Mathieu,
Will we have to use solid rivets on the center spar or can we remove the old ones and replace them with bolts and nuts ? I am upgrading a flying airplane.

Thanks,
Chet

Permalink Reply by Matt Heintz on November 25, 2009 at 8:36pm

Chet,
Yes, you can use bolts instead of solid rivets. When installing the bolts, the fit should be snug and not sloppy.

Permalink Reply by Chet M. Kruleski on November 26, 2009 at 1:18pm

Mathieu,

I have already ordered the upgrade package, will the bolts be included in the kit, or will I have to order them as a separate package.

Thanks,
Chet

Permalink Reply by Timothy R Mix on December 29, 2009 at 6:42pm

Mathieu,
May I suggest that the alternate fasteners to be installed in the spar, as many as they are, not be bolts and nuts.....this would add ALOT of weight to these small aircraft and really to do it right they would have to be a high tolerance hole meaning that the bolts would have to have an interference fit. Otherwise the holes and bolts would 'work' and then there will other problems to solve later down the road. Same goes with a Hi-Lok (steel) or a Hi-Lite (titanium) as someone suggested in an earlier post. If there are some builders out there that do not have the skill sets to drive solid rivets they certainly do not have the skill sets to make all those holes high tolerance and perp to the surface, as required for the installation for Hi-Loks or Hi-Lites. Each holes needs to be reamed to a diameter that is about .003" smaller than the fastner.
I am a A&PIA and sheetmetal by trade for the last 15 yrs with factory and repair station experience.
To ALL Builders please to not get into a hurry with your repairs and upgrade. This will only cause more fustration and work. DO NOT look for an easy way out. The 601XL that I pulled the wings off of, the builder used a nutplate for the rear attach point instead of the required AN hardware and it caused an elongation of the hole. It could have been a catastrophic failure and another life lost. Take your time and do it right. and if you need help call me or someone that is equipped and has the nessecary skills to get it done correctly and safely so you can enjoy more time in the air.
Respectfully,
Tim Mix
541.399.2731

Permalink Reply by Gordon Ramig on November 25, 2009 at 8:04am

I'm currently working on the stabilizer. I will be ordering the 650 wing kits soon. When will the wing kits be available with the upgrade mods already included in the kit? For example when will the wing kit include the beefed up spars?

Thanks,
Gordon

Permalink Reply by Matt Heintz on November 25, 2009 at 8:22am

Gordon,
Yes, for all new 650 wing kit orders, the spar will be "NEW" with upgrade parts included incorporated into it. Same for the rest of the kit.
For people who cannot upgrade the spar on their existing aircraft or kit, we will be offering the "NEW" spar, ready to install.

Permalink Reply by Gordon Ramig on November 25, 2009 at 9:49am

When should I order the wing kits and whats the delivery time?

Permalink Reply by Matt Heintz on November 25, 2009 at 10:22am

Gordon,
Zenith will be ready to ship in the new year. We have already made a "NEW" spar which looks absolutely amazing. We have added extra "L" upright angles on the outer spar at the ribs, so it will make the assembly even easier.

Permalink Reply by Jim Snyder on November 25, 2009 at 11:29am

So what is different between the "new spar" and the upgraded one? And, can't we include any additional mods to bring the upgrade spar to equal the "new spar"?

Permalink Reply by Matt Heintz on November 25, 2009 at 1:23pm

Jim,
The "NEW" outer wing spar (to be part of the new wing kits) is the same as the upgrade spar except for added "L" angles on the ribs as a means to make it easier to position the ribs and a few other small things like that. With all the work required for the upgrade, we do not want to add any more for you guys to do. With the centre spar, we are using 0.063 webs. When building a new centre section, its not much harder for us to make a thicker web. However, converting the existing web to 0.063 is a significant amount of work as lining things up with the outer spar bolt holes could be very hard.

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