Original Posted By: Dick
Pietenpol-List: to gap or not to gap
Re: Pietenpol-List: to gap or not to gap
Original Posted By: "Christian Bobka"
In 1963, I flew a friend's Pietenpol which had no gap seals and the aileron response was extremely sluggish. In fact, it was necessary to use some rudder to bring up a low wing if a reasonable response was desired. He had not used the standard Pietenpol wingtip, but had simply terminated the outboard end of the wing at a rib (eg. Mooney). At the time, I thought this might have been a factor, but it wasn't.Later, he used tape as a gap seal and said the aileron response was much improved but, since I never flew it again, I cannot attest to this.When I first flew my Pietenpol in1970 there had been a lot of talk about poor aileron response without gap seals, and I distinctly remembered my experience with Floyd's airplane. So I used plastic tape from the beginning, reasoning that poor aileron response would be one thing less to deal with during initial test flights. Later, I experimented by removing the sealing tape, a bit at a time, until one aileron was completely unsealed. In this condition, the seal-less wing definitely tended to "fly low", and aileron response had been noticeably degraded. Needless to say, my Pietenpol has had aileron gap seals ever since and its aileron response with them is excellent.In 1985, I replaced all the fabric covering (the original Grade A cotton had deteriorated over a 15 year period) with polyester aircraft fabric and used fabric surface tapes to seal the aileron gaps as well as the "tailfeather" gaps. The elevator and rudder gaps were previously not sealed, and this change made a noticeable improvement in their effectiveness--especially in raising the tail earlier during the takeoff run.Note to Harvey:************Your airplane is a Grega GN-1 and I believe the aileron design is different from that of the Pietenpol. Nevertheless, I would be inclined to seal the gaps with a wide piece of plastic tape, making sure it doesn't restrict aileron travel in any way.When test flying a new airplane, it is a good idea to reduce the potential for problems or nasty surprises. If you wish to experiment, do it later on when everything else is going well. Don't take chances![Speaking of "chance", here is a Charles Lindbergh quote: "You can guard against the high percentage of chance but not against chance itself."]Graham Hansen (Pietenpol CF-AUN)________________________________________________________________________________
In 1963, I flew a friend's Pietenpol which had no gap seals and the aileron response was extremely sluggish. In fact, it was necessary to use some rudder to bring up a low wing if a reasonable response was desired. He had not used the standard Pietenpol wingtip, but had simply terminated the outboard end of the wing at a rib (eg. Mooney). At the time, I thought this might have been a factor, but it wasn't.Later, he used tape as a gap seal and said the aileron response was much improved but, since I never flew it again, I cannot attest to this.When I first flew my Pietenpol in1970 there had been a lot of talk about poor aileron response without gap seals, and I distinctly remembered my experience with Floyd's airplane. So I used plastic tape from the beginning, reasoning that poor aileron response would be one thing less to deal with during initial test flights. Later, I experimented by removing the sealing tape, a bit at a time, until one aileron was completely unsealed. In this condition, the seal-less wing definitely tended to "fly low", and aileron response had been noticeably degraded. Needless to say, my Pietenpol has had aileron gap seals ever since and its aileron response with them is excellent.In 1985, I replaced all the fabric covering (the original Grade A cotton had deteriorated over a 15 year period) with polyester aircraft fabric and used fabric surface tapes to seal the aileron gaps as well as the "tailfeather" gaps. The elevator and rudder gaps were previously not sealed, and this change made a noticeable improvement in their effectiveness--especially in raising the tail earlier during the takeoff run.Note to Harvey:************Your airplane is a Grega GN-1 and I believe the aileron design is different from that of the Pietenpol. Nevertheless, I would be inclined to seal the gaps with a wide piece of plastic tape, making sure it doesn't restrict aileron travel in any way.When test flying a new airplane, it is a good idea to reduce the potential for problems or nasty surprises. If you wish to experiment, do it later on when everything else is going well. Don't take chances![Speaking of "chance", here is a Charles Lindbergh quote: "You can guard against the high percentage of chance but not against chance itself."]Graham Hansen (Pietenpol CF-AUN)________________________________________________________________________________
RE: Pietenpol-List: to gap or not to gap
Original Posted By: harvey.rule(at)bell.ca
RE: Pietenpol-List: Aileron & Elevator Gaps
Original Posted By: "Egan, John"
Re: Pietenpol-List: Aileron & Elevator Gaps
Original Posted By: Tim Willis