>What are the piano hinges for the ailerons made of? are they aluminium? >If it's aluminium are Wicks and Spruce the best places to get it? >Gav +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The plans call for aluminium hinges. There are two types of hinges, extruded and rolled. The extruded type are the strongest and the ones commonly used. The rolled hinge is like the cheap one you buy at the hardware store. If you look closely at the metal that surrounds the pin you will see that they could be pulled open. The extruded hinge is "one piece" with no seams , brakes, etc. The extruded hinge is not cheap and yes, Wicks or AS&S would probably be your best bet for a supplier. You might check the archives. It seems this was discussed at length several years back and some would argue that a six foot rolled hinge would be more than strong enough and much cheaper. It's you choice. Progress report: My prop is being shipped today. I went to the airport to pull the cylinder with the exhaust leak but decided not to go that route. Before pulling the cylinder we looked at the valve and decided that lapping compound was going to be our best choice. We didn't improve the compression , 80/64, but also didn't see anything that warned of immenant failure so we closed things back up and I'm going to put some hours on it. I'll do a quick compression check every 5 hours or so and see how things develop before pulling the jug. I'm hoping to get my 40 hours flown off and signed off and then maybe dig into it deeper. Larry Flesner Carterville, Illinois.
