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Wing Fittings


austflea

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So this is the story right?

The wing fittings are the only things stopping most wannabe builders starting a varieze. There are 2 options right? get hold of some from someone who has been sitting on them since Brock Manufacturing shut down. Or make your own. The first is the obvious answer, but is the second really that hard? Not having seen them I cannot comment, but lets face it. Even Rutan had to do them originally?

 

SO it should be possible to get a manufacturing company to do a run of them if supplied with the appropriate drawings? Has any body tried to draw them in CAD?

 

After doing some more research, I find that these mystical things of legend appear to give eze owners grief after a while what with corrosion etc. Is it possible to make them out of stainless or something? Sure there is a weight penalty, but the lets drop the electric retract mechanism or on board starter in stead?

 

I am sure these questions have been thrown around time and again. Just thought I would drop it in the pot for thought once more.

 

Regards

Patrick

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Make the fittings out of 2024-T3 bare sheet, like the plans indicate. After abrading the surfaces that mate with glass structure like the plans also indicate, clean/etch with Alumiprep (or equivalent), and follow with Alodine (gold colored) or equivalent.

 

Using stainless steel (Corrosion REsistant Steel , or "CRES" as we call it) can pose other corrosion problems, believe it or not. If not properly prepared for bonding, bad corrosion can occur along the bond surface. In addition, you'd have to select a CRES alloy for proper strenght (yield and ultimate), as well as one that is machinable and allows taper pins to be lapped in to fit adequately.

 

Properly manufactured (materials, geometry, pin fit, etc.) and treated with Alodine, along with sealing along all moisture ingression paths (something that takes pictures and more time to describe), the as-designed fittings are fine.

 

-Joe Person

EAA Tech Counselor 4418

VariEze N79JN

Bothell, WA (KPAE)

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hello Patrick,

 

I machined myself my own wing fittings 30 years ago, per plans.

No difficulties.

Stainless steel + Aluminium ? Will occure "electrical" corrosion ? I'm not certain; but pay attention .

I fly my VE, with a Lyc O-235 + light starter + Gary Hertzler prop.

All is ok.

 

Gilbert.

VE 1736 F-PMPZ @ LFPK (France).

 

Regards.

Gilbert.

VE 1736

F-PMPZ @ LFPK (France)

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Stainless against stainless will gaul without a liberal coating of anti-seize compound if that is what you were thinking....not a good situation. If I wanted to build a varieze from scratch I would look into using the Long-eze style wing mounting, or just build a Long....

 

I have spent a lot of time in a Varieze and love the performance per horsepower, but the Long-eze is more practical for a lot of reasons.....

Life is much too Important to be taken Seriously

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