Fus 31
Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2012 5:27 pm
Hi! Just for the record, I removed a fairing panel, vert.fin to horizontal stab on the left side only. I had this enormous flashlight and had a good look-around in there. My Rebel is s/n 083, 85 hours on conventional gear, steerable tailwheel and has had some hard landings as previous messages have indicated. I am happy to report that there was no sign of distress anywhere around the FUS 31. All is still as solid as can be. I checked those three rivets at the back lip and yes they probably could be a little beefier, but as you come forward, since I installed that tailwheel reinforcement (the one that looks like an engine mount bolt bracket), I have rivets from FUS31 into that piece also and they look plenty beefy. That is only a short distance from that aft lip and really supports that FUS 31 pretty well. Could the following scenario be possible? A party completes his Rebel and within a few hours takes off the tailwheel and goes onto floats and finds no need to install that fancy new tailwheel support. I wouldn't have. Now he is flying around with just those three rivets through the tailpost (and of course the beefy rivets where FUS 31 goes into that last fuselage bulkhead) and it could of course come to pass that those aft rivets, not having the extra support of the rivets through the new model tailwheel support are doing what people have described. I really shoved and pushed onto that elevator control assy, but I could not move it, as stated, solid as can be.
I read that article and saw the sad picture in the latest Rebel Rouser (Rebel on its back). I can't figure out what landing gear bolt failed on that conventional gear? Anybody? That's it, regards, Geert Frank.
I read that article and saw the sad picture in the latest Rebel Rouser (Rebel on its back). I can't figure out what landing gear bolt failed on that conventional gear? Anybody? That's it, regards, Geert Frank.