Thorp Air Command - T18.net

My Piper pitot blade installation.

Inside wing showing beef up plate.


Up is forward. Tape is on rivet line.


Another view.

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Bob Highley
N711SH
SN 835
KLAL

Thorp Central sells Thorp wheel pants.
Cubes

Thanks for posting the pictures. Very helpful.


Cubes, you will be my first call when I when I start looking for wheel pants.

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Thorp T18
O-320-B3B (160 HP)
68x74 Sterba Propeller

"The joke in aviation is, 'If you want to make a million, you'd better start with £10m.' " -Bruce Dickinson

Jeff finally got some pics for you. Pretty much the same as Bob's. The external location is in the same place proportionally as would be found on early Cherokee hershy bar wing. A simple folded bracket rivited to the rib and an access panel if you don't have one close by. Hope the pics are attched OK.
Tony S
ZK-VMS

More good pictures. Thanks Tony.

_________________
Thorp T18
O-320-B3B (160 HP)
68x74 Sterba Propeller

"The joke in aviation is, 'If you want to make a million, you'd better start with £10m.' " -Bruce Dickinson

Thanks to both of you for the pics! Those are very helpful. Looks like quite a bit of work for existing aircraft.

Is there a source for those access panel mounts? I like how it's recessed. I'll have to put one of those in and most likely use cherry max to secure the mount to the rib as a river gun will not fit inside a competed wing. Might just be easier to use the solid piping and axel clamps on the last wing rib.

Cubes, I'll check the thorp central page for the wheel pants. Thanks!

Hi Jeff
Sat down and sketched this which hopefully will explain how I did my access panels.
Cheers
Tony

Thanks tony!

I think a bigger challenge will be finding a way to secure the pitot mount inside the competed wing. Rivet gun won't fit so maybe cherry max rivets?

How about construction grade epoxy? I have used JB Weld on such.

_________________
Bob Highley
N711SH
SN 835
KLAL

The auto industry uses "panel bond" to glue fenders etc. on car when repairing sheet metal. Available from auto body supply. It works!

Your Cherokee should have some examples you could copy. Cubes may have something he could sell you or one of the salvage yards may have some mount rings with panels if you prefer not to make them yourself. You can have them check panel thickness before you buy so you know it will be flush.

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Thorp T18
O-320-B3B (160 HP)
68x74 Sterba Propeller

"The joke in aviation is, 'If you want to make a million, you'd better start with £10m.' " -Bruce Dickinson

We do have access panels and mount rings that are generally used for the wing access to Aileron bellcranks.
Cubes

Awesome. So much awesome help from this forum. Ok, it might be spring before I tackle this change. At that point I think purchasing from cubes would be the easiest on those access panels. The bonding glue sounds like the way to go as well.

Cubes : Are those access panels "flush mount ?"

RB

Yes.
Cubes