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Center Section Related Articles
Strentgh vs. Toughness -- The T-34 Spar Corps ALEC
(Airworthiness Longevity Enhancement Cable) replaces the bolts
that hold the bottom of the front spar to the fuselage with
higher strength bolts that have a hole through the middle of
them. (Fasteners connected to the cable pass through these holes
to give the center section a redundant load path.) These newer
bolts are of a stronger material than the usual wing-attach
bolts. This article discusses issues that must be taken into
consideration when using higher strength steel.
T-34 Spar-Related Articles
Save the Mentor! - "T-34 owners are the latest to prove the
value of good old-fashioned American ingenuity." By Peter
Garrison. Originally published in Air & Space/Smithsonian, Dec
2004/Jan2005. (The original article is no longer available on
Air & Space's website -- at least I couldn't find it. I copied
the article to a file just in case this ever happened. I didn't,
however, copy the pictures from the article.)
Presentations made at FAA/T-34 Owner Public Meeting,
February, 15-16, 2005.
(The link in this paragraph is no longer active. I'll leave it
here just in case the server they are on is temporarily
unavailable.)
Other Aircraft Deal with
Structural Problems
Bonanza/Baron Wing Center Section
Articles
American Bonanza Society Spar Web Crack Position Paper -- a
one-page PDF file on the
www.Bonanza.org website.
American Bonanza Society Commissioned Spar Web Engineering
Reports -- a two-page PDF file on the
www.Bonanza.org website.
Cracks Below Bonanza and Baron Wing Center Sections - A
series of articles starting in February 2004 by Dick Wilson, an F33A Bonanza
owner and retired loads and strength
engineer with 36 years of experience at Douglas.
Cessna 402C and 414A Articles
The Aging Fleet and FAA Action -- Cessna Twins - An article
on AVWeb that talks about an Emergency AD (AD
2005-05-51, released on 2/20/05) that requires more frequent
inspections for wing-spar cracks on twin Cessna 402C and 414A
models that have not already been modified with spar straps.
(The links in this paragraph are no longer active. I'll leave
them here just in case the server they are on is temporarily
unavailable.)
Presentations made at Cessna 400 Series Wing Spar Public Meeting. Joe Enzminger
of the T-34 Association, recommends "Good Science and Bad
Science, An Owners Perspective on the Proposed Twin Cessna Spar
AD" by Dr. Gary Silver, MD, March 3-4, 2004, and "Cessna Twin Wing Spar Theory
and Practice" by Mike Ciholas, August 18, 2004. Joe writes: "Mike Ciholas sounds
like he's the George Braly of the Cessna issue, and Dr. Silver
could easily be Harold Cannon. There are some interesting ideas
that are similar (but better formulated) to things I have
thought about as ways to go forward. It might be good to try to
get their input on our current situation - or perhaps their
permission to steal their ideas!"
Fatigue Articles
Why
Aircraft Fail -- This review from materialstoday
(November 2002) by S. J. Findlay and N. D. Harrison of QinetiQ
Ltd discusses the common failure modes observed in aircraft
structures, with examples drawn from case histories. The review
will also outline the investigative procedures employed in the
examination of failed components.
Wing Fatigue -- A Layman's Explanations
-
"I was ignorant once too, both
about wing fatigue and what I could do to an aircraft before
"destroying" it due to pulling G's. It took a tragic mishap and
loss of life to educate myself and the aircraft community I was
flying in at the time about wing fatigue." By Dave Marshall.
Originally published in EAA's Warbirds magazine, March 2004.
What is ACM
Anyway? -- "A fighter pilot's trek down the fatigue-life
highway." By LTC David Rothenanger. First published in March
2005.
Aging Aircraft Articles &
Training
Aging Aircraft: Age Is More than Just a Number, AOPA Online
Safety Center, AOPA Membership is required - "A variety of
factors contribute to an aircraft's true age, which may not be
the same as its age in calendar years. Learn how to recognize
the symptoms of aircraft aging, understand its impact, and
mitigate the risks." Completion of this interactive course from
AOPA fulfills the safety seminar requirement in the FAA Wings
Program. (10/16/07)
5th Joint DoD/FAA/NASA Conference of Aging Aircraft Papers -
Eighty papers from the
Conference of Aging Aircraft 2001. Some heavy reading if you really want to get into this stuff.
FAA’s Continued Operational Safety Program for General Aviation
- "Because of the large number and the wide variety of uses and
design standards, oversight of the GA aircraft fleet poses
special problems for continued operational safety. This makes it
impossible to address aging issues the same for all segments."
Presented by Marv Nuss, FAA Small Airplane Directorate, Wichita
KS, at Conference of Aging Aircraft 2001.
Weibull Analysys
The New Weibull Handbook -- "Weibull
analysis is the world's most popular method of analyzing and
predicting failures and malfunctions of all types. The method
identifies the category of failure: infant mortality, random or
wear out." Click
here for overview of the book. Click
here for a PDF document of the cover, preface, and table of
contents, and
here for Chapter 1of the book, "An Overview of Weibull
Analysis".
Engine Articles
First Church of
Combustion - "Eat everything on your plate, always do as
you're told, and never operate your airplane engine lean of peak
exhaust gas temperature. These guys aren't buyin' it." By George
C. Larson. Originally published in Air & Space/Smithsonian,
June/July 2004.
Corrosion Articles
The Amazing Rusting Aluminum -
"Rust can hold an airplane
together or dissolve it to bits." An article from
Popular Science Magazine.
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