Silangit Feed 1: Re: [Titanaircraft] Solved! - Drilling replacment gear legs on 2S & 2SS

Monday, July 6, 2009

Re: [Titanaircraft] Solved! - Drilling replacment gear legs on 2S & 2SS

Hi Jim,

Not any time soon. This one took more than 30 hours spread out over the last year to engineer and complete. They just wouldn't be worth our time to sell. Since I fabricated the cushion and upholstery, I don't know what it would cost to have them made production style. I would like to see some interest from the factory. If it was there, we'd consider sending it in to have them copy it.

--Kimberly

----- Original Message -----
From: Jim Covington
To: Titanaircraft@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sunday, July 05, 2009 10:00 PM
Subject: Re: [Titanaircraft] Solved! - Drilling replacment gear legs on 2S & 2SS

So when are you going to start selling the seats?

They look great! Much better than factory...

Kimberly Panos wrote:
>
>
> Hello All,
>
> Many of you may have seen the 'C' channel drilling jig like Chuck
> Riley's design for drilling replacement gear legs using existing gear
> truss holes. However, on the 2S and 2SS, there is the aileron torque
> rod bracket in the way. We happened to be replacing our gear legs
> today to upgrade the axles on our 2S, and had to come up with a way to
> drill the fiberglass legs and preserve the original holes in the gear
> leg truss. We built an aluminum 'C'-channel jig similar to Chuck's
> with a steel sleeve for the drill to ride in and it has a replaceable
> steel pin guide in the end (I could machine it pretty and stylish, but
> it takes more time that I just don't have). You might ask why the
> radius is so large. That's to allow for holes that are not centered
> exactly in the truss.
>
> The 'C' jig worked flawlessly on the three out of four holes where it
> could fit around the truss, but it was a problem when we got to the
> one at the bracket for the aileron torque rod. The solution was so
> simple, I had to laugh when it worked perfectly. We used a magnetic
> base for a dial indicator, but tossed the indicator for a 15/64"
> combination ignition wrench (a piece of aluminum with a hole works
> fine). We slid the 3/16" x 6" drill bit in the hole without the gear
> leg and set the articulated arm to hold the wrench centered around the
> bit. There had to be some play between the drill and wrench so we
> could see if there was any movement off center without bumping the
> wrench. We then pulled the bit, mounted it in the drill, inserted the
> gear leg and pushed in one bolt through the upper hole we already
> drilled, then carefully inserted the drill bit through the wrench and
> drilled the hole free hand while keeping the drill centered through
> the wrench. When the drill exited out the back, it hit nothing but
> air. If you are interested, take a look on the last page in the
> 'Panos' folder.
>
> --Kimberly
>
> P.S. --
> Oh yeah, you might notice a photo of our new rear seat design for the
> 2S we just finished yesterday with extra leg support and three
> different density one-inch thick layers of cushion and memory foam,
> and stitched padding totaling 3-1/2". It is comfy and cushy! The
> inside edges for the control stick are angled to clear the control
> throws. We obviously haven't flown it yet, but it sure feels good
> sitting on it in the plane. The back now zippers-off to swich between
> the factory seat frame and cushion, and the new one for quick swaps.
> Boy! I don't ever want to have to do that again.
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]