wing inspection panels and #1 rib covering

[ken nougaret]

the ss7 manual says 2 inspection holes per wing, for the lift struts and for the finger strainers. I understand for the wing struts and the pitot, but is anyone putting one under the fuel tank for the finger strainers? is that possible once the bottom of the wing(under the tank) is covered?
the manual also states not to cover the #1 rib. I know the fuel gauge panels close out part of that area. does anyone at least cover the area behind the rear spar? pics would be great.
thank you, ken

[jiott]

You definitely want some sort of access panel to the finger strainer fittings under the wing roots. It may be years, but some day you will want to remove/inspect/clean the finger strainers. I used the typical round panels at this location, but others have come up with custom made rectangular access panels.

Jim

[Dave S]

Ken,

I wanted to be able to removed the fuel elbow and the finger strainer easily, so I installed a small aluminum backing frame to the the lower wing fabric next to the rib. See attached. I don't have a photo, but there is also a fabricated aluminum plate which covers the hole.

Also, I put one fabric ring on the biottom of the wing for each bay, except the outboard bay and the tank bays...they are cheap, easy to install, and you don't need to cut the hole unless you have a reason to later. See attached.

I wanted to be able to have access for down the road condition inspections.

FYI - my plane is an early series 7 which predates the current SS7.

Sincerely,

Dave Syverson
KF7 Trigear
912ULS, Warp Drive

St Paul, Minnesnowta

[t j]

Put on lots of inspection hole rings. Get a bunch of extra hole covers and paint them when you paint the plane. They will come in handy down the road.

[JohnB]

Ken,
I did cover the #1 rib aft of the rear spar after checking the pictures I took of the factory LSA plane at Oshkosh. It just seemes like a nice way to finish that area.

For the fuel outlet I used a street ell paired with a straight barb fitting that should allow me to service the finger strainers without having to penetrate the bottom of the wing. I was careful to check the internal dimensions of the fittings to ensure that this combination won't restrict the fuel flow to less than the provided elbow.

[jrevens]

I did the very same thing, JohnB -

[ken nougaret]

Thanks for the pics. I'll make sure i can get the finger strainers out and i haven't decided on covering the end of the #1 rib yet. Ken