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ASH 31Mi



 
 
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  #1  
Old December 20th 08, 04:47 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
bumper
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Posts: 322
Default ASH 31Mi


"John Galloway" wrote in message
...
The thing that caught my eye is this sentence:

"Our newly-developed wing structure allows for a wing span of 21m despite
of a wing section as thin as 13%."

Anyone got any information about what is new about the wing structure?
Anything that might make the surfaces have a low susceptibility to
shrinkage and deformity?

John Galloway


John,

My ASH26E is six years old with no sign of wing deformity (spar showing
etc). I understand this was a problem for Schleicher at one point, and some
ordering new ships were insisting that wings be cured twice etc.

I sometimes fly winter wave and have no gel coat cracks to show for it at
all. My glider is most always left assembled and hangared.

bumper
zz
Minden


  #2  
Old December 22nd 08, 01:43 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Andy[_1_]
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Posts: 1,565
Default ASH 31Mi

On Dec 20, 9:47*am, "bumper" wrote:
I understand this was a problem for Schleicher at one point, and some
ordering new ships were insisting that wings be cured twice etc.


What curing is done at Schleicher? I did not think they had or used
an autoclave. I think my 28 was cured in Arizona.

Andy
  #3  
Old December 22nd 08, 03:06 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Tuno
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Posts: 640
Default ASH 31Mi

Bumper,

How often do you fly with water ballast?

I have seen several Schleicher wings in Arizona and New Mexico that
had visible wing spar bumps (when viewed from the right angle),
gliders less than 5 years young.

The flight and maintenance manuals for my ASG29 are emphatic about
completely emptying the wings after flights with water ballast. They
even added additional drain plugs at the wing root rib leading edge,
to ensure complete drainage when trailered, and the manuals go so far
as to suggest removing the wing root gaskets when ballast will not be
used for a while.

So, the factory seems to be firmly convinced that residual moisture is
the shrinkage culprit. I am going to take their word for it, and keep
those wings ventilated on the ground.

2NO
  #4  
Old December 22nd 08, 04:07 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Darryl Ramm
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Posts: 2,403
Default ASH 31Mi

On Dec 22, 7:06*am, Tuno wrote:
Bumper,

How often do you fly with water ballast?

I have seen several Schleicher wings in Arizona and New Mexico that
had visible wing spar bumps (when viewed from the right angle),
gliders less than 5 years young.

The flight and maintenance manuals for my ASG29 are emphatic about
completely emptying the wings after flights with water ballast. They
even added additional drain plugs at the wing root rib leading edge,
to ensure complete drainage when trailered, and the manuals go so far
as to suggest removing the wing root gaskets when ballast will not be
used for a while.

So, the factory seems to be firmly convinced that residual moisture is
the shrinkage culprit. I am going to take their word for it, and keep
those wings ventilated on the ground.

2NO


Ted

As already mentioned, the ASH-26E has water bags not wing tanks.

And because of wing loading, some ASH-26E do not see much water,
especially if they have the optional wing fuel bags. Whether Bumper's
26E has water bags and they are used much, he will need to answer.

Darryl
  #5  
Old December 22nd 08, 04:20 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Andy[_1_]
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Posts: 1,565
Default ASH 31Mi

On Dec 22, 8:06*am, Tuno wrote:

So, the factory seems to be firmly convinced that residual moisture is
the shrinkage culprit.


Either that, or a very convenient way to blame the customer for the
problem. Personally I don't buy it. The humidity inside a wing in
some US states and many European countries is probably far higher for
a sailplane that has never been loaded with ballast than for one in
Arizona that has been loaded, dumped, and stored with the fill caps
off.

I got water inside the wings of my 28 when I landed out and got dumped
on by a torrential thunderstorm. The winds were high enough I secured
the airbrakes full open. Water filled the airbrake boxes and then
made its way into the wing. I tried very hard to drain in out, I
tried to vacuum it out with long tubes, but nothing worked. I could
still hear it sloshing around in there. I called the US agent
thinking the next step would be to drill holes in the wings, and he
said don't worry about it. I had pulled off the aileron push rod
seals to vent the wing aft of the spar and left them off for a few
days. After cooking in the trailer in the Arizona sun for a week or
less there was no more sloshing. All the water had gone.


Andy
  #6  
Old December 22nd 08, 08:34 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
bumper
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Posts: 322
Default ASH 31Mi


"Tuno" wrote in message
...
Bumper,

How often do you fly with water ballast?



As Darryl says, many 26E's don't have water, especially if they have fuel
bladders in the wings, as mine does. To get heavy, I add fuel.

To minimize my carbon footprint, I've installed igniters for when I need to
dump ballast.

bumper
zz
Minden


 




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