Hello LML gang,

 

Thank you to everyone who has provided feedback (on and off the LML and at Oshkosh) on their experiences with securing cowlings with carbon hinges, aluminum hinges, Camlocks, and steel screws/nutplates.  This is another one of those areas where there’s no perfect solution but trade offs between options and we each have to decide what compromise solution we want based on our preferences. 

 

We’ve decided to secure our cowling with carbon fiber piano hinges and Camlocks in select locations.  We’ll really focus on getting a good installation with accurate alignment of the elements.  We’ll be carefully inspecting the pins for nicks and will replace them once a year whether or not they seem to need them.  We definitely don’t want to deal with a broken hinge pin.  There are trade offs -- but we especially like the clean look of the hidden cowling hinges.

 

Thanks again for everyone’s help with this decision.

 

Valin & Allyson Thorn

 

Legacy

Houston, TX

http://www.starflight.aero/legacy