Message-Id: <3.0.5.32.19990126153523.00912a20@olsusa.com>
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1999 15:35:23 -0500
To: lancair.list@olsusa.com
From: Paul Kapcin <pkapcin@olsusa.com>
Subject: Wing pressure testing
Mime-Version: 1.0

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Posted for "Barrett/Burns" <2thman@olympus.net>:

You can inflate the wing to 1,000 - 2,000 feet using an altimeter.  Also a
manometer works well - this is a sealed  vessel partially filled with water.
An advantage of a manometer is that temperature might not be as critical as
it would with the altimeter.  A piece of clear tubing is inserted through
the lid of a one gallon glass or clear plastic jug and submerged at the
lower end.  The upper end is raised above the vessel a foot or two and is
left open.  A second tube enters the vessel but is suspended in the air
space avove the water.  The other end of this tube is connected to the wing
vent.  You can then inflate the wing to about 12" of water - mark the tube
at this point and watch it for a period of days.  I used a tire stem valve
and my air compressor for inflation.   The only caution is that the level of
the water bounces up and down in the tube lagging behind that quick burst of
air in the wing.  So to avoid overpressurizing and blowing water out the top
of the tube, use very short bursts of air gradually raising the water to
your mark.  A better alternative might be to use a bicycle pump which would
provide a more controlled pressure rise.  Blowing it up with lung power
would work, but the larger the tank, the  more likely you'll pass out before
you achieve a desired result.
Manometer courtesy of Johnny Therrell of Triple S Aero.

John Barrett
L - IVP