ACA metal wings for sale-maybe

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theluch

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Feb 12, 2023
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Jacksonville Beach, FL
I have a set of used 1996 manufacture ACA metal wings for a 7KCAB. Have documentation for them from ACA. Wings, struts, all attach points and hardware, ailerons and spades. Tanks are perfect, covered and painted 9/10 condition. Bolt on and fly. I haven’t decided wether or not to sell them yet and if I did I’m not sure what to even ask. Are they worth $2000 or 20k? Any thoughts?
 
theluch said:
I have a set of used 1996 manufacture ACA metal wings for a 7KCAB. Have documentation for them from ACA. Wings, struts, all attach points and hardware, ailerons and spades. Tanks are perfect, covered and painted 9/10 condition. Bolt on and fly. I haven’t decided wether or not to sell them yet and if I did I’m not sure what to even ask. Are they worth $2000 or 20k? Any thoughts?
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Wings manufactured before 2010 have aluminum leading edges that are prone to corrode, leaving bumps under the fabric. Once the corrosion is there it can only be fixed by stripping the wings and replacing the leading edges with those made using the correct alloy. Also, it will help a lot if you have the log pages showing when they were installed and that they weren't damaged before being taken out of service. How many hours on them? Definitely worth more than $2000, not sure about $20k, probably somewhere in between. I'd be tempted if I were in the market for around $16,000 maybe? That's about what they add to overall aircraft value regardless of what you spend on them.
 
Thanks for the information. Here is my specific situation with regard to the wings. They are currently installed on my airplane, The airplane suffered damage to the prop, engine, cowling and tailwheel. No issues with the wings or fuse at all. I have full logs and there is no damage history to the wings since install. It's a super nice airplane but the cost to repair depending on what the issue is with the engine (mid time IO-320) is easily at or more than what I will get from my insurance company if I decide to keep the airplane. I want to repair the airplane. But..... until you start taking things apart and really get into it you don't truly know what needs to be done. (crank, engine corrosion, yadda, yadda) For that reason I want to get an idea of what I might be able to part it out for if I get into it and things spiral into something that doesn't make financial sense. Thanks again for your input.
 
my pleasure. just be aware that new parts from ACA are not super expensive so used parts don't fetch a lot of money.
 
I’ve started getting all the necessary parts together, haven’t had any real issues so far. The engine inspection is really the major unknown so we’ll see what happens there. Next I need to find a shop to do the work on the airplane.
 
theluch said:
Thanks for the information. Here is my specific situation with regard to the wings. They are currently installed on my airplane, The airplane suffered damage to the prop, engine, cowling and tailwheel. No issues with the wings or fuse at all. I have full logs and there is no damage history to the wings since install. It's a super nice airplane but the cost to repair depending on what the issue is with the engine (mid time IO-320) is easily at or more than what I will get from my insurance company if I decide to keep the airplane. I want to repair the airplane. But..... until you start taking things apart and really get into it you don't truly know what needs to be done. (crank, engine corrosion, yadda, yadda) For that reason I want to get an idea of what I might be able to part it out for if I get into it and things spiral into something that doesn't make financial sense. Thanks again for your input.
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What did you do to it?
 
theluch said:
How was it damaged? Went up on the nose, prop strike and cowling/spinner damage. Rudder was dented when the airplane came back down on the tail and the tailwheel dented the bottom of the rudder.
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Wow….what a ride! Did you bounce or was it an attempted wheel landing?
 
Sometimes it is best to not get into specifics. (Or perhaps not a comfortable conversation?)

But here is a general comment you can take to the bank:

It is really, really easy to go over on your nose from a very slow speed full, sudden application of brakes. You can get away with heavy braking at high speed, but not when you are really slow.

I have not had that unpleasant experience, but I have come close twice. Scenario: Pipercub 115, cleared for immediate takeoff, 28 right." (Roger that . . .) Pipercub 115 cancel takeoff clearance; hold short of 28 right!"

My tail was a foot off the ground when I released the brakes.

It is an automatic reaction - slamming on the brakes. Think of embarrassing moments in your car - screech! And then resist the temptation to slam on brakes in an aircraft.
 
On my attorneys advice for right now the details are with me and the NTSB. The matter is already closed out by the FAA with no pilot deviation. I will say that both the FAA and NTSB investigators have thus far been very easy to work with and professional. In 36 years of flying everything from gliders to heavys this is the first time I've put a scratch on an airplane and I had some trepidation about the process with the alphabet agencies especially considering flying is how I put food on the table. Thus far my fears have been unfounded. Once they get done with their process I will be happy to elaborate. There is plenty we can all learn from the accident. I was flying in the front seat and my 12 year old son was in the back seat, thankfully no injuries and no flying apprehension on his part going forward which I was worried about.
 
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You probably didn't need an attorney. Usually, unless there is structural damage, the NTSB releases whatever interest they have in 15 minutes. The ASI just wants to check your flight review, medica, annual, and if you had a passenger, your currency. Boxes to check. Then the good guys commiserate with you and you are done.

Only need an attorney if the insurance denies coverage.

But yeah - never feel the need to discuss on a forum. Plenty of general info available.

I think if it were me, I would look for someone who could do the AD for less than 15, and a used prop. Maybe even a used engine, but those have gotten pricey lately. Fifteen grand for labor is over 100 hours at local shop rates, and while I am not a Lycoming expert, I would think that 40 hours is more realistic. I move slowly, but I can assemble a C-85 in a day.
 
Thanks Bob. I think I found a good shop down here that can do the engine for a lot less than the engine shop. I am going up to get the airplane and truck it back down and get it in my hangar and I’ll go from there. I’ll likely need some advice from all the folks on this forum like yourself that have a wealth of knowledge because I really want to to fix it. Thanks again.
 
Hey Thanks for reviving this thread. The update is that I am fixing the airplane and it is almost complete at this point. I elected to overhaul the engine as it was at about 1200 smoh, waiting on that as the final thing to get back flying. I think it was a good decision because the case had been split at some point since the overhaul and resealed with RTV, among other issues. Though there was no damage to the engine due to the prop strike there was wear in the crank, lifters, etc. Anyway, It's been a learning opportunity and Ive done some unrelated repairs and upgrades while it was down. Refinished the cowlings and repainted. As well as the wheel pants taken down to the glass and all cracks, etc. fixed and repainted. Taking the opportunity to get all the little stuff done. Upgraded to an ABI tailwheel with shimmy dampener, the fiberglass components had age cracking, etc and I fixed and repainted all that. Anyway, I will add some pics when its all done. There are pictures of the damage and the airplane taken apart and in the back of a truck when I transported it back home if anyone is interested, they're posted on a separate thread under rebuild projects.
 
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