Milman Leading Edge Installation Instructions?

M

morgan

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Aug 24, 2018
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Bart,

I'm hoping you'll see this and can share the Milman leading edge installation instructions. I'm leaning heavily towards upgrading the leading edges on our plane and caught a line in one of your threads about the tanks not going in until the leading edges were installed. I'm wondering what else I might learn by reading those instructions.

If you can post and share those, that would be great.

Morgan
 
Morgan, There's a reference in the instructions regarding the need to remove the tank in order to get the inboard leading edge section into place and that one line is what creates the need to sequence everything properly to get the spars done before starting with the leading edges. I've been taking photos but just need to organize my thoughts in one place so I can lay it out and explain it.

will try to do this very soon
 
Thanks Bart. I emailed Milman about something else this morning and Mike confirmed that it was preferred to have the tanks out for drilling the spar. So your notes combined with that confirmation tells me that I'm close to ordering my leading edges. I still have some work on the right wing and then I can tear the left wing apart and get it under way. I'll just leave the tanks out for now.

Morgan
 
One more (for now) question about the leading edges.

The Milman instructions for the spars talk about not tightening the innermost wires until the wing is on the airplane. But I don’t know how you access the nuts on the leading edge. Aren’t they covered by the Leading Edge material?

When we bought our plane it was already largely disassembled, so I haven’t seen some of these things first hand.

Morgan
 
I have asked myself the same question. We’re just about ready for the leading edge skins on our project. Some dammage to those aswell. My Dad is looking at some options for replacements.

Does the Milman leading edge have a stiffener? Our left wing has one but not the right wing. Go figure! Thinking that the right one has .025 and the left .020. Maybe why one with stiffener and one without!? We are not suprised to be surprised anymore at some of the things we find. Lol!
 
Hi guys, sorry but I've been flying a lot for work. Mike at Milman said to leave out the stiffener strip when installing the Milman leading edges. I did put the strip back in in front of the tank for when I'm leaning to put fuel in them but it only extends across the nose ribs that are in front of or alongside the fuel tank.
 
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I see a lot of talk about removing the fuel tanks. I need to remove the right tank from my 7GCBC because the drain valve fitting has split. How much fabric needs to be removed to pull the tank?
 
I wish I could tell you but my plane has the smaller 13 gallon tanks so it isn't as much. My guess would be, if it's only the tank and the underlying support is ok, then the fabric over the tank will have to be cut and pulled back. The wildcard will be if the tank can be lifted out without removing anything else, in a lot of planes it can be. The wing might have to be removed but that will probably depend on how familiar your A&P is with your specific type.
 
Bartman said:
I wish I could tell you but my plane has the smaller 13 gallon tanks so it isn't as much. My guess would be, if it's only the tank and the underlying support is ok, then the fabric over the tank will have to be cut and pulled back. The wildcard will be if the tank can be lifted out without removing anything else, in a lot of planes it can be. The wing might have to be removed but that will probably depend on how familiar your A&P is with your specific type.
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Thanks I recovered the plane 2 years ago and I don't want to cut any more fabric than I need to.
 
ahhhh, that makes it easier since you're familiar, and harder since you're cutting up your pride and joy!

I wonder if someone would be willing to try tig welding the cracked bung while it's in the plane. if they were to go very slowly and if the surrounding area were kept cool while it was being done you might get away with it. the tank would have to be very thoroughly flushed out (sorry, had to put that in there).
 
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you basically know what you're doing, just wondering to what degree you have to cut back the fabric to get the tank out then?
 
It's going to break my hart to cut and pull back the frabic. The fitting will need to be replaced. I could remove the wing and flip it over and take it to a shop and weld the tank in place and just have minor fabric repair. Thanks for the idea. If we don't flush the tank I won't need to worry about it I won't have a wing. Thanks again
 
Is it actually leaking because of the crack or is it just cracked? How badly is it cracked? Would be curious to see a picture of it, kind of a weird bit of damage.
 
It has split all the way through and it leaks. I'll go down to the hangar and take a picture.
 
That bung pertrudes way more than ours do. @Bartman, would you happen to have changed your tank fuel drains? Dad and I are having a hard time ordering the right one. There’s no number in our old Univair parts manual for the drains. If you’ve changed yours, would it be possible to have the part number and where you got it from please?

Thanks!

MA
 
That valve is a Curtis CCA 1550 1/8" npt pipe from Aircraft spruce $13.95. They come in different sizes up to 1/2".
 
I never did a Champ tank, but have done three Decathlon tanks. The factory says to remove all fabric, top and bottom, for the first three bays. Yep, and even then it is a tough job getting that tank out.

When you do get it out, find the most qualified welder, and get a light pressure check before re-installing. And never "slosh" a tank. Never.

Opinion. The fabric is the easiest part.
 
That's what the book says to remove top and bottom fabric. I was hoping someone knew a shortcut. I live in Montana so now I have a winter project. Thanks for the advice.
 
I personally think you should find the best welder in your area and see if they can lay a bead right up the side of that bung and close off the crack. I'd bet the chance of doing it with the fabric in place (and a fire extinguisher nearby!) is 50/50.....but not my plane so those odds don't seem so bad!
 
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