Need Avid Mk4 Heavy Hauler wings!

24 posts in this topic

Posted

I live in Maine, bought an Avid last fall, and this summer I finally got it up in the air once, then got it on Aqua floats and was driving it to the river when the right wing brace came loose, hit a pole, hammered it pretty good.  It swung back into the tail and damaged the left wing (and tail of course).  Both flaperons are toast.  The leading edge spar (144", .083) is beyond repair.  I desperately am looking for the exact same Heavy Hauler wings with nav lights, or at least a right wing.  I put an ad on barnstormers but if anyone might have any leads please let me know.  Thanks..

 

Troy

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Posted

Being out on the tip, I think you could splice that with an internal sleeve and fix it.  There are actually approved FAA methods for repairs such as this on tubular spars.  It would be about the same thing as adding the wing extensions on the speed wings.  The flaperons are a different animal though.  That really sucks.  I use bolts and castle nuts with a spring pin in them like is used on the wing pins.  I also tie the flaperons together behind the rudder in case by some miracle the hold back strut fails I still have it covered with the strap on the flaperons.

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Posted

Thanks, my concerns are that, although it's buckled at the tip, the spar is bent starting around halfway out just after the wing strut. That combined with the flaperons, I think I'm in over my head with repairing it..

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Posted

Damnit mr, that sucks.. wings are getting harder to find.  You are not the only one that this has happened to in the last year. 

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Posted (edited)

I've got a set of Kitfox 3 wings, flaperons, struts, Two 12 gallon tanks in them, droop tips - Both need recovering - One needs hanger rib tails repaired or replaced, one has one false rib that came loose and needs regluing.  I didn't remove all the fabric, and that is all I know about them.  You would have to splice the fuselage end of your struts onto these to make them work.  

$3K - Pick Up Only in St. Louis area.  EDMO

Edited by EDMO

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Posted

What happened to Airdale. Are they officially out of business?  

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Posted

I think the lights are on but nobodies home...

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Posted

Somebody needs to buy him out and make something of Avid Flyer.  Let's go picket outside his shop. Lol. 

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Posted

I would love to know!  Would be great if Kitfox or someone got their hands on the engineering drawings and could do custom stuff to help keep people like me in the air.  I'm sure there could be some decent money in it.

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Posted

For sure. I would like a set of hh wings to. 

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Posted

There really is nothing magical about the wings, mostly just getting or making the parts.  2 1/2" aluminum spars, 1/2" aluminum tube for diagonal braces, ribs, false ribs tips.  Just aircraft would sell me the .065" spar for about $135 a year ago.  Shipping sucks though.  Maybe there are other suppliers closer to you.  If you have one good rib, you could make a pattern from it and make the rest.  Maybe you saw how I made the replacement rib tails with a router table.  Ribs would be no different, just bigger and more wood. Harder stuff to make would be the spar attachment bracket, and you have that already,  just be careful how you take it off the old spar.  I do have a set of Heavy Hauler wings, but they need new ribtails installed, and I'm busy with other stuff.  I keep saying that one of these days I'll repair them, recover them, and sell them off, but it doesn't take near as much work as it used to to keep me busy.  JImChuk

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Posted

What I'm leaning towards at this point, until I find some HH wings, is what akflyer and 1avidflyer suggested: repairing the wings.  I think cutting out the last two feet of spar where it's buckled, mounting the wing and gently straightening out the spar, then rebuilding the ribs.  This would save me a lot of legwork of rebuilding a full wing, and wouldn't compromise strength (the spar is bent after the strut attachment probably no more than 5 degrees, bending back I don't think would weaken the spar much if at all)  I'm not sure about how to attach the outer tip fiberglass back on to the spar, and I'm not sure about covering the wing again.  This is all new to me, but I'm as good as the next guy at figuring stuff out...I'd like to think.  

Where I'm still at a total loss is what to about the flaperons. I guess step 1 would be getting the airfoil from an undamaged part of the existing flaperons..

 

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Posted

I would be afraid of straightening out the spar, would probably figure on replacing it if it was me.  I would also try to advertise on every airplane site I could find and maybe come up with a wing and flaperon that way.  I have the pair of flaperons that were with the wings I have also.  Kind of want to hang onto them for a bit yet though.  I believe the flaperons from the kitfox 1, 2 and 3 will fit as well. JImChuk

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Posted

1avid...how much for the HH wings if you fixed them up? :)

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Posted

I would love to get all the drawings myself . I have the ability to make the parts but without drawings it's a guessing game.

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Posted

1avid...how much for the HH wings if you fixed them up? :)

I don't know, what ever the traffic will bear most likely....  :-)  Right now they are about # 8 on a long list of other airplane projects.  Try running an add on Barnstormers, Team Aircraft, Homebuilt airplanes, the Avid group on Yahoo.  Maybe something will turn up.  There are some out there somewhere.  Fabric work is not really had to do either if you repair your wing.  Don't be afraid of it, just follow the manual.  Poly fiber is fairly easy to get a good looking job with. JImChuk

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Posted

I have a feeling that when you cut the section that is buckled the rest of the spar will straighten out on its own.  That buckle is holding the slight bend in the tubing.  you really do have to bend the tubing pretty darn far to get it to take a "set". 

As far as Airdale, it would be more than a one man operation again to make it profitable.  Making the parts is easy enough, but making and selling enough to make it worth your time is a different story.  It is hard to justify trying to do it full time for a hand full of 30-100 orders a week.  That does not even pay consumables and the light bill.  If I spend 10 hrs welding on a project its not just the cost of the tubing.  Say a part uses 100 in tubing, then you have another 80 bucks in argon, 20-30 bucks in electric (I am going to start running my welder off the generator as the electric company here has lost their ever loving minds) The big time eater is most likely fitting up the tubes and making the jig etc.  So for a part that someone will shit their pants because it "should" only be 200 bucks I now have 200 in materials and 10 hrs of time into.  To support the market we currently have a guy is damn lucky to make beer money let alone try to raise a family on it.

I make the parts I do to help you guys out and I enjoy fabricating but I don't see ever making a living at it with the limited market unless one started out with the funds available to float the company for a couple years while gearing up to make a serious run at the market and taking on kitfox, just and a few others.  I damn sure dont have that kind of pocket change laying around these days, the damn lawyers and insane ex have seen to that  :lol:

:BC:

 

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Posted

I guess the problem with Airdale is the lack of communication.  A public post explaining the situation would be better than dead silence.  I think you're right though Leni, none of these one man shops make it.  I'm thinking Sky Raider, Ridgerunner, Airdale, and hundreds of others that are just a memory.  The Buttercup guy is selling plans and somebody else is making fuselages.  The Skyote folks are doing it piecemeal too.  If the Airdale guy would farm some stuff out maybe at least repairs could be made.  But nobody will make any money, that's for sure. 

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Posted

Brett has taken another job at least a year ago.  Airdale is no more.

All the stuff is still there, but no one is operating it.

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Posted

I hate it when anything like that happens. What I wouldn't give to have all that stuff . I wish he would sell it I would be very interested.

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Posted

Any way to get in touch with him? It's almost not right...if not using it at least let the Avid community have access somehow, right?

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Posted

Any way to get in touch with him? It's almost not right...if not using it at least let the Avid community have access somehow, right?

Kitfox will sell you a complete set of parts to build 2 wings - Price last year or so was $5500 - Guess this is plus shipping?  EDMO

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Posted

The harsh reality is the Avid is not supported in any way. Making parts such as weldments for the airplane is not really profitable unless you do volume. It would have to be a labor of love for somebody that is either retired or well enough off to have it as a side hobby. I guess Airedale owns all intellectual property for Avid ?  If so perhaps its his intention to spool back up someday. In the meantime us Avid fanboys have to find used parts or build new.  I tried to be a customer of Airdale and had no luck. What is the parts in most demand ? 

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Posted

As far as "intellectual property" is concerned, he has a few drawings and a garage full of jigs.   I don't think anything was ever patented or trademarked, so...

I believe he mostly sold landing gear and wing kits.  He also got caught up doing several major rebuilds for people.  That and family issues took up most of his time and he never seemed to really get off the ground. 

I believe he would sell, if you have cash and can get in touch with him. 

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