Drafty ( wing root air leaks into cabin) What to do ?

[blimpy]

Been flying at around 0-4 degree C... and man I can sure feel all the drafts, even with full cabin heat.
I know thats bikini weather for you minnesotans.

In the process of doing the annual ( what great way to really know your airplane ! ) I see that there
are holes big enough for a skunk to pass through... where the aileron cable and nav wires go into the wing.

Tempting as it might be to try to plug this up with fiberglass ( if you like breathing the stuff), I'm not keen on getting my control cables jammed up.

Bellanca provided nifty little "air dams" under the front seat - much to the dismay of the back seat passengers I'm sure . But that only slows the incursion of ice.

What to do ? A little fabric work to reduce the size?

Or ?

Shivering in Sonoma

 

[blimpy]

Continuing a grand old ( new) tradition of answering my own questions:

I'm still not sure what to do about all the drafts.. but in the annual I sure found out where they come from.

On both sides of the wing root.. inboard at the cabin.. and into the first section of the wing there is a much larger than needed opening where the gear chains pass through.

On the wing side this allows a LOT of dirt and crap to collect in the wing in the area visible
from the inspection plate on the top of the wing just above the sprocket on the back of the rear spar
that connects to the jack screw.

The only reason I can see for the large opening in the web is to allow access to the flap spring.
A small removeable piece of mahogony plywood could close off most of the opening without interfering
with the chains. Any place that collects dirt like this area does just invites rot !

I found my lower (flat aluminum) wing root fairing plates were poorly cut, leaving gaps between the wing and fuselage I could put a finger tip in. I guess I need to make card board templates then make new ones
that fit correctly.

The lacing of the seat bottoms to the frame keeps the " air dam" from bearing against the frame..
and the air dam doesnt even try to seal around the gear crank chain.

It seems like the judicious use of some mahogany ply or even silicone sheet to make removeable seals
and plates could go a long way to reducing air flow into the cabin without interfering with chain or cable
operation.