One of my upper tail brace wires broke (8KCAB)

P

pmennen

New member
I just tried to order a replacement for the tail brace wire from Aircraft Spruce, but they are on back order for about a week. Is there some alternate source for these parts? I would love to get my bird flying again quickly! (I noticed that my tail brace wires are not round, they are flat, aerodynamically shaped. It looks like the standard ones are round, correct? Although at these point I would settle for any shape that fit!)

Thanks for any suggestions you may have.
~Paul
 
> Try Univair, I think they have them.

It does appear they have them in their catalog.
I'll check tomorrow to see if they have them in stock.
Many thanks for the suggestion!

> By the way how'd it break? Was it while you were flying?

Yes it was. I noticed a new tail wheel shimmy problem, and
perhaps that provided the higher than usual forces that caused
the problem. I'm glad I didn't follow that up with some acro.
I might have had to prove that a chute can still work even
when it is past its repacking due date :)

~Paul
 
WOW! Broken tail wires, I would think, should not be taken lightly. I had streamlined wires on my Maule and even though they do not appear to be as strong as the round wires on my 8KCAB, I neve had a problem. Of course the Maule never saw the stresses af acro. I wonder if the wire showed any sign of fatigue that could have been detected prior to the flight. Is so, what would be a recommended procedure prior to each flight. I have simply plucked each wire prior to flight looking for a similar tone on each wire. Any other ideas other than a god visual?

Ken
 
ACA does not have the flat ones.
Also, we have the thread rolled, not cut. The drawing calls out cut, but rolled is just better.

Not sure how yours could break unless the corrosion was bad or the part was bad.
 
> WOW! Broken tail wires, I would think, should not be taken lightly.

Well, I'm fixing it. I'm not sure how much more serious I can get.

> I wonder if the wire showed any sign of fatigue that could have been detected prior to the flight.

This was the first flight after the annual inspection. The mechanic had replaced some of the
cotter pins (I think it was in that area) that were missing. I visually inspected the flying wires
before the flight as always, and did the usual "pluck". I don't have perfect pitch, but it certainly
sounded a note that seemed familiar.

> You should call Jerry at American Champion and discuss the issue with him.

And what would I ask him?

Perhaps corrosion was a factor, as Jerry mentioned, although certainly none was obvious from the visual.
I'm replacing all the flying wires of course, not just the one that broke.

~Paul
 
The very first flight in my Bellanca Cruisair in 1970, I experienced an upper flying wire break. About three months later, when my Dad was flying the airplane, the other side broke. These were the streamlined, stainless type. I called McWhyte to find out the problem. They mentioned that most breakages occur due to overtightening and the streamlined wires can flutter if not perfectly aligned with the relative wind. Thighten no more than a "low base tone," they told me. It's almost always the upper wires will break as they carry the load most of the time. I haven't broken any more wires in the last 39 years. Dan
 
Thanks Dan for the post.

> Thighten no more than a "low base tone," they told me.

Too bad they didn't give you a suggested pitch or frequency.

I always called mine D double flat, although in truth I have no idea.

~Paul
 
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