Hi all - I'm a new member currently living near Ft. Worth and am working on getting a 7ECA airworthy once more. There is a huge list of tasks, one of them being simply cleaning out the plane of foreign matter like the mud dauber nests I posted about earlier.
I do have the wood wings, and will need to comply with the AD. I thought about using this gadget to possibly comply without needing to cut too many additional inspection holes. Found at the local Home Depot:
http://www.ridgid.com/seesnakemicro/
It's called a "See Snake." Think of it as a borescope with a TV screen. A very small but effective TV camera is mounted on a flexible rod which can be bent and routed through small crevices and holes. There is a variable, white LED lighting system for the camera head. I was initially worried about it's ability to focus - sometimes, cameras have a very limited focal range. I was tickled to find that the camera remains in focus from infinity to maybe 1".
On my airplane, each aileron cable near the aileron had a fist-sized mud dauber nest built right onto the cable. I cut a 3/4" slit in the fabric in the rib panel next to the aileron, and snuck this thing right in to locate the nests, as well as to inspect the state of the rib bay.
Since then, I've used it for a numer of inspection chores, and I quickly gained the ability to manipulate the camera head. it is a REALLY useful and effective tool, and at $200, quite a bit cheaper than a traditional boresope. There are also extensions available - it can be made to reach just about any distance.
Anyway, I've found it very useful, and hopefully others might as well. It uses 2X AA batteries.
I do have the wood wings, and will need to comply with the AD. I thought about using this gadget to possibly comply without needing to cut too many additional inspection holes. Found at the local Home Depot:
http://www.ridgid.com/seesnakemicro/
It's called a "See Snake." Think of it as a borescope with a TV screen. A very small but effective TV camera is mounted on a flexible rod which can be bent and routed through small crevices and holes. There is a variable, white LED lighting system for the camera head. I was initially worried about it's ability to focus - sometimes, cameras have a very limited focal range. I was tickled to find that the camera remains in focus from infinity to maybe 1".
On my airplane, each aileron cable near the aileron had a fist-sized mud dauber nest built right onto the cable. I cut a 3/4" slit in the fabric in the rib panel next to the aileron, and snuck this thing right in to locate the nests, as well as to inspect the state of the rib bay.
Since then, I've used it for a numer of inspection chores, and I quickly gained the ability to manipulate the camera head. it is a REALLY useful and effective tool, and at $200, quite a bit cheaper than a traditional boresope. There are also extensions available - it can be made to reach just about any distance.
Anyway, I've found it very useful, and hopefully others might as well. It uses 2X AA batteries.
