I could see maybe feeling this way about E-AB vs certified aircraft. Especially if its an uncommon E-AB with very completed examples. But the only difference between an S-LSA RV12 and E-LSA RV12 is who built it. Both come from the exact same kit. Both need to be built with no deviation from plans in order to get a certificate.
I understand your point, but in a factory environment where the same airplane model is being built by workers who have built many just like it, I believe their experience results in a consistent quality that may be lacking by a homebuilder whose effort is a one-off. When an FAA inspector or DAR inspects an amateur built E-LSA there are many areas where poor workmanship is hidden.
The care and attention to detail I'm speaking of will be readily apparent and very easy for anyone to see if they know what they're looking for. If you don't see that level workmanship then yeah, look for another plane to buy. But if you do see that level of workmanship, the chances of there being hidden poor workmanship is about the same buying a factory built airplane of any type.
Lots of articles in Kitplanes and EAA Sport Aviation showing potentially deadly construction errors in amateur built airplanes that get missed over multiple condition inspections are a sufficient reason for me to avoid them. YMMV.
My mileage doesn't vary. There is no doubt there are lots of examples of poor workmanship potentially deadly construction errors out there. I've seen quite a few. In my experience though, you don't find award winning top shelf workmanship on the parts you can see and poor workmanship and potentially deadly construction errors on the parts you can't see. I can't say that couldn't happen. But I can say I've never seen nor heard of an example of it. My apologies if those types of situations are what you're referring to, I guess I've not seen those particular Kitplanes articles if that's the case.
I would guess the mechanic looked at you that way because standard practice, and FAA advice, is that it is indeed acceptable to re-use nylon lock nuts as long as they can meet the "prevailing torque" specification, which is easily checked as the nut is installed. Check AC 43.13-1B "Acceptable Methods, Techniques, and Practices - Aircraft Inspection and Repair", chapter 7 for their take on it. Of course nylon lock nuts are fairly cheap, so if it makes you more comfortable to toss them and use new, then by all means toss them and use new.
I run into the same thing with the diesel mechanics that maintain my commercial trucks. I tell them to never reuse hose clamps, if they have to remove a hose clamp, I will gladly pay for a new one. But they're diesel mechanics and getting a new hose clamp requires they to walk 15' to the parts bin and then walk 15' back so you can see the problem this creates. Next thing you know, I've got a truck that just came out of maintenance on the side of the road because a clamp failed and the radiator hose came off and all the coolant pumped overboard. Boggles my mind why anyone would ever want to reuse any fastener.
I run into the same thing with the diesel mechanics that maintain my commercial trucks. I tell them to never reuse hose clamps, if they have to remove a hose clamp, I will gladly pay for a new one. But they're diesel mechanics and getting a new hose clamp requires they to walk 15' to the parts bin and then walk 15' back so you can see the problem this creates. Next thing you know, I've got a truck that just came out of maintenance on the side of the road because a clamp failed and the radiator hose came off and all the coolant pumped overboard. Boggles my mind why anyone would ever want to reuse any fastener.
Lug nuts? No. Pretty heavy duty those things and have yet to see one that was torqued correctly fail. But hose clamps? Nyloks? Standard nuts, washers, lock washers? Yes to all because all are cheap and I've seen all fail when reused. Overkill? Sure. But a truck on the side of the road for a couple hours loses me way more money than the deferred cost of dozens of new nuts and washers will ever save me.
Trucks are profit/loss for me. Aircraft ain't. They're life/death for me. Erring on the side of caution is good enough for me for those. No need to do research beyond that far as I'm concerned.
yeah, gut feel tells me I wouldn't find anything.... and that was my intuition as a shadetree wrench turner.
different...because we aren't talking about the nylon locking insert that has been completely trashed after the first use
Yes. European, Canadian, and US regs are all different. Since one of the objectives of "LSAish" regulations is to lower the cost of new aircraft, by having different rules in place, you limit the market for any particular design and make it, oops, that doesn't work does it... So much for common sense.
That was somebody not securing a critical nut on the strut to fuselage fitting, not a manufacturing issue.
Not in all cases as it is dependent on flexibility of the sub-materiel and vibration levels. In some flight critical areas a self-locking nut is used along with a primary safety like a cotter pin or safety wire. Unfortunately there have been a few accidents due to using worn out self-locking fasteners.
I once ferried a 172 and subsequently found that same nut missing. Exactly the same location. The bolt was backed out a bit. The nut would never have been installed the last time the wings were reinstalled. That airplane was found to have numerous serious defects due to some really rotten maintenance.
Now THAT is scary.
We have these things called “torque wrenches” that actually make it pretty easy... at least the beam style do. Just look at the running (tare) torque as you turn the nut. It’s not hard. You need to do that anyway, even with a new lock nut...
Yup. Even had the torque-seal paint on the threads. Must have been a Monday moring or Friday afternoon airplane. At least two people weren't paying attention.
My A&P class taught us not to reuse those washers.
I don't walk around dodging falling Cessnas either. Kinda a low bar, dontcha think? E/AB safety record was so bad for awhile that the FAA started making noises.Yet I don't walk around outside dodging falling RVs.
