Photos of Bob's new Carbon Fiber Wingtips

[jaredyates]

Beartracks subscribers will have seen the blurb about Bob making new carbon fiber wingtips. I didn't get the photos in time to include them in the newsletter, but here they are.

[Chris In Milwaukee]

I dig them!

[bway]

When I talked to Bob Barrows the other day, I asked him about strut and gear fairings for the LSA. He said that he was not making any, currently, but said that it seems he needs to. I hope he does so as I'm sure the LSA is going to be pretty popular. Bob Way

[Patrol28]

Are those wing tips available for the best Bearhawk ? You know, the Patrol.

[kestrel]

Are those wing tips available for the best Bearhawk ? You know, the Patrol.

I think you mean "half a Bearhawk". ...it only carries half the family. ;-)

[JimParker256]

I think you mean "half a Bearhawk". ...it only carries half the family. ;-)

I'm with Patrol28 – the Patrol carries both of us, and that's the WHOLE family...

But seriously, carbon fiber wingtips for the Patrol – available or not? (Don't see them on Bob's site...)

[geraldmorrissey]

Are these tips flush mounted or do they slip over the tip rib?
Thanks
Gerry
Patrol #30 Wings

[Chris In Milwaukee]

Once the Bravo is in full production, the Patrol and 4-pl wing tips will be the same. I'm not sure which ones are in the photo, but I like that the Bravo keeps the SKUs down for the factory.

[Mark Goldberg]

The Model B is already in production. And do not worry Chris - no SKU's at the kit factory. Mark

[Chris In Milwaukee]

Outstanding :-)

[jaredyates]

Try this link for the Patrol tips. I'm thinking that Bob's mold is for going over the ribs, but it would be best to call and check.
http://www.randbaircraft.com/_p/prd1...fiber-wingtips
Also, Bob pointed out to me that the prices are higher on his website to cover the Paypal fees and such. The best price comes from sending a check in the mail.

[rodsmith]

I talked to Bob about these last week. They are sized for the Patrol and Model B, not the original Bearhawk. Bob said a couple builders are modifying them for the Bearhawk. Disappointing! Now back to designing and building metal tips.

[Mark Goldberg]

Rod, the fiberglass wingtips are available through TQ Fiberglass in Pennsylvania. Mark

[bergy]

I am increasingly puzzled as to the suitability of composite material to cold weather operations of aircraft. I anticipate using fiberglass and/or carbon-fiber in/around the cockpit area and windows of my Patrol. Just how I will be doing it is not decided yet.

A lot of guys in my EAA chapter have carbon-fiber skis on their airplanes, They seem to work great and weigh only a few pounds. Commercial airliners (Airbus et al) are made of composite material and they operate at unimaginably cold temperatures. Yet I have seen uncounted examples of composite material failing at cold temperatures.

I remember my first SkiDoo snowmobile, I once had a very small dead stick poke at hole in the cowl at -30F (I am not exagerating here, I was a lot younger and dumber in those days). The stick was less than an inch in diameter and I could break it in my fingers, yet it punched a nice plug through the fiberglass material. Just this morning I was cleaning up epoxy from another of my projects (not my Patrol). A couple of days ago I had glued up some stuff inside the house with top-of-the-line Locktite brand epoxy and put all out in the shop last night. I was dreading trying to remove my drips and globs. No problem! The stuff crumbles or scrapes right off on parts that were out on the bench all night. The temps might have been in the single digits during the night, but it had warmed up to about 12F when I started scraping on it.

I am not about to make anything out of either epoxy or polyester resin if my experiences are any indication of the reliability of home-cured composite materials. The pros must use some special stuff, huh?

[svyolo]

Industrial versions are a whole different animal than what we buy at Home Depot. I talked to a guy who sold pre-peg to Boeing. He said the 787 is the first airplane that was going to last "forever".