lsa wing struts

[Jerry]

just recieved my wing struts from wicks aircraft. they are thinner in thickness than Bob calls for .065 verses .080. can someone check there lsa struts for thickness and let me know if theirs are the same. Thanks in advance

[Frank]

That's a Bob question if ever there was one. 540-473-3661
Also I would call Virgil at the kit factory. 580-744-9084
I wouldn't go with anything less than the strongest construction possible.
I'd want it guaranteed to the highest quality possible.
And I'd want to be able to confirm for myself the thickness along the entire length.
Especially if your project is as highly modified as you described a while back.
And especially since the LSA went down near Kalispell a few years ago.
The preliminary report makes one wonder about the integrity of the lift strut, among other things.
Report_WPR22FA169_105021_7_7_2023 7_19_58 PM.pdf
Also, my LSA plans show this:
Screen Shot 2024-03-04 at 9.44.10 PM.png

[davzLSA]

I think the most safe thing to do is to just buy them directly from Virgil, that way there is no doubt. Send the other ones back to wicks and get your money back. When I bought mine from Mark they were reasonably priced and I got them quickly. Virgil has some big shoes to fill I just hope he can keep the same high standards as Mark.

[Frank]

Dave, can you pull out your micrometer and measure your factory struts?
There are three dimensions specified in the drawing.
It would be good to know if they match the profile.
Also, are there any markings or labels which indicate who did the extrusion and what material?
Thanks Dave!

[David Swartzendruber]

I measured the struts that came with my LSA QB kit and the wall thickness is 0.070. The thickest portion of the "cap strip" that I could measure was 0.190, but the fitting was installed and prevented me from measuring it right in the middle. My plans match what Frank posted above.

[Bearhawk Aircraft]

Any material thinner than what is specified will have a negative effect on strength especially in the compression arena during negative G's I would make certain that what you have meets the specs at minimum.

[Jerry]

just rechecked my strut measurements, they are the same as Daves and another local lsa builder. I must have an older set of lsa plans. Mine call for .080 thick.'The lsa struts provided in the lsa kit do not even match the dimensions that Frank posted. They are .190 thick in center, and not .200. I doubt if there is more than one manufactor of these struts in the USA.