I’m in the process of completing a sonex legacy I purchase. While going through the wing attachment area I noticed that the holes for the main spar pins (in the fittings/brackets where the pins connect the wing spars to the fuselage spar tunnel) don’t look round.
Questions:
• Is this normal, or does it indicate a drilling/reaming issue during build?
• Has anyone seen similar on their Legacy and what did you do about it?
• Is this safe as-is, or does it need reaming, bushings, or repair before flight?
That’s not good. Check with the factory for their advice for sure, but IMO that block plus the mating one from the other wing need to be replaced. I guess one question is - that our of roundness - how far does that go into the block?
Looks to me like the hole was drilled improperly thru both blocks, not just worn from use. Is that the same wing, just two pictures to show both blocks on the spar?
If it’s the same wing, I wonder if it was repurposed from another build and didn’t quite line up right and the guy just redrilled it to match the fuselage mount points.
New blocks and re-rig and you will be good to go. Except now that the cat is out of the bag on build quality you need to be checking everything else! The rear might be off too.
I’ve got a buddy who had a very similar thing happen. I’ve forwarded the link and I think he’s going to join the forum tomorrow and chime in. The good news is you can overcome this with new parts and some work. But still it sucks. We are an inclusive bunch by nature but sadly I think there are some people who shouldn’t build airplanes. We all make mistakes but the important thing is saying “that’s not right, I’m doing it over.”
My buddy John from EAA 533 in Elmira used to say “we do it nice because we do it twice.” I added on “or thrice” as fitting to my experience.
I also remember on the old forum that a few people buggered up those holes following the olde Sonex method, and some of us stole the idea from one of the Australian guys to match drill the spars before assembly and then use a bushing to transfer holes to the fuselage structure. That’s the wing rig bushings in the tool loan program. If I understand the B model correctly, they ended up doing something similar. I guess the point here is that some of our community recovered from this issue when self-inflicted, so don’t lose hope!
As other have said, the blocks need to be replaced. The fusleage verticals, too. Generally, when I still worked for Sonex Aircraft LLC, we didn’t feel the spar webs needed to be replaced. In your case, probably not, but that is poor drilling in the extreme.
We’d also authorize updrilling to a 7/16 bolt but yours are too far gone for that. It’s time to replace all the blocks and the fuselage verticals and start over.
Check the aft spar pins, too.
Kerry Fores
Retired Sonex LLC/Sonex Aircraft Tech Support Manager
Unfortunately I purchased this plane as a “completed” aircraft (the prebuy A&P obviously let me down) and I don’t have the knowledge nor capability to make these repairs.
Luckily the wings where uninstalled, and the A&P I hired to complete the obvious but not complex issues noticed this issue.
I’m looking for an experienced builder who can take up this repair for a reasonable price.
