Wooden Airframes

[Rolf]

Planning to buy Wooden Airframe Aircraft

 

Fairly green myself can somebody shed some light if there are known issues with white ants and humidity in tropical conditions (Topend) and NO, I am not expecting crocodile attacs

 

Thx Rolf

 

 

[facthunter]

White ants are not a problem. I have had rats eat the wood. Biggest problem would seem to be glue. Wood is pretty good stuff used properly. Moisture can cause buckling in some plywoods. You don't leave this sort of stuff out in the open. Nev

 

 

[Sapphire]

I don't like bringing doom and gloom stories but they need to be addressed. At Jandakot two Tiger Moths do scenic flights with options for aerobatics. Long while ago one of them broke up doing aerobatics. Undetected rot was the problem. With all the choice in a/c made of composite and metal, you have to go out of your way to find a wooden construction.

 

 

[Rolf]

Is there an easy way to detect rot without pulling the covering off? Or is it also a matter off age striking all types of frames. I recently read an article about CASA looking into the problem off airframe failures on older GA metal frame aircraft

 

 

[Sapphire]

Not unless you are metal man with xray vision:yelrotflmao:

 

 

[Yenn]

It depends upon how they were built. Tigers were built before the age of epoxies, so there was less protection for the timber. Modern planes would most likely have the timber surfaces saturated with one of the thin epoxies, which results in them being more like a composite material. Modern ply is pretty well resistant to rot as it has good glues. If you can find any soft spots anywhere be especially careful. When you look inside the structure, use your nose first. It is possible to smell rotten timber. The most likely place for rot will be where water from rain or condensation could sit. There will possibly be drain holes at the rear of each bay in the wings and at the rear of the fuselage.

 

My personal opinion is that there is more risk of rust in a steel frame than rot in timber, but either one can be expensive to fix.