Sonex cowls - warning

[Guest check-in]

Hi Sonex owners. Just a word of warning if you have standard engine cowls all held together with piano hinge and wire.

 

I had the bottom wire creep forward during a two hour flight until it eventually snagged on the trailing edge of the prop. Lucky I was throttled back on final approach when it finally did it, because it took quite a chunk out of the prop, which then propagated into a long split. At climb or cruise power it could have been a lot worse.

 

As well as needing a new prop, I now need to find a way to secure this wire. The way mine is set up, almost any of the other wires would not find it easy to part company. Suggestions, anyone?

 

 

[Guest Qwerty]

If you leave a short length of piano wire hanging out, bent at 90 deg, you can flex it back and rotate it sideways to secure under a small hook or clip riveted to the cowl.

 

Any help?

 

 

[Guest Qwerty]

Bend a loop in the end of the piano wire and fix it to the cowl with a screw, dzus etc

 

 

[Guest check-in]

Thanks for the suggestions. I was hoping to ditch the bottom wire altogether, but fitting a new wire long enough to bend back under a clip sounds simpler.

 

 

[fjdoug]

i insert mine from the bottom of the cowl then insert the two shorter ones along the firewall last 

Edited April 13, 2021 by fjdoug