The fun of an inadvertent test. 

 

 After my wings were painted at the auto body shop, the painter needed space and moved the wings out into the sun.  Later, that evening, it was time to move the wings back to the hangar and one (still warm from the sun) was loaded into a long van.  As we were driving back to my hangar, I glanced back over the wing and cried, "Jack, these bulges look terrible after everything was so carefully filled and sanded."  Then, through teary eyes, I remembered - and pulled the golf tee from the fuel vent -- Psssssssht was heard as the excessive air pressure was vented out.  "Whew!" I exclaimed, as the wing returned to its normal beautiful shape.   I said, "Well, I know it won't be leaking any fuel."  The other wing was the same and I will never know the total pressure that was exerted, but the wing held together - before the "invention" of cap strips, it is held by a mere 5/8 inch rib-to-wing bonding.  It's still holding together.

 

Sand,

Clean

Clean

Bond!