Thanks Ben, I would guess that 19mm is the stock size. I'm not trying to make one, I'd just get one from Paul, but this whole business of the bolt inspection or replacement prompted me, just out of curiosity, to do some sums. As of now I haven't managed to reconcile the numbers and, as a time served...

Hi All, I would like to know the dimensions of the wing clamping plates that are used on the Nipper fleet. Mine (GAVTC - Slingsby Mk3) are 19mm wide but I've seen wider ones, although I cannot remember where or when. They could be up to ~30mm wide before they foul the canopy frame. I'd appreciate th...

I need some numbers to complete calculations and ask if anybody has these to hand from their aircraft records: 1. The fully covered and equiped 'ready to fly' weight of the wing assembly. 2. The weight of the bare, uncovered fuselage frame, with or without u/c legs but I need to know which. Thanks i...

This came up in a conversation I had with Dave GARBG a while ago. If I remember correctly the original push rod joining the bottom of the control column to the bellcrank arrangement at the rear of the seat had made up plain bearings which were prone to cracking. Replacing them with spherical bearing...

I've been working hard preparing GAVTC for return to service and was intending to use a dye crack test on the bolts until the LAA engineering report came out. I couldn't vouch for the provenance of my wing bolts so have bought a set of Paul's tie rods to settle the matter. They will be going in with...

Does the standard mk 3 wing need any structural mods to take the tip tanks? The drawings I've seen show no reference to the tanks so maybe there is an extra set for the option. At the very least the fuel delivery tube will have to go down the wing if it is supposed to go in front of the spar then a ...

Thanks Neil, I haven't seen any Nipper ADs except for the two you have copied onto the forum. It seems as if there is a bit of a hole here as there isn't a TADS document for the Nipper, so all the ADs and various mods have disappeared into the bowels of the PFA and aren't published by the LAA. There...

The Mecaplex sliding DV panels are humongously expensive if bought as spares ~£90 for the rails alone! Certainly worth a quote without panels. Note, however, that these panels are described as DV panels and are supposed to allow you to maintain control if the canopy is obscured by ice, condensation ...

Hi Neil, Thanks for the gen. I've had a call from Dave who confirmed the cables to be 3/32". I'm slowly getting through the permit renewal on GAVTC and I've had a fine time with the aileron circuit. The port aileron has enough free motion, stick fixed, to require attention and it is wear in eit...

Hi Chaps, I've searched my documentation and drawings but cannot find the type of cable used for the ailerons and elevator runs. My aircraft is likely to have an original set and I need to find out if they are 10cwt or 3/32" to set up the tension gauge. Can anybody tell me what the original Mk3...

Hello Paul and Nipper fans; Paul, we were in contact about 18 months ago regarding Nipper canopies and I was building an oven then for that purpose. Unfortunately the tenure of the Gliding Club at Bicester was then at it’s most fragile and, although that is now settled after a period of protracted u...

Hi Peter, My Nipper is a Slingsby Mk3 and I've been attending to a few mods, although glider winter maintenance has kept me busy since last October. I have posted some progress on the engineering forum, topic: GATVC; seat & harness, wheels & brakes, & instrument panel I would recommend t...

Thanks Neil, that sorts out the straps. Re the angle and seat back, plan A; 1. delete the angle. The four hinge positions at the four bolt positions are made by replacing the bolts with eye bolts. The seat back lower flange will be built up to supply all the seat pan stiffness required. 2. delete th...

Hi All, I need clarification about the seat assembly. In Drawing 11, cockpit and canopy details - top left corner, There is a view on K which shows the wrap around strap (part F46) which secures the aft edge of the seat pan to the fuselage cross member. How many of these straps are needed? The drawi...

Progress on the harness installation. This is pretty well complete and ready for a write-up as a mod for the LAA. It will need formal stress calculations but the 'back of envelope' sums show this simple arrangement to be so overfactored that you would better worry about where the engine and fuel tan...