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I've been Bolus-whipped!


AZAV8OR

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The Bolus tape at my main gear strut roots has died. At annual in June, Roger Lee suggested that it was as good as he'd seen it, but the crazy hot weather here finally caused it to start peeling off. I thought " no biggie".

 

WRONG! ARGHH!!!!! The guy at FD that decided that Bolus tape was the way to cleanly fair the main gear struts to the fuselage SHOULD BE TAKEN OUT TO THE WOODSHED!! Going around curves is way more difficult than the straight lines for the elevator, etc. I took me 1.5 hours to clean all the adhesive crap (even with Goof Off) and another 1.0 to give up on re-installing new tape.

 

Three questions:

 

1) Aside from aesthetics, is there any reason (read as "airworthiness issue") that I cannot fly without the tape? I realize that I might hear some whistles, but it seems robust enough not to depart the airplane in flight.

 

2) Are there any Bolus gurus out there that can guide me through the installation process? The airplane was delivered by Flight Time in Tulsa to the original owner in 2012 and someone there did a good job at the time she was assembled; so I know it can be done!

 

3) Tim Greer suggested I look into the companies that wrap cars and buses, as they are used to strange angles and corners. They might just make a small wrap to cover the area. Has anyone followed this path?

 

Any assistance will be most appreciated!

 

:lightbulb_idea-1364:

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I did mine and didn't find it difficult at all. Just keep a slight pressure on the tape with about an 8 inch lead of tape. Not too much pressure as it will stretch. Go slow and press in place as you go making it go where you want it to. Try some alcohol or lacquer thinner to remove but test on a small spot to make sure it doesn't mess up the paint. Took less than an hour to do both wings and both legs.

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You can fly without the tape, but if air gets under the fairing, it will vibrate, which will increase wear over time.

 

Just put the tape on best you can and don't obsess over it :).

 

You could try a heat gun to warm the tape up a little bit and make it more flexible. Just try not to stretch it or it will wrinkle later!

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If I put it on around those areas up by where the gear leg inserts into the fuselage i put it on in 3-4 strips. The edges hang over each other and I take a razor blade and make a nice rounded outer edge around the whole thing. No wrinkles.

 

Just use shorter pieces that overlap just a tad and trim the outer edges.

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Kevin, based on your comments about the difficulty you had removing the residue and my own experience, I'm guessing the tape you removed was not actually Bowlus tape.  Recently, my plane was service and tape was applied to my CT which appeared to be Bowlus but this was thicker and performed much differently than the Bowlus tape I use.  This tape shrunk and sagged and when it was removed, left residue that was very hard to remove.  I have replaced all of this with "True" Bowlus tape.  This does not leave any residue but may leave dirt lines along the tape edges which a little rubbing alcohol quickly removes.  It also can be slightly stretched and allows application to non-uniform surfaces and is very tough and will resist tearing and degradation for well over a year of flying.

 

Here's where true Bowlus tape can be purchased.  I believe it was developed by the person here also:

http://www.cumulus-soaring.com/bowlus.htm

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Here's where true Bowlus tape can be purchased.  I believe it was developed by the person here also:

http://www.cumulus-soaring.com/bowlus.htm

 

That's where I got mine, in two widths, though on my Sky Arrow replacing it is tedious but not all that hard (small but slightly irregular gap).

 

Yesterday I showed Andy how I used clear plastic packaging to leave my wing attachment bolts visible:

 

7425409566_2cc051f34a_c.jpg

 

It also allows light in as I examine them from the bottom as well. Don't know if that hint would have any application on a CT.

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Kevin, based on your comments about the difficulty you had removing the residue and my own experience, I'm guessing the tape you removed was not actually Bowlus tape.  Recently, my plane was service and tape was applied to my CT which appeared to be Bowlus but this was thicker and performed much differently than the Bowlus tape I use.  This tape shrunk and sagged and when it was removed, left residue that was very hard to remove.  I have replaced all of this with "True" Bowlus tape.  This does not leave any residue but may leave dirt lines along the tape edges which a little rubbing alcohol quickly removes.  It also can be slightly stretched and allows application to non-uniform surfaces and is very tough and will resist tearing and degradation for well over a year of flying.

 

Here's where true Bowlus tape can be purchased.  I believe it was developed by the person here also:

http://www.cumulus-soaring.com/bowlus.htm

Hi Dick,

 

I do have actual Bowlus, ordered from Cumulus Soaring. I think it just operator error...

 

Thanks!

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  • 3 weeks later...

OK. The cries of anguish some of you may have heard from KCHD/hangar I-4 was me. After numerous attempts at making the @#%$^&!! tape look nice, I took a totally different course:

 

Rather than tape the outside, I taped the inside lip where the fairing meets the fuselage. I used 3M auto molding tape, which is supposed to hold even in desert heat. From putting it on, I'll tell you that this stuff friggin sticks to any clean surface; time will tell. Alignment was the hardest part; you can't line up the holes without the tape sticking to the fuselage (re-positioning is NOT an option). I used 2" long bolts screwed into the fuselage holes to guide the fairing into place, then secured it with the correct length.

 

When it comes time to remove the fairings, 3M adhesive remover does the job.

 

While the edge of the fairing is not perfect, I decided that it looked way better than a botched Bolus tape job. Now I don't have to do anything until I actually have to pull a fairing vs. every year (in AZ) for the tape.

:lightbulb_idea-1364:

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