Owen Bell - Aviation Enterprises

[N5ZX]

The plane came with the extended tanks. But I like having the truely redundant reserve fuel supply. I also like the high altitude performance, the short take off roll, the lower stall speed, the 450# increase in useful load, and the improved ride.

Of course...the newly revealed potential of the wings falling off kinda diminishes the appeal of the "improved ride".

As for the winglets....again, the appeal is the improved performance.

We'll see what the mechanics say.

I've heard Cessna didnt use the best quality aluminum for their skins. Maybe the issue can be addressed by upgrading the skin.

Wing Splints....

Spar extensions....

I dunno...

Cole

[Skymaster337B]

What? Cessna didn't use good materials for the skins? Sounds like a law suit if it was an act of commission, and not just an act of omission.

[skymstr02]

Cessna uses/used the industry standard for aluminum, 2024-T3, and the standard for construction.
The engineers didn't overbuild it to accomodate future after market modifications that may come along, such as wing tip fuel tanks and extended wing tips. And they certainly did not over engineer the wing that an individual would exceed the structural limitations imposed by the said non factory approved modifications.
I'd like to know who has determined that Cessna used non conforming raw materials in its construction?

Dave

[stackj]

I'm not an avid supporter of Cessna's customer support, prices or attitude toward the small airplane owner - especially in regard to the aging fleet.

However, I think it is out of line to accuse them of using substandard materials on hearsay. In our litigeous society that could have far reaching negative implications.

I have not seen any evidence in my skymaster that the original construction used anything other than the standard accepted materials. By the way, it looks to me like a pretty solid airframe even though it has been flying for 43 years.

[N5ZX]

Everybody relax....

I did not say Cessna used inadequate materials when they built the bird 23 years ago.

I said that I had heard that Cessna didnt use the BEST material.

We all know that part of the process of engineering is to find the lowest priced material that will meet or exceed the requirement for the job. There is no evil or malice in doing that. Thats simple common sense and makes the plane affordable.

All I was saying is that there may be BETTER materials available to address the newly revealed areas in need of improvement....for a few planes.

I am not an engineer. I am barely a pilot. I am not second-guessing ANYONE or pointing fingers or accusations as anyone.

Thats all I meant.

Cole

[N5ZX]

.....Oh, and before anybody starts rattling their cages about me not blaming the mods....

I will point out, again, I ain't smart enough to "blame" any of the myriad factors in play.

Frankly, I don't really care who's "fault" it is.

I'm just kicking around ideas with much more knowledgable folks (yall) in hopes of finding potential corrective action.

It could be that all I can do is remove the mods. If that's the case, they'll be off like a prom dress.

However, if there is something that can be done which would allow me to SAFELY fly with my hoopty-toys....I'd kinda like to explore those options.

Make sense?

Cole

[stackj]

Cole,

I re-read my message and it sounded a little pointed. I apologize. I did not intend to be advesarial.

[rick bell]

why is owen bell not posting information? to me that would reduce all the
speculation and rumors. he may not have all the answers; but he is close to the
source. he needs to step up and communicate!

[hharney]

Cole
The only choices I know of are the factory tips or Horton Stol wing tips. The Horton tips are fiberglass and $1600 a pair. If you still have factory tips that would make the most sense until all the smoke clears.

Rick
Owen is working with the NTSB investigation and probably is best that he doesn't say anything until the smoke clears too.