Light Aircraft Association

After three decades of nose pushers I recently bought a Jodel D117.
I'm having a lot of fun discovering the delights of this machine but suffering from freezing leg syndrome.

The problem seems to stem from the rectangular slot cut in the firewall, through which various cables and wires pass into the cockpit behind the panel. At minus 8 the other day it was a serious distraction.

I've been told that there's some sort of non-hardening putty I can use to fill in the gaps around the cables. Does anyone have any knowledge of this stuff or any other ideas? I don't want to fly in ski pants.

Pulling on cabin heat made matters worse. (It's not connected to a heat exchanger).

Firewall should not let gases or air enter cabin.

Regardless of your personal warmth there's danger of exhaust fumes, un-noticed affecting P1 & pax, CO is odourless and a killer !

I have stuffed the smaller gaps between cables and their grommets with either softened plastacine or nowadays a well pressed in lump of 'blue-tack'.
If in fact there's a firewall slot have a chat to your Inspector about what he recommends as closure means.

mike hallam.

Hi there
I've had the same on a D112, except the cold air comes in from the tunnel between the seats, as it is somehow picked up from the belly and enters via the zips in the fabric. That's how it appears to me. If you have zipped access panels, it might be no harm to tape over the zips as a test.

regards
Mick

This is what you want to seal small holes around wires etc. 'Dum Dum'. It is sticky and stays flexible. The motor trade has used it for donkeys years.
Unfortunately its becoming hard to come by now so be quick:-

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Eldro-Dum-Dum ... 0963929654

Alan Radford.

Many thanks for the replies. Dum-Dum sold out but I'll try some blu-tac.
The aircraft was rebuilt some time ago and some cables may have been re-routed through this slot. There are some tell-tale redundant holes in the firewall. I'll get it as gas tight as I can.

Should the firewall not actually be a er fireproof?

See CS-VLA 1191 Firewalls (it's page 52 of CS-VLA)

I don't think Blue tac will do for anything more than a quick test

"Firestop" silicon sealant should do the job. Its used in exactly this application on fireproof bulkheads.

Thanks Bill. I just happen to have some Intumescent mastic in the garage. I'd rather avoid the tendency of silicone based mastic to glue everything together but, if that's what it takes.

I think this is the approved stuff.

http://www.lasaero.com/site/products/ar ... =E03QZH979

Not that expensive either, for an aircraft product!