Any suggestions (polite ones
) welcomeChris
Making a Fuel Tank
Moderators: John Dean, Moderator
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Chris Willars
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Wed Jan 25, 2012 4:14 pm
Making a Fuel Tank
Just wondered, I'm rebuilding a Sonerai II and my fuel tank is split. Is there an accepted method of making a simple fuel tank or does it have to be built by an engineer?
Any suggestions (polite ones ) welcome
Chris
Any suggestions (polite ones
) welcomeChris
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Brian Hope
- Posts: 1271
- Joined: Tue Jan 08, 2008 8:28 pm
- Location: Sheerness Kent
Re: Making a Fuel Tank
Hi Chris, you can make the tank yourself. It's welded aluminium on the Sonerai and as a non structural component can be welded by any competent welder as opposed to a CAA certified welder.
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Ian Melville
- Posts: 1001
- Joined: Mon Feb 11, 2008 7:21 pm
Re: Making a Fuel Tank
Hi Chris,
The Sonerai tank is an off the shelf item from Great Planes. Though it would be possible to fabricate one yourself(with inspectors oversight), I may be classified as a mod and will have to go through due process with LAA engineering. Is your split repairable? I would suggest that you have a chat to your inspector to see if a repair scheme is possible.
Welders may not need to be CAA approved, it is your inspector who must be satisfied that the welds are fit for purpose. The easy way to do that is to insist on a CAA welder. I had a chat to Malcolm McBride a few years ago when he trotted out the "must be a CAA welder" statement for some parts. I asked him who checked the CAA welder qualifications for foreign imported kits, and parts. Turned out this "rule" is not enforced, and is impractical to do so. Though I didn't in the end, I had wanted to use a guy who welded aluminium fuel tanks for a living, but had no CAA ticket. Nor had the supplier of pre-made parts from the USA.
The Sonerai tank is an off the shelf item from Great Planes. Though it would be possible to fabricate one yourself(with inspectors oversight), I may be classified as a mod and will have to go through due process with LAA engineering. Is your split repairable? I would suggest that you have a chat to your inspector to see if a repair scheme is possible.
Welders may not need to be CAA approved, it is your inspector who must be satisfied that the welds are fit for purpose. The easy way to do that is to insist on a CAA welder. I had a chat to Malcolm McBride a few years ago when he trotted out the "must be a CAA welder" statement for some parts. I asked him who checked the CAA welder qualifications for foreign imported kits, and parts. Turned out this "rule" is not enforced, and is impractical to do so. Though I didn't in the end, I had wanted to use a guy who welded aluminium fuel tanks for a living, but had no CAA ticket. Nor had the supplier of pre-made parts from the USA.
Ian Melville
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Chris Willars
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Wed Jan 25, 2012 4:14 pm
Re: Making a Fuel Tank
Thanks Brian for your simple answer, that is actually what I thought from previous conversations with my inspector but AI haven't seen him for a while.
Hey Ian, hows the CX4 coming, I live down the road from Jon Ward, and the sonerai is currently the barrier in the way of mine.....The tank in my Sonerai dates from the original and is a home made welded aluminium one so only looking to replace like with like so not a mod (I hope).
Thanks again both of you. NOW back to the workshop........
Hey Ian, hows the CX4 coming, I live down the road from Jon Ward, and the sonerai is currently the barrier in the way of mine.....The tank in my Sonerai dates from the original and is a home made welded aluminium one so only looking to replace like with like so not a mod (I hope).
Thanks again both of you. NOW back to the workshop........
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