Light Aircraft Association

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

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.

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.

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........