Aeronca Champ ? Aerometalworker ?

[Showdog75]

I've meat a guy that wants me to weld/fab some seats for his 1947 Aeronca Champ. He's gonna provide all material cut , bent , and prepped all I have to do is fit/tack and weld. Material is .035 4130 chromoly and question is what would you use to weld it with ? Tig of course.

[muskt]

Go Here

http://www.lincolnelectric.com/knowledge/articles/content/chrome-moly.asp

Jerry in Anchorage

[Aerometalworker]

Hey Showdog, Sorry I have been out of the internet loop lately, just too much going on. You probably have the seats done by now though For something like a seat I would have no issues using the Tig process.

[wronghand]

Dunno if you have found an answer yet or not, but the aerospace guys I know recomend ER80s-2 or ER80s-6 filler rod. For .030 tubing probably 1/16" electrode, 40 to 60 amps, .060 filler rod. Alternately you could also look up a company called Weld Mode-- they have a filler called weldmode 880 that the performance mountain bike guys love for doin 4130 bike frames. I can tell you it welds awesome, can't however tell you about possible FAA certs. for that particular consumable. Best of luck,

WH

[Aerometalworker]

Dunno if you have found an answer yet or not, but the aerospace guys I know recomend ER80s-2 or ER80s-6 filler rod. For .030 tubing probably 1/16" electrode, 40 to 60 amps, .060 filler rod. Alternately you could also look up a company called Weld Mode-- they have a filler called weldmode 880 that the performance mountain bike guys love for doin 4130 bike frames. I can tell you it welds awesome, can't however tell you about possible FAA certs. for that particular consumable. Best of luck,

WH

Who might they be?

[Kneel]

Weldmold

http://www.weldmold.com/index.php/products/tool-and-die-allloy-welding-materials/26-weld-mold-880.html

I use it for cro-moly and high end bicycle tubing, it flows really well. for welding the .035. You might wish you had some .045 filler, I use mostly .035 wire for tig. I don't know if you can order off of the website online , In the past , I have just called them. Look around the site a little, if you make an order you might as well pick up some other hard to find filler. Good luck!

[kcstott]

An Aeronca Champ is light sport and doesn't come under nearly as much FAA grief as a recreational aircraft does.
That said regular old ER70S-6 has worked well for me. But there are better choices

[Aerometalworker]

An Aeronca Champ is light sport and doesn't come under nearly as much FAA grief as a recreational aircraft does.
That said regular old ER70S-6 has worked well for me. But there are better choices

Its only light sport if its registered as such, otherwise it falls under the standard regulations for certified aircraft.

[H80N]

Sling Seat??

Years ago I had an Aeronca "K" ....... and it had a "Sling Seat" which consisted of bolted crossbars and a canvas sling hung between them much like a simple sling beach chair.... thought that the early Champ had a similar arrangement..... the "K" was a side by side like a Chief..... not a tandem like the Champ.... just wondering what might need to be welded on this...

thanks
Heiti

BTW.... a 47 Champ would have originally been all gas welded using Oxy-Acet...

[Bodybagger]

Its only light sport if its registered as such, otherwise it falls under the standard regulations for certified aircraft.

I don't think a 47 Aeronca Champ can ever have a E-LSA or S-LSA Airworthiness Certificate since it was certainly issued a Standard Airworthiness Certificate.

[Aerometalworker]

I don't think a 47 Aeronca Champ can ever have a E-LSA or S-LSA Airworthiness Certificate since it was certainly issued a Standard Airworthiness Certificate.

Actually yes it can. Basicly you give up the SAC and register as an LSA. The means though that the aircraft can only be operated in the LSA category and going back to SAC will be interesting unless flawless records are kept and the aircraft is kept in a configuration thats still approved for SAC. I have a feeling whats going to happen quite often is that once an aircraft gets registered under LSA, that the owner will start doing modifications, alterations, and maintanence that will make getting the aircraft back into SAC a big headache in the future.

[Bodybagger]

I'd like to see how that works. Do you have to know the right people at FSDO? Seems to fly in the face (no pun intended) of the FAR 21.191(i)(1) and 21.190(b)(2).

Sec. 21.190
Issue of a special airworthiness certificate for a light-sport category aircraft.
(b) Eligibility. To be eligible for a special airworthiness certificate in the light-sport category:
(2) The aircraft must not have been previously issued a standard, primary, restricted, limited, or provisional airworthiness certificate, or an equivalent airworthiness certificate issued by a foreign civil aviation authority.

Sec. 21.191

Experimental certificates.
Experimental certificates are issued for the following purposes:

(i) Operating light-sport aircraft. Operating a light-sport aircraft that-
(1) Has not been issued a U.S. or foreign airworthiness certificate and does not meet the provisions of §103.1 of this chapter. An experimental certificate will not be issued under this paragraph for these aircraft after January 31, 2008;

I'd really like to know if there is a way around this!

[Aerometalworker]

I'd like to see how that works. Do you have to know the right people at FSDO? Seems to fly in the face (no pun intended) of the FAR 21.191(i)(1) and 21.190(b)(2).





I'd really like to know if there is a way around this!

Simple as it may seem, it requires removal of the original data plaque, and basicly a new manufacturer, serial number, etc being attached to it. You can call it a replica. The original SAC follows the data plaque, not the physical structure. This is where its going to get sticky to go BACK to SAC, and unless your close with your local field office, might not be possible at all. That was done mostly to discourage all the old anique aircraft from being turned into LSA versions and to more or less preserve them as I understand it.