Van's recent SL-00033 service letter, which specified an inspection of RV-10 main landing gear socket weldments and forward-floor sheet metal parts for cracks and asked owners to report back to Van’s with their results, has allowed us to collect a significant volume of feedback from the field. We appreciate the active participation of RV-10 owners in this process because it has enabled us to more fully understand the real-world situation regarding the parts included in the inspection. In the submissions we have received, several owners have reported cracks in the floor skins near the front "foot" of the weldment. These cracks in the floor skins are not of structural concern and are slow-growing. Stop-drilling these cracks as prescribed in the service letter will halt crack growth.
The Service Letter also directed an inspection of the WD-1201 weldments. After 20 years of hard use, the factory demonstrator RV-10 developed cracks in two locations on the landing gear weldment, as described in the service letter. Per the feedback received from owners in the field, as of the date of this bulletin the demonstrator aircraft is one of three aircraft that have been identified with cracks in one or both of these weldments. The vast majority of field-inspected airplanes to date have no cracks in the steel weldments. As stated in the SL-00033 document, Van’s Aircraft Engineering believes that most aircraft in the field will not develop similar cracks in the lifespan of the aircraft. Reports we have received come from aircraft with anywhere from a small number of hours to more than 2000 hours time in service, and that aircraft as well as several others with more than 1000 hours in service did not have cracked weldments.
We have revised and republished our Service Letter SL-00033 (Revision 1) to specifically call out and direct an annual condition inspection of these weldments for the described cracks. The service letter specifically states that these weldments should not be proactively replaced and that Van's will ship replacement parts only for aircraft where we have confirmed the original parts are actually cracked. Replacing a weldment that is currently installed and in good condition (no cracks in the metal) carries with it the potential risk of damage during the retrofit process, with no tangible benefit to the safety or fatigue life of the aircraft. If an owner reports and submits evidence of cracked weldments on their aircraft (following the steps outlined in the service letter), Van's Aircraft’s Support staff will first validate and confirm that the cracks are in fact located in the steel weldment (as opposed to superficial cracks in powdercoat), and when applicable will provide additional service information and instructions in the form of a service bulletin, to guide the owner in the removal and retrofitting of the affected weldments with new replacement parts.
Van's Aircraft’s engineering team has introduced an updated design of the WD-1201 weldments (WD-1201-1), which will be shipped in new kits going forward. The new version weldments will be shipped to builders who currently have weldments on backorder. The revised weldment design removes the front “foot” from the part and therefore eliminates the floor sheet metal cracking that has been observed on some aircraft. Note that to standardize our factory production and keep customers' cost of parts reasonable, the new WD-1201-1 weldment design will be the go-forward available part option. New center sections will have the corresponding holes properly sized for the updated weldments.
We have manufactured a number of the new-design weldment sets with the associated installation templates, guides and hardware which we will make available as described in the priority list below. For those who are currently building and would like to install the updated weldment parts, Van's will have production runs of these parts available in the near future. We will be prioritizing the delivery of the new-design parts as described below and will work to maximize the production of parts.
To ensure appropriate distribution of limited stock, the priority for delivery of these new-version weldments will be:
Original center sections must be modified before the new landing gear weldments can be used. Certain holes in the center section must be increased in diameter. The earlier in the build process this modification is made, the simpler it is to reach and upsize the holes in the center section. New kits will ship with center sections that are already drilled and configured for the new weldment design.
Van's will provide a drill template and drill bushing free of charge to make this process as smooth and accurate as possible. If you are currently waiting for weldments to be shipped, Van's can send the template and drill bushings to you ahead of time to allow you to make the modifications to your center section in advance and keep moving in your airplane build process.
Builders with a center section that is not yet installed:
Center sections that are not yet installed may be returned to Van's Aircraft and exchanged for an updated center section, if the center section being returned has not been damaged or modified (this includes installation) in any way. If you wish to move forward and complete the changes to your center section yourself, you may do so by placing the center section assembly on a bench and enlarging the holes using the templates and drill bushings supplied free of charge by Van’s. The drill bushings will provide sufficient accuracy that a drill press is not required.
Builders with a center section that is already installed (standard or quick build kits):
Since holes will need to be modified in the lower center section near the floor, it is simpler to make these modifications before attaching the side skins or forward floor to the center section. If you have already progressed past that point, modification is still quite possible, although additional tools such as a compact-head angle drill will be required. Van's will send you service documents, drill bushings, and templates that you will use while modifying your kit to accept the new landing gear weldments.
If a builder has installed the center section that includes holes for the original weldments, and they currently have no weldments because they were back-ordered, Van’s can send the original design weldments if requested (a very limited number of sets is available), or we will ship the new-design weldments and the retrofit parts.
Note that weldment parts such as these have longer lead times than most other aircraft parts we produce, due to the many complex steps required in the manufacturing process. We thank all of you for your patience as we continue to manufacture and ship these new-design parts. We are dedicated in our ongoing commitment to enhance and improve our products and to provide support for every model of RV.
greg
The Service Letter also directed an inspection of the WD-1201 weldments. After 20 years of hard use, the factory demonstrator RV-10 developed cracks in two locations on the landing gear weldment, as described in the service letter. Per the feedback received from owners in the field, as of the date of this bulletin the demonstrator aircraft is one of three aircraft that have been identified with cracks in one or both of these weldments. The vast majority of field-inspected airplanes to date have no cracks in the steel weldments. As stated in the SL-00033 document, Van’s Aircraft Engineering believes that most aircraft in the field will not develop similar cracks in the lifespan of the aircraft. Reports we have received come from aircraft with anywhere from a small number of hours to more than 2000 hours time in service, and that aircraft as well as several others with more than 1000 hours in service did not have cracked weldments.
We have revised and republished our Service Letter SL-00033 (Revision 1) to specifically call out and direct an annual condition inspection of these weldments for the described cracks. The service letter specifically states that these weldments should not be proactively replaced and that Van's will ship replacement parts only for aircraft where we have confirmed the original parts are actually cracked. Replacing a weldment that is currently installed and in good condition (no cracks in the metal) carries with it the potential risk of damage during the retrofit process, with no tangible benefit to the safety or fatigue life of the aircraft. If an owner reports and submits evidence of cracked weldments on their aircraft (following the steps outlined in the service letter), Van's Aircraft’s Support staff will first validate and confirm that the cracks are in fact located in the steel weldment (as opposed to superficial cracks in powdercoat), and when applicable will provide additional service information and instructions in the form of a service bulletin, to guide the owner in the removal and retrofitting of the affected weldments with new replacement parts.
Do not replace these components on your aircraft unless you have provided photo evidence of cracked weldments and Van's has confirmed the cracks as described in the service letter.
Van's Aircraft’s engineering team has introduced an updated design of the WD-1201 weldments (WD-1201-1), which will be shipped in new kits going forward. The new version weldments will be shipped to builders who currently have weldments on backorder. The revised weldment design removes the front “foot” from the part and therefore eliminates the floor sheet metal cracking that has been observed on some aircraft. Note that to standardize our factory production and keep customers' cost of parts reasonable, the new WD-1201-1 weldment design will be the go-forward available part option. New center sections will have the corresponding holes properly sized for the updated weldments.
We have manufactured a number of the new-design weldment sets with the associated installation templates, guides and hardware which we will make available as described in the priority list below. For those who are currently building and would like to install the updated weldment parts, Van's will have production runs of these parts available in the near future. We will be prioritizing the delivery of the new-design parts as described below and will work to maximize the production of parts.
To ensure appropriate distribution of limited stock, the priority for delivery of these new-version weldments will be:
- To owners of flying airplanes with verified cracks in the weldment(s) per our established inspection and review process (See SL-00033)
- To kit owners who are currently building and are waiting on back-ordered weldments
- With new kit shipments
Original center sections must be modified before the new landing gear weldments can be used. Certain holes in the center section must be increased in diameter. The earlier in the build process this modification is made, the simpler it is to reach and upsize the holes in the center section. New kits will ship with center sections that are already drilled and configured for the new weldment design.
Van's will provide a drill template and drill bushing free of charge to make this process as smooth and accurate as possible. If you are currently waiting for weldments to be shipped, Van's can send the template and drill bushings to you ahead of time to allow you to make the modifications to your center section in advance and keep moving in your airplane build process.
Builders with a center section that is not yet installed:
Center sections that are not yet installed may be returned to Van's Aircraft and exchanged for an updated center section, if the center section being returned has not been damaged or modified (this includes installation) in any way. If you wish to move forward and complete the changes to your center section yourself, you may do so by placing the center section assembly on a bench and enlarging the holes using the templates and drill bushings supplied free of charge by Van’s. The drill bushings will provide sufficient accuracy that a drill press is not required.
Builders with a center section that is already installed (standard or quick build kits):
Since holes will need to be modified in the lower center section near the floor, it is simpler to make these modifications before attaching the side skins or forward floor to the center section. If you have already progressed past that point, modification is still quite possible, although additional tools such as a compact-head angle drill will be required. Van's will send you service documents, drill bushings, and templates that you will use while modifying your kit to accept the new landing gear weldments.
If a builder has installed the center section that includes holes for the original weldments, and they currently have no weldments because they were back-ordered, Van’s can send the original design weldments if requested (a very limited number of sets is available), or we will ship the new-design weldments and the retrofit parts.
Note that weldment parts such as these have longer lead times than most other aircraft parts we produce, due to the many complex steps required in the manufacturing process. We thank all of you for your patience as we continue to manufacture and ship these new-design parts. We are dedicated in our ongoing commitment to enhance and improve our products and to provide support for every model of RV.
greg
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