November 11, 1992

SERVICE BULLETIN #26

SUBJECT:   LIFT STRUT ATTACH BRACKET TO FUSELAGE

TO:             Kitfox™ AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURED BETWEEN Sept. 1.1992 AND Oct. 16.1992

FROM:        SKYSTAR AIRCRAFT CORPORATION.

It has come to our attention that some lift struts, shipped between Sept. 1 and Oct. 16, 1992, have fuselage mounting brackets that may have an improper gap between tabs, thus allowing the lift strut to fit too loose on the fuselage tab. This excess play between the fuselage mounting tab and the lift strut attach bracket, does not allow the castle nut to be secured on the AN6-11 bolt with a full safety pin hole showing on the bolt. There should be virtually no play between the fuselage mounting tab and the lift strut bracket. The temptation would be to over torque the AN6-11 bolt, to lessen the gap, but this would result in permanent damage to the bolt.

The appropriate lift strut bracket gap, prior to paint or powder coating, should be 0.286”. Measure the thickness of the lift strut mounting tab on the fuselage and compare it to the distance between the flanges of the lift strut bracket. Typically, the lift strut bracket gap should be no more than 0.01” wider than the thickness of the fuselage tab. There should be little, if any, play between the lift strut and fuselage when installed correctly.

RECOMMENDATION:

Using the typical, hardware store variety 3/8” fine thread cap bolt, matching washer and nut, as a torquing lever, tighten the bolt and nut down until the gap on the lift strut bracket is approximately 0.02” less than the required distance, allowing for some “spring back”. This should close the gap to the required distance and allow adequate securement of the castle nut on the bolt. You may wish to repeat this procedure in small increments until a good fit is established.

As a safety factor, please discard these over torque bolts and nuts. These bolts are not A/C quality. If you use AN, MS or NAS bolts for this adjustment, please discard them also because the adjustment will require a higher torque value than allowed for this hardware.

If you any have questions about this bulletin or procedure, please call our Technical Department, at (208) 466-1711 or by Fax; (208) 466-7194.