> DWVICKERS wrote: > > FlyBaby > > WAS CHECKING MY FLYING WIRES TENSION ON A FLYBABY I BOUGHT RECENTLY > AND NOTICED THAT WHERE THE WIRES CONNECT TO THE CLEVIS AT THE AXLE, > THERE ARE 'NO' THIMBLES AT THE NICO'S. ALL OTHERS WIRES (1/8") HAVE > THEIR THIMBLES. > I HAVE ALWAYS CONSIDERED IT STANDARD PRACTICE TO USE THIMBLES AT > THE NICO LOOPS. BEEN GOING THROUGH THE BUILDERS MANUAL BUT HAVEN'T > FOUND WHERE PETE SPECICALLY STATES TO USE THIMBLES AT THIS LOCATION. > UNLESS SOMEONE KNOWS FOR SURE, I AM GROUNDING MINE TILL I ADD THE > THIMBLES. > > ANYONE HAVEING SOME THOUGHT ON THIS, WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU. Your thimble-less situation is not unique. If you go to a larger flying wire than the stock 1/8", there isn't room for thimbles on the shackles on the axle. N500F has been this way since we upgraded the flying wires in 1988. Every Arlington, I meet Tom Staples from BC; he doesn't use thimbles with his 1/8" cables. He's been flying that airplane for twenty years...although he replaces his cables every five years as a precaution against corrosion. AC 43-13 says the the thimble is required to get the maximum strength; Tony Bingelis says the thimble is necessary to prevent severe bending and chafing at the point of attachment. The counter-argument for the thimbleless flying wires is that the shackle itself provides a smooth, curving surface that keep the cable from trying to follow too tight a radius and getting kinked. But you still don't have the thimble to protect the cables from wear as they rub against each other on the shackle. If there isn't enough room for the thimbles (like with larger wires), forcing thimbles onto the shackles probably means the thimbles cannot align themselves with the direction of cable load, and you end up with an awkward bend right at the end of the thimble itself. I've heard arguments about thimble use for the Fly Baby flying wires either way, and really don't know how to call this. If you've got the stock 1/8" wires, use thimbles, because there's room. If you're using larger cables, you'll either have to find some larger shackles or leave off the thimbles. At least the shackles are right out in the open, so you can inspect carefully before each flight. Ron Wanttaja