I've started to mount the fuel tanks in my project. It is a plans
built wooden aircraft.
The plans called for retractable gear that I decided I didn't want on
my first plane, so
instead Ive made fuel tanks to go in this area of the wing. I have
been making brackets
when a freind said that his understanding was that the tanks had to be
held in by straps
not brackets. Would anyone like to share their knowledge?
Lou

"Lou" > wrote in news:1175345472.846862.235410
@p15g2000hsd.googlegroups.com:

> I've started to mount the fuel tanks in my project. It is a plans
> built wooden aircraft.
> The plans called for retractable gear that I decided I didn't want on
> my first plane, so
> instead Ive made fuel tanks to go in this area of the wing. I have
> been making brackets
> when a freind said that his understanding was that the tanks had to be
> held in by straps
> not brackets. Would anyone like to share their knowledge?
> Lou

Yes, my project has wood wings and the plans call for two 1 inch wide
straps to surround the entire tank, top and bottom with the straps
bolted to the spars. A turnbuckle type arangement on the top tensions
the straps and suspends the tank above the floor area between the spars.
Makes sense to me. A bracket welded or riveted to a tank is going to be
but under a lot of stress when the airpalne's maneuvering with a lot of
fuel in the tank. Not to mention vibration and what not work hardening
the lot. Makes sense to me to strap it in anyway.. Airplanes that have a
flange around the tank, like a Cherokee, for instance, have a very large
area to distribute the load. that'd mean drilling a lot of holes and
some fairly substantial brackets for your wood winged airplane..