Yeah, after I posted I started wondering about that. Once everything is
locked in more firmly in place on those wheel pants, only the fiberglass
will be able to flex -- which is probably not a good thing.

I am very much not a fan of allowing a garden-variety A&P (regardless
of years of experience) modify an aircraft at will. Modification
should be approached cautiously, especially when you are modifying
something designed by degreed engineers with years of experience, and
your education is of the vo-tech variety. No amount of field
experience as a mechanic makes you an engineer.

Wheel pants are not structural -- although you wouldn't know it by their
cost. There is nothing in the FARs barring an A&P/IA from making field
repairs to non-structural parts. (Or even owners, AFAIK.)

Which is different, I know, from being SMART to do it -- but Jay M. was
questioning the legality of it all.

Incidentally, this is our first experience flying the 235 without wheel
pants. We trued out at about 135 knots on the way to Wisconsin yesterday,
in absolutely calm air. Since we normally true out around 142, the fancy
pants apparently net us 5 to 7 knots.

Which is almost exactly what the previous owner told us they got him, so I
guess the danged things actually work.

It's still a mystery to me how those huge wheel pants (MUCH bigger than
Piper stock) can be more aerodynamic than the simple (and much smaller)
round tire hanging in the slipstream -- but I can't argue with results!
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"