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Bungee Covers

Steve Pierce

Steve Pierce

BENEFACTOR
Graham, TX
Decided to take the aluminum bungee covers off. Anybody got an opinion on the best source for the snap on covers? Or any other comments would be appreciated.

Steve
 
CC, Stoddards in Anchorage, perhaps Univair.

I will take one off and take a picture, I am sure any auto/boat/plane interior place could whip them up in no time!

Tim
 
Just completed removal of metal and installation of covers from Univair. Approximately $50 for two covers. Easy to install, easy to remove for bungee inspection. Wouldn't go back to metal. :p
 
I don't know anyone that "uses their cub" that still has the metal covers on them? I have a shelf full for sale at 50% of new??

Tim
 
Don't worry about the legality of flying without the metal covers. At annual, your IA will be so happy he doesn't have to mess with those things, he won't say a word.
 
Besides that, if you are worried about speed lose, put your cub up for sale, and buy a bike!

Only advantage they serve is to identify the user as someone that doesn't fly their cub into the places they were designed to be able to go?

nuff said,

Good original posted question!

Tim
 
Well..........ahhhhhhhhhhh.................geeeeeeeeee.ahbh oh those white things............ya, I know they look like metal bungee covers....but they're ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ..........well.............fabric.........ya, canvas covers..just look like metal.......whew..........don't want to be thought of as someone that doesn't use his cub LOL............"Brian" :wink:
 
Not to worry! You fit right in! My cub looks butt ugly to some but it is mine, it's paid for, and it usually minds when I tell it where to go!

Keep flying,

Tim
 
Well, okay, I've only had my cub since end of June, and it has (came with) the aluminum bungee covers on it. Why would I want to take them off? What's the advantage of the cloth covers over the metal ones? How do you even get the metal ones off, anyway? Any advantage to the metal ones?

Anne.
 
Anne, there is no "compelling" reason to take them off except as MD stated--they are a Pa..n in the a..s at annual time, cause if your mechanic does a "real annual" he should remove them to check the bungees, the hydrasorbs, for leakage, corrosion, bolt security etc. The most critical, most abused part of your cub is the part between the 'gear legs' and it is the part covered up by the "tin cans". Even a backwoods stuper like me can make the covers if you must? I just went to an apolstery shop, got some scrap naugahyde, a $20 snap tool, and made a copy of the ones that the suppliers sell for $50! 5 snaps and you can inspect your own gear!

If you want you can remove the cans by jacking up the plane, remove the umpteen #4screws from each end, unbolt the strut that connects to the Bungee/fixture and slide the can off. carefully put them on a shelf and if you must you can reinstall them at time of resale? (why would you do that?)

Hope that helps


Tim

PS: you may loose a little top speed, but isn't that what we are trying to do? slow the world down?
 
Super cub time - yes, its own time zone. Not much "top" speed to lose.

Don't the metal cans protect the bungees in case of (very small) impact? Or from weather? Would the cloth covers protect the cord just as well as the metal ones? It seems like the cloth ones are much lighter than the metal ones - why would you lose speed?

Anne.
 
Anne, I have seen no evidence that the cans protect better than the vinyl covers? Infact most damage comes from wear from movement and rubbing agains each other, (not easily visable do to the hassle of access to the bungees behind the cans.

The cans are streamline and may make a small difference in parasite drag.

As for speed, (guess I just like to see more for a longer time)

Tim
 
Where to purchase Bungee Covers

The metal bungee fairings have seen better days.

I am contemplating going to a fabric bungee cover. Who sells them???

Thnx, Scott
 
Scott,

If you go to fabric bungee covers, stuff them with something like foam rubber to fill out their shape. On the J3, the "loose" fabric bungee covers a) cause a LOT of drag and b) beat themselves to bits as they flap in the wind.

John Scott
 
Me either - and I go through a set about once each 5-6 years. My last set was $15 each, made with some sophisticated rip-stop stuff from a pattern that can be installed without removing any bolts. Not PMA, though, so not the kind of deal I can get for you. They are apparently trivial to make; same guy made a prop cover for $75! I'll put some foam in this week, and report back on the airspeed increase!
 
Bend a thin sheet of aluminum over the bungees in a teardrop shape like the PA18 covers without the ends, trim and bend them so the fabric cover snaps over the top and holds them tight. This gives you the simplicity of the fabric with the aerodynamics of the metal cans.

I just let my own bungees hang out in the breeze....but if I wanted them covered, this is how I'd do it.
 
Someone said I could pick up a few free knots in cruise if I replaced the soft bungee covers with the aluminum ones. I'm getting ready to do some painting and thought it would be a good time to do it. Imagine my surprise when I logged on to Univar to order the parts and found that the were over $400.

Needless to say I'm having second thoughts.

First, can anyone confirm that this will actually give me any increase in cruise speed.

Second, for four hundred bucks I am sure I could make them myself. Does anyone have any of the end caps that they would consider letting go of for a reasonable price?
 
bungee covers

bob,
i'd rethink your alum.cover project,they don't take mesquit's very well,the soft cover's do!
just trying to help you cover all aspect's of cub flying.
see ya.

jr.
 
Not trying to lose a sale here, but the soft covers make it so much easier to check your bungees too. The aerodynamic ones are for the folks who don't go off-road much. If you do anything but nice runways, I would stick with the soft ones. Jr.'s right.

By the way Jr. - you ain't too broke to go the Fajita Fly-in. Massey's picking you up, so you need to be ready. Order a t-shirt now and get it broken in before you get there.
 
RMREBOB,

Not sure if you're talking about a J3 or a PA-18, but it really doesn't matter. The drag comes when the bags get flattened (vertically) and increae their cross section to the relative wind.

If you have "real" bungee covers, the ends should be "airfoil" shaped. You can put some sheet aluminum inside the covers that will help them maintain their correct shape and reduce the drag.

If you are determined to go with metal covers, they're pretty easy to make. Remember that the ends for J3 covers will need to be "fatter" than PA-18 due to the orientation of the bungees. Make a template/form block out of a 3/4 piece of hardwood and, with paitence, you can hand form (with a hammer) duplicate end pieces.

Of course you could just do the Redneck thing and go without bungee covers at all! :D

John Scott
 
The aluminum insert in the soft cover sounds like the best of both worlds. I think I'll try that.
 
Hi Bob,

i met a real neat older gentleman at Winter Haven who proudly showed me his bungee covers. He simply cut the end teardrop pieces out of hardwood and split the fwd section with a 1/8"kerf and ended this split at the entry hole for the gear leg. he then drilled down through the fwd end two inches aft the nose at 90 degfrees to the split and inserted an allen head bolt to tighten it to the leg. Painted black it looked great with a simple sheet of aluminum painted yellow wrapped around two of them ..

If goofey wouldn't have screwed up our nice picture site you could have seen this plane sitting on the GIF ramp facing mine.

Joe
 
I did the aluminum sheet in soft covers trick. Looks great, works great.

Now, if it will just stop scudding up and raining long enough to test out the VGs!!
 
Bungee Cover

Any recommendations for the current best source for the black cloth/vinyl bungee covers for the SC?
Thanks in advance, Wilbur
 
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