Cub Crafter Gap Seals

[jimboflying]

Anyone try gap seals used on gliders?

[DW]

Is pretty soft material and very easy to pull out wash off and put back in, Mine have been in for 300+ hours and no chaffing at all.

[behindpropellers]

Why buy these????

At lease CC went out and spent the time, energy and $ to get it certified. copy cat ways of doing this will limit the amount of time and energy they decide to spend trying to certify the next great thing... and it might not be so easy to copy.

We need folks innovation and certifying stuff. Anyone seen the cool Keller flaps? Will they ever be certified????

Not if we all just decide we will build them ourselves.

Ok, off rant. I know many have had tape for years, but the time to do the FAA stuff makes it hard to sell stuff for manufacture cost alone.

Hah.... Isn't that how CC got started

[mike mcs repair]

Hah.... Isn't that how CC got started

+1 informative!!!

[dplunkt]

Jimboflying,
We've got a glider club here and I've looked at the "mylar" gap seal and tapes they use and they are expensive too.

[Bill Ingerson]

I was told at cubCrafters to take out the gap seals about once a year and wash the gap area and the seal then put them back in. They thought it could also trap sand ect. and go through the paint in time. I like them and have had them on for over a year now. Dave Roberts use the word I was trying to come with. Occillations, thats what I noticed, made my slower landing more sensitive to the stick input, easy to over correct, but now I am more use to it. Im keeping mine

[Dave Calkins]

I recall a very-well informed pilot mentioning that sealing the elevator/stab gap produced a "feedback" to the control stick in turbulent air.

I have watched for this, but never experienced it, ever. Even in the second-worst turbulence of my life....Windy Pass by Healy, Alaska, with a ground speed of 19MPH as I overflew Healy before entering the Pass Southbound.........I have an idea that my full load (at gross weight) with a center of gravity near the aft limit was a factor in not experiencing feedback to the stick.

[Dave Roberts]

Bill, one thing, just so nobody misunderstands, the gap seals that I mentioned were on my Bearhawk. It is way more sensitive than our Cub. Even it was really nice until at gross.

A guy stopped by here today that had CC gap seals. He said he thought they were the best improvement he had ever made on a Cub. I'll be ordering a set.

Dave

[myskyjeep]

I have VG's on the wings but not under the tail. I didn't want rocks knocking the VG's off the tail and taking the paint and fabric with it. I flew my cub like that for about 300hrs.

I put the gap seals on this weekend and the difference is dramatic. I'm able to land a bit shorter with them. I believe it's because I can hold the wing at a higher AOA. I find one thing very interesting. Every summer when the fabric is warm I tweak the vertically stab by hand because my cub has a slight tendency to yaw to the right with hands off. By the middle of winter it needs a light touch on the left pedal to fly straight. It is barely enough to notice. When I put the gap seals on, I noticed the yaw tendency increased. I suppose it demonstrates that the gap seals really make the controls more effective.

I owe DW an apology because he's been telling me they are a must for awhile now.

[Longwinglover]

Every summer when the fabric is warm I tweak the vertically stab by hand because my cub has a slight tendency to yaw to the right with hands off. By the middle of winter it needs a light touch on the left pedal to fly straight. It is barely enough to notice. When I put the gap seals on, I noticed the yaw tendency increased. I suppose it demonstrates that the gap seals really make the controls more effective.

Are your tail surfaces parallel to your wings? If the tail is "twisted" it will induce a rolling tendancy that may have been increased with the addition of the gap seals.

John Scott

[Darrel Starr]

I'm sold -- Randy, Windonhisnose, bought them last week and came back from his first flight enthusiastic. He is the second friend to have that experience so here I go even though the strips are an ugly insult to my tail plane. Another friend has a J3 and wants to buy gap seals also. Stan at CC told us that their intension is to STC these gap seals for all rag wing Pipers but probably not this year.

[Darrel Starr]

Be careful when installing the foam. I tore the first one before coating the seals and mating surfaces with soapy water. You really want to be careful because Cubcrafters charges $250/12 = $20.83/ft for replacement foam. They are protecting themselves from experimental guys trying to buy the foam on the cheap. Because I had just the week before taken delivery of the kit, Stan & Vera agreed to cut the cost to me of the 4 ft length to only $30 plus $10.50 shipping. So be careful.

[Bill Ingerson]

Stan at CubCrafters mentioned that possible problem with sand getting trapped in there. He said just pull them off once a year and while washing your plane and clean that area then pop them back in. Might save the paint and fabric in that area.

[Darrel Starr]

I was installing them for the first time using a plastic putty knife - that is where I went wrong. Use soap and water and no tools.

[DW]

I pull mine off all the time to show people and never had a problem...I'll maybe be a little more careful from now on.

[Ruffair]

I received my gap seals a little over a month ago. Just put them on today. it;s a Jay three, so tail's a little different.

Question for the elevator seals, do they go from the inside, out to the hinge ( 31+" ) and stop.?
OR
should one fill the gap outboard of the hinge also.?

I'll try getting some photo's for the multiple choice question.

Kem

ps, while ordering I told Vera that CC's was getting a good return on their advertising dollar as a lot of discussion
was being generated here on SC. org

[Darrel Starr]

Just the 38 inch stretch on a Super Cub. Vera says they didn't test them with the outside short length filled also.

[gdafoe]

I put them all the way across.

[SchulerJL]

The STC for the PA18 is only to include between the hinges. " I have been told" that it does make a big difference if you extend on the other side of the hinges. There is enough material to extend past the hinges.

[375handh]

Big difference good or bad?

[SchulerJL]

That would be a good big difference, I don't think you really get the full effect without extending them all the way. It really helps you get into a nice three point attitude.

Of course - check out this video - I was not able to get the mains and tailwheel at the same time without them.