Team Luscombe aka Luscombe Heritage Foundation

August 22, 1996

Luscombe Service Suggestion #1 FAA approved Subject: Luscombe tail spring bearing blocks. Area: Internal bearing block to the tailspring mounting area, cracks in the tailspring mount. Service history of the 48359 tailfitting shows that the landing loads stress disbursement at the attachment of the 48359-3 fitting is not adequate, resulting in minute cracks radiating from the upper tailspring attachment fitting. Complete failure of this area has not been noted, but numerous inspection complaints reveal that the bearing block was not designed large enough to be "stable" under the housing, allowing the bolt to work laterally, creating the cracks in the housing. This situation can be prevented by installation of a larger bearing block, superseded p/n 48359-3, now available from the Luscombe Heritage Foundation. This block is nearly twice the size, and of a better structural material that will reduce the load transfer damage to the tailskid mount area significantly, preventing cracking. The Luscombe Heritage Foundation recommends installation of these bearing blocks at your earliest opportunity.

Jan 7, 2004

This article is about the process that we do when we rebuild a metal wing lift strut. The lift strut is de-rivited completely and inspected for corrosion. Then we determine if the strut is good. If it is, the steel fittings in each end are cleaned up and epoxy primed. The inside of the lift strut is also cleaned up and epoxy primed. The fittings and the strut body are put into our jig and clamped straight, the trailing edge is rivited first and the fittings are finally rivited. This is one of the full restoration steps that we provide for you as the Luscombe Heritage Foundation.

Jan 7, 2004 The correction has been made on the last article thanks for keeping your eyes open

Dec 11, 2003

There was a phone call the other day about metal wing wash out. The degree of washout is one degree and fourty five min. or 1.75degrees in decimals. We at the Luscombe Heritage Foundation have a digital protractor that measures in tenths of a degree. The two locations on the wing that we measure the washout are the most inboard wing compression rib and the panel stiffener just outboard of the wing strut opening. With our protractor there is a way to do an alternate zero which allows us to make the root of the wing the zero and the measurement is the difference from that point. The aft of the wing is supposed to be up higher than the front of the wing by the 1.7 degrees. There is also the case of the wing being damaged or the wing panel referenced is not flat.  You can try the next panel former outboard, or inboard if the wing strut is not there. There is not much more to it than that.  Good luck and keep the shiny side up.