Stickboots

As winter is setting in here in Atlanta, I decided it was time to tackle some of the air movement in the cabin. My feet and legs are real toasty with the cabin heaters, but my butt, back and head are beginning to show signs of ice sickles.

I shamelessly stole Sam's idea of installing stick boots on the aileron push tubes joining the cabin. Here is what I did

First I printed his drawing which was extremely useful, and ran to wally world to find a suitable material. I was somewhat in a rush, and settled for a $3.99 emergency poncho. It is weather tight, extremely light weight, and a very easy material to work with. Rather than using Sam's sewing technique, I used some contact cement to seal the pieces together. Then, using plenty of silicone adhesive, I stuck it in place. The reinforcement rings are a must, which I made out of some scrap .020 alum.. The biggest hassle is of course getting those damn seat floors out with the 50 plus screws. Overall I have gotten about 75% of the air movement under the floors solved with this fix. I believe the rest is coming through the wing spar, flap arms, and the gear legs. Next time Im buzzing around the floors under the panel, Ill take some silicone down with me to seal those up to. Thanks Sam for a great idea, and a terrific web site to display it to us..