Ever wonder why static systems often start to leak after a couple of years? See the little plastic insert between the two tubes in the photo? It is supposed to be inserted into the end of the tube. Without it, the tubing will eventually start to collapse as seen on the right tube and cause a leak!
In Case You Missed It
Staying Late
Tom Wilson - 1
In magazine land—a parallel universe to the real world—I’m writing this between Oshkosh and...
Supercharged F-1 Rocket
While builder Wolfgang Meyn loved the F-1 Rocket quickbuild kit, things got a little more complicated (and exciting) when he decided to add an Aero Supercharger Solutions supercharger teamed up with a modified Airflow Performance fuel-injection system; by Ed Wischmeyer.
Ask the DAR
Mel Asberry - 0
This month we address the question of where flight-test areas may be and how they may be structured;
![Rutan Symposium Turns to the Coming Canard Maintenance Crisis [Credit: Wikimedia Commons]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/4_rutan_a_longez.jpg_preview.jpg?w=218&h=150&crop=1)
![Last Bits [Credit: Lisa Turner]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Inspections-1-scaled.jpg?w=218&h=150&crop=1)
![Radiant Technology Unveils SafeGyro [Credit: Radiant Technology]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/550095_5165745cc27748a598699799d796fd94mv2.jpg?w=218&h=150&crop=1)
![Fuel Follies [Credit: Lisa Turner]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Fuel-Selector.jpg?w=218&h=150&crop=1)
![Weight In The Balance [Credit: Eric Powell]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/AdobeStock_1043661239-scaled.jpeg?w=218&h=150&crop=1)






Problem I had with the static lines installed for the altitude hold sensor for the sTek autopilot: apparently the tubes were not ‘approved’ and they got brittle and shattered in the tail area. Took about 15 years from installation, and were not caught during the annual inspection.
Comments are closed.