Dietrich Slick suggested wing check.

[zoomer260]

	Quote: Originally Posted by zap
	Hello Rob Sorry to hear about you wing. We dont think it is a design flaw but we may have to go to thicker tubes. We have only had one other and the plane were the tube bent slightly. This plane is very well built, We used a 49 thousands diameter tube and it may be flexing a liitle to much. We have many planes flying with this design and we have never had any wing failures. If any one would like to have a 60 thousands diameter tube just give me a call. Rob please give me a call and we will get you taken care of. Sincerely Kevin Dietrich

Please tell me you meant to say 49 thousands wall thickness not diameter ? I mean .049 of an inch is not much diameter !

[buttface]

	Quote: Originally Posted by zoomer260
	Please tell me you meant to say 49 thousands wall thickness not diameter ? I mean .049 of an inch is not much diameter !

Using a .049'' diameter wing tube ???? Is that .049'' inside diameter or outside diameter???

[BOSSIER_ROB]

	Quote: Originally Posted by buttface
	Using a .049'' diameter wing tube ???? Is that .049'' inside diameter or outside diameter???

It's the otherside diameter

[buttface]

	Quote: Originally Posted by BOSSIER_ROB
	It's the otherside diameter

God d*m I'm stupid...I should have known.

[Tired Old Man]

G.T.O.?

[buttface]

	Quote: Originally Posted by Tired Old Man
	G.T.O.?

I am quite perplexed by your post sir.... It appears to have some sort of deep seeded intellectual meaning of which I am not intelligent enough to understand. Perhaps you will ever so kindly explain it in laymen's terms so a little ol' Buttface like me can understand?

[pfoil]

This is the sort of post that should be deleted.
Bossier_Bob I'm sure you had good intension's in posting this information, but did you ever consider the kind of damage this type of post does to a small business?

As far as you know, your issue is isolated and is not a design flaw, it may be an issue with your plane only. There are so many personal factors that could lead to something like this. Do you have wing bags? Do they fit the wings properly? Were the wings bolts snugged down to tight. The questions are endless.

I think the smart thing to have done would have been a call to Dietrich aircraft on Monday to see and what they say.
But no.. this post is put up on a weekend, it can get all kinds of attention and potentially ruins Dietrich Aircraft.

You and the others that have posted here have already deemed the situation a "design flaw" without consulting the plans or consulting the designer of the plane. That is bad policy on your part.
And People wonder why companies disappear, well this type of thread is your answer.

Think about it, Some twit in BFE who believes all he reads on the internet looks at this entire thread and the only words he comes away with are "Do not buy this plane".

You guys really don't know how much damage this thread can do.

The moderation should pull this thread until Dietrich is contacted and the wings sent in to be inspected.
You did not bother to do this, instead you cut holes in them and "fixed" the situation.

So now the manufacturer has to deal with this thread and all the morons who will be taking this information as gospel, when so far from the looks of it, one in a hundred planes has had any problem.

Wow.. I'm glad I work in a field where people can't do this to me.

[SmoothFlying]

What I did with my carden was insert 2 small carbon fiber dowels into the foam and then just capped them off. I figured cutting the ailerons short to the root could cause some stress their. Have not had a single problem with that. Will do the same with my 260 I am currently building.

[BOSSIER_ROB]

I think you're blowing things way out of proportion. I stated several times that this is not a bash, I'm not badmouthing Dietrich, and have also said several times that I love the plane. I just wanted to point out something to look for in hopes that someone else doesn't lose and aircraft, possibly injuring themselves,or someone else. This is not the first time this has happened to me. As I said before, it happened on my 260. There's a simple way to rid it, and that's to add a little more length to a partial rib running a few inches forward of the hingeline. I don't need any replacement parts, nor was I going to ask for them. I'm not sending my wings in to be inspected because I know why it broke and they will be fine. I have simply posted my finding and MY method of repair. Take it for what it's worth. If you talk to anyone that has asked my opinion of this aircraft, they will say that I had nothing but good things to say about it. That still stands!!! To you Kevin, as I said, I will call you just to discuss it. I have no ill intent on causing your business harm and also have great faith in your products. I will continue to enjoy this Slick and my 260 barring any unforseen dumbthumbs into the dirt. In that case, you'd be getting another order from me. I feel like I already know this thing inside and out. I have nit picked it to death and have only found minor issues, this current set back being one of them. It's still a great plane!
EDIT: Just to answer some of your questions, wings have been in wing bags since the day they were pulled out of the box, wingbolts were always tightened, I made sure they didn't come loose with loc-tite. I've checked everything over after every single flight so far. I'd be a fool not to with a brand new plane. This plane has been babied. I will continue to check everything every flight until after it's had at least 20, then I can be confident that everything is staying tight and together. And, this happened to someone else in south Louisiana. By my count, that's two out of fifty production planes with only a handfull currently flying.

[Show871]

	Quote: Originally Posted by pfoil
	This is the sort of post that should be deleted. Bossier_Bob I'm sure you had good intension's in posting this information, but did you ever consider the kind of damage this type of post does to a small business? As far as you know, your issue is isolated and is not a design flaw, it may be an issue with your plane only. There are so many personal factors that could lead to something like this. Do you have wing bags? Do they fit the wings properly? Were the wings bolts snugged down to tight. The questions are endless. I think the smart thing to have done would have been a call to Dietrich aircraft on Monday to see and what they say. But no.. this post is put up on a weekend, it can get all kinds of attention and potentially ruins Dietrich Aircraft. You and the others that have posted here have already deemed the situation a "design flaw" without consulting the plans or consulting the designer of the plane. That is bad policy on your part. And People wonder why companies disappear, well this type of thread is your answer. Think about it, Some twit in BFE who believes all he reads on the internet looks at this entire thread and the only words he comes away with are "Do not buy this plane". You guys really don't know how much damage this thread can do. The moderation should pull this thread until Dietrich is contacted and the wings sent in to be inspected. You did not bother to do this, instead you cut holes in them and "fixed" the situation. So now the manufacturer has to deal with this thread and all the morons who will be taking this information as gospel, when so far from the looks of it, one in a hundred planes has had any problem. Wow.. I'm glad I work in a field where people can't do this to me.

You are forgetting that the thread also could have potentially saved someones $4000+ airplane, and also prevented an accident where someone could have got really hurt.......just sayin.....871

[wylieruneyjr]

Can someone get some clear pics of the landing gear attachment points inside and out, and where can I download a manual. Got aleast 3 other team members, and we are considering this plane for a future flagship.

[Absolut Yak]

My two cents here....... Bossier Bob's comments did not turn me off against the plane at all. I do not consider his post a Flame against Dietrich at all. But that was my personal reaction to reading the entire thread to this point and I speak only for myself.

I do agree that negative posts can have a drastic impact on small companies, but also on individuals in our hobby community. There is a right way and a wrong way to go about everything, especially sensitive items like this.

Bottom line: I appreciate information I "NEED" to know. Likewise, pfoil gives sage advice on handling of problem situations when cool heads must prevail. Thank you, both.

Doug

[Mithrandir]

I read this simply as an advisory to other Dietrich owners.. I didn't get a sense he was trying to Diss Dietrich... sounds to me like he fixed his plane so he can go out and fly it...

This is in fact a design flaw.... Thank Goodness it is fairly small and trivial... The repair is only an hour or two and can be easily retro'd to existing planes.. and planes already flying....

I have flown a Dietrich plane and it flew great... this issue is small... and a trivial growing pain...

Dietrich should be proud of the fact that there has only been isolated issues of cracking occuring with no fatalities....
Consider how many othe ARF'ers have had Covering that was peeling off on the first flight... and a lot of'em had wings that just Puffed.....

This is a small deal.... Dietrich will fix it... and if someone is so Stupid/Gullible/Shallow/Dense whatever they read this thread and it changes their mind about buying a Dietrich plane... I would think that is a problem Customer Dietrich won't have to deal with in the future!!!

IMHO

[JEFFRO503]

	Quote: Originally Posted by pfoil
	This is the sort of post that should be deleted. Bossier_Bob I'm sure you had good intension's in posting this information, but did you ever consider the kind of damage this type of post does to a small business? As far as you know, your issue is isolated and is not a design flaw, it may be an issue with your plane only. There are so many personal factors that could lead to something like this. Do you have wing bags? Do they fit the wings properly? Were the wings bolts snugged down to tight. The questions are endless. I think the smart thing to have done would have been a call to Dietrich aircraft on Monday to see and what they say. But no.. this post is put up on a weekend, it can get all kinds of attention and potentially ruins Dietrich Aircraft. You and the others that have posted here have already deemed the situation a "design flaw" without consulting the plans or consulting the designer of the plane. That is bad policy on your part. And People wonder why companies disappear, well this type of thread is your answer. Think about it, Some twit in BFE who believes all he reads on the internet looks at this entire thread and the only words he comes away with are "Do not buy this plane". You guys really don't know how much damage this thread can do. The moderation should pull this thread until Dietrich is contacted and the wings sent in to be inspected. You did not bother to do this, instead you cut holes in them and "fixed" the situation. So now the manufacturer has to deal with this thread and all the morons who will be taking this information as gospel, when so far from the looks of it, one in a hundred planes has had any problem. Wow.. I'm glad I work in a field where people can't do this to me.

DUDE!!....you are blowing things way out of proportion here! SHOW871 and everyone else above me i think agree on that. The original poster said he was NOT bashing Dietrich at all.....and i didn't get that at all from his original post.

Dietrich makes some really fine aircraft and everyone knows this! I think Bob did the right thing by posting this thread. What would you of had him do......just sit back and wait for some other owner of the 540 splat his aircraft into the ground...or worse yet...somebody else?

IT'S A GOOD THING to warn people about things like this. And just sit back and watch , Dietrich will cure the problem and everything will be fine. It doesn't detour me one bit as i'm waiting in line for one of their 100cc extra 300's when they come out.

chill man....chill.

[BOSSIER_ROB]

Thanks for the support. I agree that this thread was to simply give a heads up and I hope it was an isolated problem, but unless you have one to look at in front of you, you don't see what I see. It has been pointed out, everyone is aware, and Kevin's already jumped right in to help. I'm all in favor of locking this thread down as it has served it's purpose and I by no means want to see a bunch of negative crap thrown into it to tarnish Dietrich Aircraft. I will be the first to tell anyone interested in one to buy it! Just take all the good advice from those of us flying them and working out the kinks for you and you'll have a first class airframe. It is what it is, no harm, no foul, and as far as I'm concerned, no longer an issue for me. Mines back in action and better than new. Check out the vid in the other Slick thread.