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Not sure that the sailplane tape will bridge the gap on the DA40. The specified part is glued to the fuselage, and the wing root fits into it. I believe I may have some at the hangar that I bought several years ago, but never used. Let me check...

Steve

Steve wrote:Not sure that the sailplane tape will bridge the gap on the DA40. The specified part is glued to the fuselage, and the wing root fits into it. I believ I may have some at the hangar that I bought several years ago, but never used. Let me check...

Steve

Steve, I'm not sure which part you are referring to that is 'glued to the fuselage' - if I remember correctly, the wing root (T-seal) just presses into the gap between the top of the wing root and the top of the wing itself. No glue required. It seems like the sailplane tape would have been a great substitute for covering up that gap on my DA40. Maybe I misunderstood your concern?

Kai wrote:

Rick wrote:I replaced the wing root seals on our '04 back in 2010 during the annual. Looking at the invoice, the shop charged me $94.50 for the new seals (part number 1110762), and I did the work, so no labor charge. I'm sure they ordered the new T-seals from Diamond.

For $94.95 it´s not really worth looking for alternative sources. But I also quite like the idea of using the sailplane tape. I am quite sure it looks even better and wrings out another 0.25 kts,

How about using sailplane tape over the existing rubber seal to improve the water tightness?

It is glued (siliconed, really) above and below spars (if profile trimming was needed due to space available) and the ends are trimmed and siliconed in (otherwise they would flap in the wind). Top ends tend to stick to the root and not so much the wing when the tape gets older (since the wing portion flexes more)

Don't have the invoice for the tape handy, but labor was mine, so free

Here's a picture. You can see that the tape is torn near the trailing edge so it needs to be replaced. I think that the width of the gap might change with wing loading and I suspect that that, combined with brutally cold temperatures that may have made the tape brittle, is why it broke.

I'm not exactly sure what kind of tape my mechanic used but I'll try to find more flexible tape when I replace it the next time. And I'll leave a little extra material over the gap to allow it to flex more. That will leave a 1-2mm depression in the seam so shouldn't be too bad.

While you're at it, please take a few moments to admire my polishing job from this past weekend. You're looking at the original paint of a 1200-hr. 10-year old airplane that spent at least 5 years outside in the canadian winter.

Great job on the polishing
I have a feeling that soon we'll be able to distinguish DAN members by polished airplanes

Does anyone know if there is a procedure anywhere for replacing this wing gap? I need to have mine replaced and have the part from diamond in now. I thought it would be a simple process but from this thread it looks like there may be quite a bit of labor involved.

Is there a specification for the glue/silicon to be used and is this applied on the full length or just at certain points/ends?

I've noticed the surface of my rubber t-profiles is starting to wear down, but it doesn't necessarily need full replacement. Has anyone found a substance they use to condition the rubber and help extend its health/lifespan?

I was wondering if sail plane tape would be permissible here. It's not as durable but would match the paint on the wings. Has anyone used it?

I used sailplane tape over that joint on my DA40 when I bought a roll to block one of the fresh air vents (an experiment in reducing the sound; a successful experiment). It kept the whole joint area and solution much cleaner and better looking.

I haven't yet done the same thing on my DA42.