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of your glider, feel free to contact your dealer or Aeros directly. It is not always obvious which items require attention
and which may not. Minor dents or dings in a non-critical location on an airframe tube may not require any repair or
maintenance. On the other hand, a wire that has been kinked one time can fail very quickly after that, and should be
replaced immediately.
We recommend that you have all maintenance work done by your Aeros dealer.
HOW TO CARE FOR CARBON PARTS
Carbon is light and tough material. Yet, even with incredible strength and toughness, with a single indiscriminate act
like crash, over torque with a wrench, or letting the roof rack smash into the carbon tube, you can do some serious
damage to your glider.
It's possible because carbon has very different qualities than aluminum, which you've probably flown before. Unlike
metal, carbon is a synthetic composite material comprised of fibers soaked in epoxy resin and then compressed,
heated and cured. Essentially, your carbon glider is made up of a super-strong fabric, which requires a little new
know-how on your part. The foremost being that while metal shows signs of damage, typically bends, dents or
bulges, carbon may appear normal, yet, if compromised enough, even though you can't see the defect, the
component could fail without warning. Another issue is notch sensitivity, which means that deep cuts, gouges or
scratches can cause carbon to break and should be inspected by a qualified expert immediately (and avoided!).
Now that we've got your attention, there's really no reason for concern as long as you treat your carbon glider
correctly.
Reading, understanding and following the guidelines, instructions and recommendations here will greatly increase the
chances that you never have any problems. And, if you ever have a question or are unsure how to proceed, please
contact us first, and we'll be happy to help!
If you crash, look for signs of damage, and have them checked out. Remember that damage may not be visible to the
untrained eye. Do not fly until you're sure the component is safe. Even if you never crash, you should frequently
inspect your carbon glider and components for any gouges, deep scratches, cracks, loose fibers or other surface
cracks and stop flying until you fix the problem.
Do not use any kind of paint stripper to clean the carbon, because it may damage the epoxy resin matrix holding your
carbon together.
It's fine to wash carbon components using warm soapy water. After cleaning, rinse and dry them carefully.
Also, it may seem obvious but we would like to emphasize that you should never drill holes in your carbon frame for
any reason, no matter how logical it may seem at the time. If you're planning on doing so please contact us first.
Crashed or damaged carbon components that show signs of damage, such as cracks, chips, loose fibers or fatigue
marks, or those that you even suspect were damaged, should be taken out of use immediately and inspected by
Aeros or another qualified expert to ensure they're still safe. If evidence of damage is found, the components should
be replaced or repaired.
Avoid over torquing as it is is another cause of cracks in carbon products.
Another important step is to check parts during installation and assembly to ensure that there are no burs, rough
spots, dirt or metal shards that could cut into and harm the carbon when the components are assembled and
tightened. The surfaces must be smooth and clean.
When transporting your glider use caution to protect the transverse rails of the roof rack with pipe insulation or
something that keeps the frame of the glider well protected against the rails and decrease the bearing pressures.
When transporting a few gliders be extremely cautious and protect your glider against other gliders. Do not pile up
the gliders against each other, this may cause serious damage to the carbon components of the glider.
EVERY SIX MONTHS (or every 50 hours), whichever comes first
1. Check the adjustment of your outboard sprogs, as described in the last section.
2. Check your battens on a flat level floor against the batten diagram provided, and correct any that deviate from the
pattern by more than 6 mm (1/4").
3. If you fly in a dusty or sandy environment, it will help to prolong the life of your batten pockets if you wipe each
batten with a rag before you install it in the sail.
4. Have a complete inspection performed on the glider and replace any suspension system component that shows
any wear, and any cable that shows any kinks, wear, damage, corrosion, etc.
5. Inspect all bolts, for tightness, all safeties for proper installation and possible damage. Inspect plates and fittings
for damage, holes in tubes for elongation. Inspect the crossbar / leading edge junction fixing screws for tightness.
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