Static System And Cables

Got the static system, UAT and ELT cables all installed. The 2 static ports are located on either side of the aft fuselage in an area where pressure fluctuations are minimized. The ports are pulled rivets with the mandrels driven out leaving a hollow tube. Then 1/8" clear tubing is slipped over the rivet shop head and sealed with a fillet of RTV. Frankly, it seemed kind of a cheesy way to do something that's pretty critical for accurate instrument readings. I researched it on the VAF Forum and there were plenty of opinions and alternate methods of doing it, all with varying degrees of success. I kept telling myself that there were thousands of RVs that have been flying for decades so the factory method must work OK. This was verified when a regular forum poster, who's also an engineer at Van's opined that all the factory planes used this method, some had been flying over 20 years and they'd never had a problem. It was done that way because it was light, cheap, reliable and accurate. That was good enough for me so I pressed. The rivet mandrels needed some coaxing to get them out but then rest of the installation went smooth. I redid the port connections once to avoid low spots in the tubing the could collect water. The UAT and ELT cables were run and secured uneventfully. The toughest part of running wire and cable is getting neat wiring runs and the zip ties right.