The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) says that a proposed wing-spar airworthiness directive (AD) affecting 8,300 Aeronca and American Champion aircraft is unnecessary.
The private pilots' group seeks exemptions for all non-aerobatic, lower-gross-weight aircraft such as the original Aeronca Champ and Chief and derivative aircraft such as the American Champion Citabria and Decathalon.
The US Federal Aviation Administration is concerned about compression cracks developing in wooden wing-spars, cracks which cannot be seen through existing inspection holes. The AD would require the installation of two inspection covers and up to 24 new inspection holes in the fabric. The spar would have to be inspected annually, or after 500h of flight.
Source: Flight International
