Aircraft Wood Wing Kits
Big Sky has FAA/PMA approval for all Stearman wing ribs and spars. We use aircraft grade Douglas Fir, Spruce and Mahogany plywood.
Stearman Wood Wing Repair Options
We offer Stearman wood wing kits for Uppers, Lowers and Center Sections. All parts are FAA/PMA certified. We supply Boeing drawings and instructions for assembly.
During the build phase we slide the ribs on the spars, permanently fasten them, install the reconditioned metal hardware (owner supplied), add the small parts and plywood supports, grind and seal with two coats of varnish. We then install the aluminum leading and trailing edge on the Uppers and/or Lowers. The wings are now ready to fabric cover.
During the covering phase we glue fabric to the wings and shrink the fabric to fit tight. We add reinforcing tapes and rib stitch the fabric to every rib. After adding more fabric tapes and patches we apply Poly Brush and Poly Spray silver. After two sanding sessions in silver the wings are now ready for color. (If desired we can use alternatives to Poly Fiber products.)
For final color we can copy your original design using the old fabric you supply or we can paint a new design as you wish. The paint prep, undercoats, masking and paint time make this a labor intensive part of the restoration process. See Pricing page for current Paint Booth pricing.
Wing Kit Assembly Manual
4-Aileron Stearman Conversion Kit
Convert your 2-aileron standard Stearman into a more agile 4-aileron configuration! Conversion kit includes all FAA PMA parts for the modification of a standard aileron. Several components are pre-assembled to ease the field conversion process. A complete documents package including instructions, drawings and photos is included. Along with the metal conversion kit, we can also provide (at additional cost) a wood kit for the conversion of stock wings as well as helping you find two additional ailerons to convert for the Upper wing modification.
4-Aileron Conversion Kit Overview PDF
Owner Produced Parts Assistance
Big Sky Stearman can also build wood wing kits for the following vintage aircraft, in accordance with FAA Part 43 maintenance and FAA FAR 21.9 owner produced parts:
- Howard DGA15
- Stinson L5
- Beechcraft Staggerwing
- Cessna T50 / UC78
- Travelair
- Waco series
- Wood Spars for light general aviation aircraft
- Experimental
- And more.
DISCLAIMER: REGULATORY CONCERNS OF MAINTAINING OUT OF PRODUCTION ANTIQUE AND CLASSIC AIRCRAFT.
To sell an "aircraft part" to be installed on a Type Certificated aircraft, that part must be FAA PMA'd (have FAA parts manufacturing approval), FAR 65.303A. Obviously this is impossible on most older aircraft because it is a big deal to obtain PMA. The alternative is to allow the owner/operator to produce this part and then install it on his Type Certificated aircraft. The owner may contract to have that part produced but he must be actively involved in the production of that part by providing input or assistance to the producer of the part. He could provide drawings or the original part. He could participate directly in the production of the part by personally supervising the manufacturing of the part or provide quality control. The data used would have to be "approved data." Big Sky Stearman assists owners/operators of antique aircraft in the production of their owner produced part. The owner/operator would make a log book entry that identifies the owner produced part [FAR 21.9(a)(5)], specifying his participation in the manufacturing of the part, and make a declaration that the part is airworthy. This policy is defined in FAA AGC-200 policy memorandum on the definition of an "owner produced part" dated Aug. 5, 1993.
Contact Big Sky Stearman for further information.