Quote:
Originally Posted by Hydroglen
Wheels have been tightened by hand around the world for some 80 years, and I have certainly never come across this issue except on this Forum!
Dorien
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Bristol cars were originally designed and assembled by aeroplane builders, and this tradition of a higher standard has remained, even if there were periods when the cars in fact saw the standards slip; sometimes to below general automotive standards.
When I took training for my pilots license the preflight inspection was a non-negotiable. The pilot paid attention to any potential hazard that could cause the plane to touch earth in an inconvenient way and made sure they knew what to do to prevent risk. Only twice in my flying career did it prove of value. Once, I found the magneto bracket snapped, and the other, far more serious, found an inattentive pilot had struck my prop with his wing and bent it, whilst on the tiedown. That one cost $2,000 and grounding for two weeks, but it may have cost a bit more if the bent part had snapped in the air (presuming I would not have noticed on warm-up).
That tradition tends to suffuse this forum, so that its members are constantly seeking information that better prepare them to keep their cars safe, especially when in motion. Yes, you can pull a Bristol 411 over to the side of the road when the wheel starts to wobble, whereas the winged Bristol Beaufighter has fewer options, but the mess of a wheel fall-off at 100 mph is still unnerving at best.
The value in this discussion will come from members adding wheel check to their post mechanic-touched-it inspection, if not their daily preflight. I never cease to be amazed when I preflight my wife's car to find tyres at 15 pounds, for example, and in the Alfa, the engine oil down below the minimum mark on the stick.
Claude
PS: Picking up on the other forum discussion on Fighter's knobs, it seems Mr. Silverton is honouring the aeroplane heritage in detail design in the cars. This is good, in my view, as it has a sense of authenticity rather than branding. I have always enjoyed the no-nonsense design aspect of aero, milspec functionality. I like the idea that a gauge is held in by screws I can see, rather than requiring special tools or disassembly of half the dash in order to get to change the bulb on an instrument. It is an ethos of the company, and of its aficionados on this forum.