We are waiting on a sign-off from the mechanic but the ladies got help also from a local experimental airplane guru to confirm that the rudder has full and free control. He is familiar with rigging and he suggested to put pressure on one side as the crew applied both full right and left rudder pedal. It returned well and seems to be ready to fly.
As for the stressed metal and concerns that the strobe may become loose in flight, the mechanic used a fast set epoxy to seal the crack. The strobe is fine and secure so the damage seems to have been dealt with and the plane looks ready to fly.
Both Cary and Teresa confirmed that they will NOT fly the plane if they have any doubts as safety is first. They are trying to shed any extra weight on the plane to see if they can sneak out a couple of extra knots of speed. 5 or 10 miles per hour does not seem like much but over the remaining 2500 miles of the race ANYTHING will help make the legs shorter.
We'll keep it posted.
Are they going to be able to fly? So excited for them! Hope all goes well. I will try to keep checking. Wishing you all the best of luck!
ReplyDeleteFreeken plane is right. Nothing will defeat u girls. Proud of u for keeping the faith thru all this
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