Bellanca Cruisemaster Nose Bowl and Propeller Removal |
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The stock Cruisemaster nose bowl is a one-piece unit made of fiberglass. Because it is one-piece, to completely remove the nose bowl you must remove the propeller. This is a pain for recurring maintenance tasks like annuals so working with the nosebowl in place is common. With the nose bowl in place it is also very difficult to remove and replace the propeller because the prop bolts go in from the back of the crankshaft flange into the propeller hub. With the spinner backing plate installed, it is difficult to get tools between the nose bowl and backing plate to tighten prop bolts and safety wire the bolts. Consequently many Cruisemaster owners split the nosebowl along the left and right sides, glassing in a new flange and installing removable fasteners to hold the two halves together. Here's an example that splits along the cheat line:
This example splits a bit higher up on the cowling the but same idea:
Lastly, this example moved the split to the upper surface of the cowling and added a reinforcement strip for holding the screw heads. With the 250 hour recurring inspection requirement for the propeller necessitating frequent removal, splitting the nose bowl is probably a modification I will perform the next time I have the cowling apart. |
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