I got a buddy w/C-175. He bought a SSK for it last year thinkin he would put it on, now he seems busy and thinks he may just have someone put it on for him. We were talking this morning, and wondering what a shop would charge, labor only to put the kit on, no paint.

What is the cost to install one of these kits, labor only? How many hours involved for someone that knows what they are doin?

Thanks Gary

Gary,
I think if you look at their website it lists an "average" install time. This what they say, "Experienced installers on average take 30-40 hours."
I am thinking of putting one on my 172 and had looked a couple of years ago at the cost by a local shop and it seems to me that it was going to costs about the same as the price of the kit. Don't take this as 100% as I am just going by memory.
If your friend changes his mind and wants to sell the kit please let me know.

WW

WW
Thanks. Never has expressed any regrets in buying the kit, and looking forward to getting it on. Just to busy w/paying projects to do it himself. I was thiking around 40 hrs, maybe because of reading that. I told my budy to expect $1500-2000, sounds like the prices will be more like $2000-3000.

Which will mean he will probably find time

He was hopin for around $1000.00
Gary

Ive installed many Sportsman Stol Kits. Takes me 5 days by my self without paint. Mondays you cant get started untill noon on the airplane. To fit it right and look its best you have to install leading edge blocks with RTV and then come back in the morning, fit the leading edge skins, drill it, Cleco it, remove it, debur it, refit it, drill it the next size up, counter sink, mark up for inspection panels and landing light, remove it, debur it again, cut and install panel accesses, reinstall will rivets, shave the rivets, install fairings on root and wingtip. I can get the plane out by Friday. Could it be done faster? Marshal Quackenbush taught me how to install them and I never had to buy repacement parts for a mistake on install.

Skydive206 wrote:Ive installed many Sportsman Stol Kits. Takes me 5 days by my self without paint. Mondays you cant get started untill noon on the airplane. To fit it right and look its best you have to install leading edge blocks with RTV and then come back in the morning, fit the leading edge skins, drill it, Cleco it, remove it, debur it, refit it, drill it the next size up, counter sink, mark up for inspection panels and landing light, remove it, debur it again, cut and install panel accesses, reinstall will rivets, shave the rivets, install fairings on root and wingtip. I can get the plane out by Friday. Could it be done faster? Marshal Quackenbush taught me how to install them and I never had to buy repacement parts for a mistake on install.

So how many hours is that and what's your shop labor rate or do you flat rate that? And do you charge for extra supplies?

When I was going to put one on the 175, I was just going to fly up to Poulson, MT and have them do it. It looks like at LEAST $2000 for a local guy to put one on. I figured that Steen's could probably do it better and faster and probably has more experience than anyone. They told me from $1800 to $2000 (prices could have gone up so don't quote me). I asked if I could help and he said I could, but I had to buy anything I screwed up. I figured that would make a great vacation and you could do some fishing at night.

I feel bad I bugged them for years to get the 175B approved and now I don't have the cash to do it.

Uninsured I used to just charge $1000. 35 to 40 hours of work. No additional supplies were needed. Everything was included in the kit. You need a good countersink stop and flush rivet shaver, pnematic rivet puller, pnematic nibbler is nice, bucket of 40s and 30s clecos. Only lightly countersink the skin, install the flush pop rivets high, cut the rivet stems with a pair of side cutters that are ground down as to not drive the stem back in, use the rivet shaver and gently shave them down flush. I dont hold out to the puplic for maint anymore unless its something I want to do. All my planes have the Sportsman STOL. I even thought about making a kit like the Barron STOL and installing it on the outboard sections of the wings of the Twin Otter. Quackenbush said that he built and sold a kit based on the sportsman for a target towing military Twin Otter .

Im still remembering things to do on the install. It is more work than some of the other cuffs. Not to many things are quick, easy or cheap in aviation.

He used to have "Workin in a Coal Mine" by Lee Dorsey going in the video. - Copyright problem I guess. If you turn the sound down on the video and play the song, the helper dances in time with the music.....

Looks like the install only took him 5:47.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1tfjmTpU0g

When we do an installation I figure on average 30hours worst case without paint. The 206 series is the quickest to put the kit on because you do not have to contend with the aileron gap seals and a late model airplane is a little quicker than an early model where you have the landing light lense assembly.

Since we do installations on a regular basis the only items that cause hick-ups typically is dealing with previous repairs/damage. Otherwise we've setup simple jigs and templates to aid in the installation that really help on expediting the installation. One of the biggest time savings has been the migration to a different rivet so you do not have to deal with the stems of the old cherry blind rivets. We also sell the kit with new wingtips so you don't have to try and modify your original wingtips with an old fairing piece that typically came out poorly.

The installation does have a learning curve but after a person has done one you can see how it can take less time. If people ever have questions we are always more than happy to help. We have had lots of customers who do the installation themselves under supervision of their I/A.

Will Stene

Is there a way to screw it up anddo a bad install?
I read this in acouple offorums.
How doweavoid this?

Does anyone know of a field approval on a 170A for a Sportsmans STOL?

Considering getting one this fall but obviously that would be a no-go if I can't find more info...

907Pilot wrote:Does anyone know of a field approval on a 170A for a Sportsmans STOL?

Considering getting one this fall but obviously that would be a no-go if I can't find more info...

Original SPORTSMAN install #1 was done 170 by Marvin Davis before STC. Call or visit with Will Stene (sorry Will I'll get the spelling right ?) and he has or knows of other 170A Sportsman STOL approvals .