I made this page to show how I repaired my composite base tube.  If you have any doubts as to your ability to do the same, please do not attempt any repairs that might affect your flight safety.  Have your repair done by a professional who knows what they are doing.

One of the tradeoffs with having composite base tubes is that they can break.  I know of at least 5 pilots who have broken their base tube.  It does not always take a crash or bad landing.  I know of two pilots who set there gliders down and high centered the base tube (had the full weight of the glider on the center of the base tube) and broke the base tube.  I have had discussions with Felix from AIR and several other people in the composite industry on the best way to make the repair.  The following is the method I use.  I have repaired 3 base tubes with this method and have never had one break at the repair.  

I have worked on both the AIR and Wills Wing base tubes.  They are similar enough that the technique for repair can be used on both.  The AIR base tube has a foam core and no steel cable.  The WW base tube is hollow, but has a steel cable.  If the base tube is just cracked and not broken completely in half, only an external repair is needed.  If it is broken in two pieces, I like to make both an internal and external repair.  

The internal repair consists of inserting carbon fiber rod (extremely strong, much stronger than carbon cloth and epoxy).  A search of the web will come up with many sources for this product.  A big use is in kites.  I use .125" diameter rod unless the repair has to follow a curve, then smaller diameter rod would be easier to use.  I coat the rods with a mixture of milled fiberglass or carbon mixed with epoxy and insert the rod into the center of the base tube and then put both pieces together and clamp.  This will provide more strength than the base tube had originally.  I use an aircraft structural epoxy.  There are several on the market, West system, Aeropoxy, E-Z Poxy to name a few.  A search of the web with return many vendors that sell these products.

After the internal repair is dry (or if there was just a crack and no need for internal repair) I start the external repair by sanding the repair area 3" to 4" on either side of the break, on both top and bottom, tapering from the center of the repair outward so that the outer most sanded area is just though the gel coat and the deepest area is at the break.

 I place about 7 pieces of carbon in both the top and bottom of the base tube.  I use 5.3 oz bi-directional weave cut the width of the base tube.  If the tube was broken in half, then I also add a 1.5" wide piece of unidirectional carbon tape on the top and bottom of the tube.  Each of the 7 pieces are a little longer the piece under it so that the final piece covers all the other pieces.  I place the carbon patches on a sheet of Mylar, lightly drip epoxy over them, place a second sheet of Mylar on top and then use a roller to completely wet out the carbon.  You want the carbon 100% coated with epoxy and no more.  Any extra epoxy does not make the repair stronger.  See the pictures below.  I then take a final piece of carbon that is wide enough to cover all the previous pieces and long enough to wrap around the base tube 1 1/2 times.  This final piece will hold everything in place and give the repair a cleaner look.

Once all the carbon is in place I wrap the repair with plastic wrap (Saran wrap etc.).  Then I wrap over the plastic with electrical tape.  I start in the center and wrap towards one of the outer edges of the repair.  This is what I call a poor mans vacuum bag.  As you get to the edge of the repair you will see epoxy being squeezed out, which is good.  Start in the middle again and wrap toward the other edge of the repair.  Clean off any epoxy that oozes out (less sanding later).  Care must be taken when taping that you do not twist or rotate the repair while taping At this point I place the repair under an infrared heat lamp to cure.   Once dry, I unwrap the tape and plastic.   The carbon will be lying nice and flat, but there will be ridges of epoxy.  I sand down the epoxy until the area is smooth and I am just getting into the carbon layer.  I add a final light coat of epoxy to seal what I just sanded and give it a nice appearance.

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