Simple question. I have in the past preferred to use nylon bolts in the wing instead of metal, just to give the thing a 'chance' to break out without ripping the wing mount or the wing to shreds. Are 1/4-20 nylon bolts strong enough for the ultimate lower wing? I never had a plane this size, so I don't know. If not I will stick with the 8-32 bolts it came with.
Thanks
Kevin.

The only other Bipe I had of a similar size was a GP Christen Eagle. It used the 1/4-20 nylon wing bolts. However, it could not fly as violently as the Ultimate can.

I will say this; with the interplane struts attatched & the cabanes attatched there is little to no play in the wings. You could manage a landing if the bolts did come out. I stuck with the 8-32 wing bolts myself.

On a personal level, I won't use a nylon bolt in any location that's a high stress or load area. That includes landing gear. Matter of fact, I'll use a nylock nut, but won't use a nylon bolt at all. On anything that I value.

A long, long, time ago, in a place far, far away, back when I was taking landing gear off all the time, I tried using nylon bolts thinking that the break away stuff would save the bottom of my planes for me. Bunk. I actually lost the gear more often. The reason you ask? Because as soon as you tighten a nylon bolt to a point that will secure something, it has been stretched to the point that it will easily snap with any shock loads. The darn things are designed to break, right?

Another reason is because I lost an old "Das Bipe Stick" in flight on which the bottom wing had been secured with nylon bolts. You are already visualizing the scene, I think. The bolts sheared in a tumble (it was a GREAT flying plane), the bottom wing separated, and the rest is history after the battery exited the plane.

It's one thing to risk the bottom of your plane when the gear gets torn off due to a tear in the nylons. It's another altogether to risk the life of the aircraft and people around you.

Your plane, therefore your choice, but I would think very carefully about this one. It also becomes your loss, and perhaps, your liability[X(]

If you look at the "ultimate Build thread" you can see where the stress on the lower wings pulls on those lower mounts. The Nylon bolts I think would cause more damage to the plane allowing things to "break away". I flipped my plane 3 times and did only a little damage to the mount. If the wing where to seperate from the mount it would have easily been ruined or tor up something else.

The wing mount comes out because its not secured in correctly and there is a gap between it and the wing suface allowing you to overtighten and put excess force on the hold down.
You do have pins in the front of the wing as well.
My 8/32 t nuts fell out so replaced then with 1/4.
GP Pitts uses nylon bolts and the wing is far from secure on those.
I hear you on the landing gear...I tried it once on another model and after a few landings the gear fell off. There is no way to know if one is on its way out and about to break, some are even hollow due to manufacturing defects.