Stress panel repair insert for aircraft

In combination with an aircraft airframe of the type including a stress panel receiving opening formed therein having reduced cross sectional area inner and outer ends and an intermediate portion of greater cross sectional area than said ends, an insert for said opening comprising a thick panel of resilient deformable material snugly removably received in said opening substantially entirely intermediate said inner and outer ends and with said inner and outer ends defining opposing surfaces between which said panel is received for resisting displacement of said panel from either said inner end or said outer end, said panel closing said opening intermediate said inner and outer ends against the entrance of foreign material into said airframe from the exterior thereof, said panel being sufficiently resiliently deformable whereby an outer surface portion thereof at a selected marginal area of said panel may be engaged and deflected inwardly away from the marginal portion of said airframe defining the corresponding portion of said reduced cross sectional area outer end of said opening, thereby enabling said airframe marginal portion to have machining operation performed thereon while said insert remains in position closing the inner end of said opening against the entrance of machining cuttings into the interior of said airframe and the intermediate portion of said opening to be vacuumed after the aforementioned machining operation is performed in order to vacuum away machining cuttings prior to removal of said panel.