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Installing Wings

Dayton Murdock

Dayton Murdock

Well Known Member
:) Hi Guys

The last two months I finished my engine mount, installed my wheels and brakes. Installed the gear leg fairings and the wheel fairings. I finished the interior with upholstery from GBI and wool square weave carpets that I purchased form a VW supplier. Last weekend I transported my fuselage to my hanger and this past weekend I installed the wings. (Yea!) Starting today I will be fitting the wings to the fuselage. Setting the incidence, plumbing the fuel lines and installing the wing tips and all the other details.

Dayton Murdock
VAF#408 RV4 N359DM, Finish kit
email:[email protected]
 
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Photo update

Hi Guys
I thought progress photos were in order :)
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It is good to have my project at the airport.
Dayton Murdock
VAF#408 RV4 N359DM, Finish kit
email:[email protected]
 
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Dayton,

You seem to be about 4 - 8 weeks ahead of me in your construction, so keep those pictures coming. They're not only helpful, but set a standard to shoot for!

Really nice job.....

Dave
 
Setting sweep and incidance

Hi Guys
The last few days have good, great, and darn it. The good I was able to hike up Mt. Rose 10,800 elevation with the Boy Scouts. The great my wings are set. I drilled the rear spar and set the sweep and incidence. I used some unique fixtures to set up and check the alignment of the wings. Instead of a chalk line on the floor I used a string suspended off the floor with jack stands.
Plumb bobs hanging from the leading edge of the wing. Measuring from wing tip to centerline of the fuselage at the firewall and tail. Being able to make small adjustments of the string after moving the wings to location was desirable. Measuring to a plumb bob string and a datum string made the rigging accurate.Darn it I have to drill out the piano hinge on the flap to get the location I need to the fuselage.
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I made a fixture from 3" angle stock.
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The plumb strings were less then 1/16" from the datum string
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Drilling rivets
 
Flap/fuse clearance?

Hi Dayton,

You may already know, but I did'nt when I rigged my wings, and it may be too late anyway looking at your piccies! Apparently 'most' people (other than me and you at least) have to pull the wings forward slightly to get flap/fuse clearance prior to drilling rear spar attach holes. This gives a small wing forward sweep, which I am not keen on but it is probably easier than redoing the flap hinge. I frigged about between the flap and fuse and managed to get the flaps to retract, but they brush the fuse side when fully up.

Keep on with the list of endless jobs, they do come to an end, eventually.
 
I'm not sure about a 4, but on my 7 I had to file some of the top flap skin back to get proper fuse clearance. Dremel w/sanding disk then Scotchbrite wheel in a drill works beautifully.

Derrell
7A Finish
 
Flap to Fuselage clearance

Hi Grant

It didn?t occur to me to check the flap to fuselage clearance before drilling the rear spar.
I thought there would be plenty of room for the flap. I must have missed a dimension for locating the flap on the wing. After I change the flap location I will check the aileron for clearance before drilling any more holes.

Dayton
 
Installing Flaps

Hi Guys

Its time for a update. I finished the hinge relocation on the left wing. I change the cockpit brake lines to Teflon/wire braded (looks better then plastic). The brakes are bled. I made the flap push rods. I have a question, when drilling for the flap push rod is it normal to have to cut into the side skin for clearance? Sort of like a light bulb shape? I will upload pix's tonite.

Dayton :)
 
Flaps

Hi Guys

Over the weekend I installed the fuel tank supports and a flap. The fuel tank supports were straightforward to install, but cutting the hole for the flap rod was time consuming and awkward.

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Flap Holes

This week I drilled the holes for the flap push rods,Installed the flap push rods, Installed the fuel lines, I left the master switch on and came back to a dead battery. :( Here is the photos for the flap holes

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Flap fittingetc

Hi Dayton, sorry I missed your last couple of messages. Looks like your fuse/flap clearance is OK. Yes, flap pushrod hole is funny shape and extends into fuse side. I couldn't get full ~40? flap deflection on mine, still can't don't know where I went off the rails - anyone else find this?
 
Finishing wing root area

Hi Guys
This past week I have been working on the wing root area. I finished the fuel lines and the wiring from the fuselage to the wings.

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This is the front cockpit with the fuel lines installed

I used the rocket builders type vent line setup. I ran the vent line through the fuselage because I had drilled the holes in the bottom skin after I saw the rocket setup on Van's forums.

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The clearance for the fuel lines and vent lines is tight

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I will finish adjusting the lines at final assembly
 
Aileron Trouble

Hi Guys

I started to install my ailerons last night; But, after moving the flaps outboard approximately 1/4" for clearance with the fuselage. Now I have an issue with the aileron push rod tube contacting the rear spar.(Maybe I should of cut a 1/4" off the flap) The simple fix would be to enlarge the exit hole for the push rod tube. But that kind of thinking has got me to this post. My concern is that something else will be compromised. I can grind the outboard end of the flap to help the clearance issue. Has any one else had to work with these issues. Please respond.
 
Aileron stuff

Hi Dayton, sorry to hear of the evergrowing snowball. If you enlarge rear spar exit hole for aileron pushrod, will it line up with aileron attach bracket? (Are your ailerons and hinge brackets attached to wing yet? Mine all were before I did a trial fit to the fuse, and you guessed it, flaps couldn't retract...)If not, you can move it all outboard I guess, but outboard aileron bracket has to align with the end of the rear spar.... My thoughts are grind some of the flap, grind some of the aileron, and try and crib it until it all fits with minimum clearance. If this won't get you there, you will have to shorten the aileron a tad. Hate the thought of that, I bet. Or maybe the flap could be shortened at the outboard end?

I'm surprised the plans/kit hasn't had this 'known' problem fixed by now, my plans set are #1435 (circa 1986) and I had this problem then.

Sorry I don't have a perfect solution for you. Persevere.
 
Aileron location

Hi Grant
I agree with you that by now or even by the mid 80s all of the issues the RV4 should have resolved. This late in the building I didn?t want to relocate my flaps and adjust the ailerons after I had fitted them to the wing. I wish the factory would invest the time to bring the RV4 kit to the present day standard of the RV8 kit. Thanks for your comments they confirmed what I thought the process should be. I think the flaps can be cut at the outboard edge (about 1/8?) and enlarging the exit hole for the push rod should do it. I don?t think that trimming the aileron will change the clearance. The location of the hinge bracket would need to move outboard to obtain clearance with the flap, and I don?t want to do that! I will let you know how it all turns out next week :)
 
Wing root fairings

Hi Guys
The last couple week I resolved my flap and aileron issues and finished my wing root fairings. Here are the photos :)

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This is the bottom of the wing,after I paint I will use P-K screws to hold the end of the fairing

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The top aft section, everthing came togather at the correct location

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The leading edge came out OK going over and around the tank support was a challenge.
 
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Wing attach

Looks like a real nice job Dayton. It's one of those areas that isn't detailed in the plans/manual terribly well.
 
Wing Tips

This pass week I have been installing the wing tips and finishing up some other details. Drilling the wing tip was easy enough ,but locating the wing tip was a challenge. Thanks to who ever posted the idea of using a strap to pull the tip forward.

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Installing the strobe support.

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I had to weld up a pito tube

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Landing lights, I wanted to use round lights insted of the rectangle

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Finished wings

This is the last post for the wings they are finish. Today I will be starting the engine installation.

Faired in the strobe supports with lite weight filler

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The leading edge of the wing tip conformed to the wing. I used a strap to hold the wing tip into the nose of the leading edge before drill the screw holes.

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The top of the wing tip should remain flat between the screws I used .060 aluminum strips to back up the fiberglass

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Great pictures, and very helpfull.
I am just riveting up my fuel tanks, and the front attach mount bracket is not 90degrees to the inboard rib. Do you see this as being a problem when I come to joining it to the forward fuse attach ? Will I be able to bend the F463 to match the T405. Did you put a slot in the T405 as shown in the plans (sheet 39)
Cheers
Bill Markey.
 
thank you. You have saved me some worry.
As I often say, It doesen't matter how hard you hit something, it's only rough if it dosen't work :)
Cheers
Bill.
Ailerons done, Front and rear spars done, 1 1/2 fuel tanks done.
 
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