Wing Tip Rib Installation

How have builders been installing the wing tip rib into the trailing edge of the wing tips?
Plans say to rivet it in, but access inside the rib looks pretty difficult. I was thinking about glassing it in instead of riveting it or maybe even replacing the rib with foam and glassing that in place instead. Any thoughts?

AndrewTR30 said:

How have builders been installing the wing tip rib into the trailing edge of the wing tips?
Plans say to rivet it in, but access inside the rib looks pretty difficult. I was thinking about glassing it in instead of riveting it or maybe even replacing the rib with foam and glassing that in place instead. Any thoughts?

Click to expand...

Andrew,
Don't know what your tools are like, but I have used the pneu squeezer and a no-hole yoke (with a thin tip) to do the TE rivets.
Bill Jepson

Now I get it

Ok, I figured it out. My plans (Revision 0) show the ribs installed backwards. Flanges towards the inside of the wing tip. Looking at some other builders sites, I figured out they go the other way.
I went ahead and riveted them in the right way. I'm still gonna fill them in and glass over it for a smooth look.

Andrew,

The flanges do go in towards the tip, the rivets were easy enough to buck, I didn't have any problems. Some builders are installing them with the flanges facing out then filling with foam and a light glass cloth applied over the foam. Either way works but I would wait to install those ribs until your ailerons are rigged. It's easier to align the tip trailing edge in trail with the ailerons set in trail, if they aren't already.

Rick S.
40185
Fuselage
Las Vegas

AndrewTR30 said:

How have builders been installing the wing tip rib into the trailing edge of the wing tips?
Plans say to rivet it in, but access inside the rib looks pretty difficult. I was thinking about glassing it in instead of riveting it or maybe even replacing the rib with foam and glassing that in place instead. Any thoughts?

Click to expand...

The plans are a bit ambiguous in this regard, and I have seen flying -10s with them turned inward as well as those with them turned outwards. I think either way will work however, I have chosen to have the flanges turned outward so that the surface between the aileron and the tip is flush. Less chance of anything jamming in there. This is harder to rivet but not impossible. Buck the first four rivets and use flush pulled rivets for the remainder towards the trailing edge.

Here is how Vans did it.

I took this picture of N410RV at Copperstate.