Wingtips fitting

[Naigool]

I'm working on my wings and as they are now in a cradle, I plan to fit the Wingtips. I adjusted the ailerons to neutral position using the W-730 bellcrank jig and the alignment tool. I plan to rivet the last bottom skin and then install the flaps. Aligning the flaps to the aileron neutral position.
I saw on this forum some folks saying to wait until the wings are mounted on the plane before fitting the Wingtips!
I don't understand why. The neutral position of the ailerons will stay the same with the wing installed on the plane or sitting in the cradle!? Please let me know your opinion!

Regards

Nicolas

[Rupester]

I fit my wing tips before the wings were bolted in place ... no problem. Once the wings were on, and flaps also installed, it was easier to see that the wingtip trailing edge did not match the neutral aileron/ flap alignment. I ended up splitting and regluing the trailing edge of the tips to match.

[rv7charlie]

I fit mine with the wings on the workbench. I used ratchet straps to pull them into position before drilling. One side came out perfect; the other side came out misaligned. When I discovered it & investigated, I found that I'd allowed the tip to move slightly before drilling. It turned out that I could move the trailing edge up/down quite a bit, depending on whether the strap pulled up/forward or down/forward. I pulled all the clecos, re-strapped with the trailing edge aligned properly, & redrilled. Holes ended up about 1/2-5/8" away from 1st set. Both cases had gap-free fit all the way around the leading edge & top/bottom skins.

Just a FWIW on something to check before splitting the trailing edge.

Charlie

[Carl Froehlich]

Nicolas,

If you search I have a couple of posts on this that you might find useful.

Bottom line - wait until the wings are at least temporarily mounted, and the flaps and ailerons are exactly correct. Assume the bellcrank jig is "about right" and a good starting point.

Carl

[Naigool]

Carl,

This is my main question! Is there another procedure to settle the ailerons to neutral when the wings are installed? If yes; what is the procedure to do it when the wings are attached to the plane? If the procedure is again using the belcrank jiig and the alignment tool; the result will be the same that in the cradle... Just more pain to do it on the plane... Please explain your point of view...

Cheers

Nicolas

[RV7Guy]

On the opening page under Articles, look under Construction. I wrote a several part guide on mounting the tips.

I mounted mine while the were in the wing rack. Much easier to deal with than on the plane.

[Rupester]

Originally Posted by Naigool

Carl,

This is my main question! Is there another procedure to settle the ailerons to neutral when the wings are installed? If yes; what is the procedure to do it when the wings are attached to the plane? If the procedure is again using the belcrank jiig and the alignment tool; the result will be the same that in the cradle... Just more pain to do it on the plane... Please explain your point of view...

I fully agree. The Vans method for aileron alignment doesn't leave much slop. When my wings and tip were still in the cradle, I suspected the tip trailing edge would need adjustment... I just delayed resetting the tip tail until it was on the plane and easier to see (and work on.)

[chrishalfman]

I did the tips in the wing stand. There's no reason not to. I got a three foot ( or was it longer??) aluminum strap, made a centerline on it, drilled holes on the centerline for the tooling holes on the rib, and aligned the trailing end of the tip to the centerline on the strap. Turned out perfect when the airplane took flight. I did have the ailerons mounted, but it's easier to determine where 'straight back' on the wing is using the tooling holes. The aileron position can be influenced by the person adjusting it. Not sure why, but the aileron tooling jig didn't get me EXACTLY where I wanted to be on aileron adjustment.