Screws for wingtips

[jay.pearlman]

The hinges sound like a great idea. Those of you with hinges that have been flying, what issues have you run into. What are the downsides of the hinges?

[rbibb]

You know it's an interesting comment on how far this industry has come when the thought of someone writing an article on how to screw on wing tips is even a consideration. I'm thinking 40 years ago a builder was amazed he even got wing tips to screw on was quite the deal.

[hydroguy2]

Originally Posted by jay.pearlman

The hinges sound like a great idea. Those of you with hinges that have been flying, what issues have you run into. What are the downsides of the hinges?

2 things about hinges.

1. if you want to make different tips (smaller racing tips, extended baggage tips) it makes it much harder to line up the hinges for easy swap-a-bility.

2. there are no screws to use for attachment points for things like cameras or smoke canisters

[bullojm1]

Recognizing that my website is somewhat scattered with the info needed to attach the wingtips with hinges, I created a step-by-step document with the whole process, including parts needed. It is accessible here:

http://www.rvplane.com/pdf/WingtipScrews.pdf

[jay.pearlman]

Mike,
Thanks for the Excellent summary of what you did. One thing you did not mention is how far forward you can run the hinges. Obviously, it is different on the top and the bottom, the top having more curvature. What did you end up doing?

[bullojm1]

Jay,

To be honest, I don't really recall how far forward I went with the hinges. I don't recall adding any new holes to the existing prepunched holes in the wing skins, so I am guessing that is as far forward as I went. If you want some exact measurements, I can easily take a look at my RV the next time in at the hangar.

[M McGraw]

Originally Posted by bullojm1

Recognizing that my website is somewhat scattered with the info needed to attach the wingtips with hinges, I created a step-by-step document with the whole process, including parts needed. It is accessible here:

http://www.rvplane.com/pdf/WingtipScrews.pdf

Hum.... I just spent an hour or two this morning trying to combine all the wingtip sections from your website. Little did I know you just did the same yesterday. It does make a lot more sense to me now, THANK YOU! Of course, I did enjoy reading the other sections anyway

[instructor_bill]

Originally Posted by RV7Guy

I would definitely not use 4-40's they are simply too small and the screw heads are easy to strip out. I did one wing tip with these and removed and replaced with 6-32. Better grip and MUCH cheaper. I can't recall any other 4-40's in the construction.

Regarding Torx, I don't get the fascination with them. You gain no advantage over Phillips. Now you have to carry a few extra Torx and the proper wrench.

Remember to use the back up metal strips when you attach the nut plates to the glass.

any experience, or is this simply opinion? No need to respond, but torx do work better than phillips from a stripping standpoint.... If you are worried about a traveling tool kit-- are and the added weight/reduced payload or widespread availability of a torx bit scares you? How often do you need to remove a wingtip?

I don't think you can buy a descent screwdriver set without torx anymore.

Torx work well, quite well. I find that I do sometimes bend a torx bit, but that is usually in a high tensile strength deck screw with a cordless impact gun. Even then, a bent torx bit works much better than a stripped screwdriver bit or a worn screw.

It's not fascination. Have you ever used an impact driver on a standard phillips screw. How did that work out over time?

[DaleB]

This discussion convinced me -- I ordered a bunch of hinge material from Spruce to attach my wingtips using that method. It doesn't really look like a whole lot more work than using screws, but the end result should look nicer.

And I won't have to worry about whether or not I have a Torx screwdriver with me.

[instructor_bill]

Originally Posted by hydroguy2

I'm too clumsy with a screw poker, so went the hinge route.

I will agree this does look better and it's likely much easier too, but I don't buy the phillips = torx equation

if I did it again I too would go hinges just for aesthetics.