Building fuselage before wings

olegusan · #1 05-27-2015, 09:38 PM

Hi All,

To save some space in my garage and most importantly the money in my pocket I think it would be better for me to build the fuselage before I build wings.

The question is, do I need the wins for anything while I'm building the fuselage?

Cheers,

rv9builder · #2 05-27-2015, 10:12 PM

I wanted to do the same thing for the same reasons you mention, but was advised by the factory not to do it. There are some parts you'll need from the wing kit to make this work. Search the RV-12 forum for spar receptacle and you'll find several posts on this. I decided to do the kits in the normal order.

Alex Edwards · #3 05-27-2015, 11:12 PM

While you could do this but I am not sure that you will benefit a great deal. You dont want to joint the tail cone to the front fuselage until you have installed all the control mechanism and you need the wings for that.

Mich48041 · #4 05-28-2015, 05:54 AM

RV-12 Stub spar/receptacle
I agree with Geico266's opinion in the above post.
The main wing spar and spar pins determine how far the wing slides into the fuselage. So no matter how well the wing stub spar fits into the fuselage receptacle, there could be play between the two parts (and often is). This results in fore-aft play at the wingtip. To correct this problem, Van sells part number W-1207B oversized. See "THE LIST"
When deburring the receptacles, do not remove too much material. When building the wings, I suggest temporarily attaching the rear stub spar until trial fitting the wing to the fuselage. If there is no fore-aft play at the wingtip, then final rivet the rear stub spar.
The short answer is, no you do not need the wings to build the fuselage. But you could buy part number W-1207B to make sure the fuselage spar receptacles are deburred correctly to accept the rear stub spar doubler.

joedallas · #5 05-28-2015, 06:00 AM

If you order a set of W-1208B and W-1207A-L & R Spar Doublers You can built the Fuselage First.
In my opinion this Lets you finish the fuselage and gives you room in the shop without the worry of wing damage .
Also you may be able to buy a wing kit or finished wings from a builder who needs to sell.
The wings don't take long so building them last makes sense to me.
My fuselage, finish kit and avionics are as far as I want to go until I buy a Engine.
I am working on my wings now and they should be finished soon.
Building the wings last will work
My View

Joe D

Quote:

Originally Posted by olegusan

Hi All,

To save some space in my garage and most importantly the money in my pocket I think it would be better for me to build the fuselage before I build wings.

The question is, do I need the wins for anything while I'm building the fuselage?

Cheers,

pierre smith · #6 05-28-2015, 08:24 AM

Ken, at Van's, told me NOT to attach the tailcone until I was ready to fly. He said to wire it, plumb it, mount the landing gear and engine.

Just before flight, take a day or so and with the help of a friend or two, add the tailcone and tail feathers.

Best,

joedallas · #7 05-28-2015, 11:23 AM

Not is a strong word.

Attaching the Tailcone on my plans tell me to do it on page 25.03 Step: 01

Is ken saying that this is wrong, or he saying that is ok to delay this, there is a big difference.

I think it can be delayed, however I would not install the canopy until it is attached.

I know some have done it and in is ok, however I think the fit will be more precise if the tailcone is in place

My view

Joe D

Quote:

Originally Posted by pierre smith

Ken, at Van's, told me NOT to attach the tailcone until I was ready to fly. He said to wire it, plumb it, mount the landing gear and engine.

Just before flight, take a day or so and with the help of a friend or two, add the tailcone and tail feathers.

Best,

RFSchaller · #8 05-28-2015, 11:44 AM

I had a little fore and aft movement at the wing tips. Like many others I used shims rather than oversize stubs from Vans. I installed them two years ago and they have worked fine. I used 0.025" scrap to make the shim.

pierre smith · #9 05-28-2015, 02:01 PM

Joe,
he said that the access to the inside of the fuselage is soooo much better with the tailcone off. I have access to the fuel tank and its associated plumbing and he said to turn the cabin section on it 's side and the tunnel about waste high. I can the put in all the cables, wiring, controls and so on from a rolling stool.

Best,

videobobk · #10 05-28-2015, 04:37 PM

We did in fact build the fuselage before the wings with Eagle's Nest One. We ordered the parts already mentioned and had no problems at all. Just don't get carried away cleaning up the wing sockets. A loose fit would be a lot of work to correct. As far as putting on the tail cone, not a big deal either way, IMHO. Do leave the top sheet metal (don't recall the number) off or just clecoed on until you are about ready for the inspection.

Bob