Flap problem

I have often wondered about these CNC drilled holes being really accurite whats to say the bend in a skin is in the right spot?
Well, I have come across a problem that I thought might show up one day.
When putting my L/H flap together the top skin that bends around the training edge and extends for a few inches is giving me grief. I have clecoed the assembly together and it appears the bend in the skin is in the wrong place. Not by much but enough to be noticable. This is causing the bottom to be really tight (about half a hole out) When I cleco this bottom row it pulls the top around creating a noticable bulge in the top skin. I have looked and checked and measured. I have come to the conclusion that the only thing that could be wrong is that the bend is in the wrong spot.
Has anyone else had this problem?
How did you over come it?

Bummer

I had a similar problem on one of my elevators. The holes were dead on relative to the outline, but the bend line was a little off. It doesn't take much to make it unusable. I ended up getting a replacement elevator skin.

I was hoping someone was not going to say that. I was thinking about contacting vans but every time I ask them about a similar problem they tell me to 'just make it fit'.

I found the exact same problem with both flap skins. The bend is in the wrong place. Van's wanted me to match drill to #30, which wouldn't have cleaned up the problem anyway. Also, kluge rework adaptations can lead to unforeseen problems downstream. Don't accept poorly made parts. Hold Van's feet to the fire and have them send you a new skin (how's the right?) for free. They did for me and they should for you, even if you're south of the line.

I discovered this problem in skins delivered (and fabbed) in August last year. Tom was greatful for the early discovery, and admitted some things happen. This sort of mismatch was not a concern before pre-punched skins; the brake operator could miss a bit, and it wouldn't matter.

Check your aileron spars. One of mine had the brake angles interchanged between top and bottom flanges, again, a brake operator problem. The angles are almost the same, so squint real close. Van's shipped me a new spar for free.

When was your wing kit shipped?

John Siebold

Quality

RV7ator said:

... kluge rework adaptations can lead to unforeseen problems downstream. Don't accept poorly made parts. Hold Van's feet to the fire and have them send you a new skin (how's the right?) for free. ...

Click to expand...

Very true about moving the problems downstream. Fix the problem as soon as you find it.

I'm not Van but I would prefer builders send back badly made parts so that I know it is happening, and I can fix the process that created them. Better training or better QA or something has to be changed, but he won't know unless you send the part back.

Me too!

A few years back when I was just starting I had a heck of a time with one skin on my HS. On the top(or bottom, I forget now) the clecoes went in fine. When I flipped it the skin holes wouldn't reach those in the ribs and spar. Upon disassembly I pressed the trailing edges of the skins together(they're symmetrical--no L or R) and discovered that one of them had been bent about 1/8" off center which will cause a mis-match of 1/4" at the trailing edge. So, yeah, it does happen. Vans replaced the skin - no charge.

RV7ator said:

I discovered this problem in skins delivered (and fabbed) in August last year.

When was your wing kit shipped?

John Siebold

Click to expand...

If I remember correctly it was delivered in either July or August.
I think I will e-mail Van's and ask about a replacement skin.
Thanks for the help guys.

Had a problem with a bend line on my trim tab hinge spar on the elevator that caused holes to missalign. I moved the bend, drilled new holes and moved on to the next part. Of course, this was much smaller and more easily reworked that a flap.

Jekyll

I did consider some rework but decided there is no way I could do it without it being obvious. Also I have paid for a flap skin that fits straight out the box with no corrections.

Hello,

I recived the wing kit on november 2004 and had the same problem with the flaps bend line. Finally we solved the problem moving the bend line with this system:


Best flights

Josep
[email protected]
www.telefonica.net/web2/rv7e

Similar problem

I started on my flaps yesterday. My wing kit arrived mid November, 2004 also. I believe I have a similar bend problem with the top skin as it does not come anywhere near the bottom skin when I cleco it together.

Did anyone else have a similar problem and simply resolved it by using the homemade bending brake used on the empennage?

Doug Volkmer
RV-7A
Wings

Sounds like you have the same problem I did... read here.

Similar problem

Thanks Brad, I'll contact Van's for a replacement.