Wing mating: One at a time or both simultaneously?

John Courte · #1 08-01-2010, 10:55 AM

Hi,

I've decided to drill the wings for incidence and sweep, and I have two options. First option is to pull the fuse out of the guest house onto the back patio, then measure both wings for sweep and incidence attached to the leveled fuse at the same time. The second option is to keep the fuse in the guest house, level the fuse, attach the wing, measure, drill. After that, the left wing must come off, the fuse rotated 90 degrees, the patio door removed, and the right wing attached, with the fuse re-leveled.

So it comes down to simplicity vs exposure to elements. What would you do? leave most of the ship outside for a simpler, more straightforward mating process, or keep it inside, add a lot of extra steps, and possibly have different data points for alignment?

thanks,
-John

Mel · #2 08-01-2010, 11:01 AM

I've done it both ways, but it is much easier to get proper "sweep" by doing them both at the same time.

LifeofReiley · #3 08-01-2010, 11:22 AM

It can be done either way, do yourself a favor and set the wings up together as the same time. You'll be glad you did.

Greg Arehart · #4 08-01-2010, 11:44 AM

My vote is for same time. Doesn't take all that long, and (with a bit of help) you could probably do it in half a day and put the plane away. Having both wings on at the same time allows you to put plumbobs on the leading edges and make certain that the wings line up.

greg

Flying Scotsman · #5 08-01-2010, 12:05 PM

Do both at one time, and while you're at it, mount the empennage and align all of those surfaces to the plane and the wings, in all axes, as well.

Took us maybe one day, took the wings off the next day. Relatively straightforward (if nerve-wracking when drilling that rear spar attach hole

).

BillSchlatterer · #6 08-01-2010, 08:27 PM

John, not sure why you want to do it at all if you have to take them back off again to continue working on the fuse. The ONLY holes you are going to drill are the two rear spars and it isn't necessary to do that until you get the whole thing to the airport.

I built mine in the garage (single side ) with no problem but waited until I got to the airport to fit the wings. If you don't have room to leave them on after you drill them, there really is no point in doing it now. It's no more than a couple of hour job once you get it to the airport. Much easier than you think!

If you trim the rear spar exactly to the plans, you might be surprised to find that the fit is,..... just perfect! I promise it will be a lot closer than you expect it to be. Be sure to use hardware bolts for first fit.

Just my .02

Bill S
7a flying this month,....?

roee · #7 08-01-2010, 09:11 PM

Do both wings together in order to ensure that the wings match each other closely in incidence and sweep, which is even more important than the absolute accuracy of their individual incidence and sweep.

With good planning and preparation, all the work that has to be done with both wings on at the same time (drilling the rear spars) can be done in one day, so you never have to leave the plane out in the elements over night. I did mine recently. Here's a detailed write-up:
http://www.kalinskyconsulting.com/rvproj/wingattach.htm

2010.05.08 was the big day, but you should also read everything leading up to it. Getting this right is all in the preparation.

Good luck!

Greg Arehart · #8 08-01-2010, 09:43 PM

Fit and drill the root fairings so you can install the nutplates without having to install and remove the wings a second time before the final installation.

greg

roee · #9 08-01-2010, 11:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Greg Arehart

Fit and drill the root fairings so you can install the nutplates without having to install and remove the wings a second time before the final installation.

greg

...yes, if you still have time on the big day. But otherwise, don't worry about it. After you've drilled the rear spars, the wing root fairings can be done at a later time with one wing on at a time. Same goes for the fuel tank support brackets, fuel plumbing, etc.

airguy · #10 08-02-2010, 08:22 AM

I did both on the same day, with one helper, it wasn't bad at all. Realistically, we spent about an hour moving the fuse into the driveway, getting everything leveled and stable, then about 3 hours getting the wings positioned, clamped, measured, moved, reclamped, remeasured (repeat ad nauseum) until we were happy with them, and perhaps another hour drilling the critical holes while making repeated measurements. Drill undersized and work your way up while continuously checking measurements.

Get one trusted helper and plan a full day, you'll be fine.