[TShort]

Not much on this here, and the Matronics servers have a little ...

I am fitting my top skin to the flap, and on the bottom where it "wraps around" it takes a decent amount of pressure to get it to lay flat on the bottom skin, almost like the TE needs to be bent a little more. I hate to put it in the brake, as the skin is thick and the radius is on the order of 1/4"+ (hate to pinch it); however, I'm afraid that if I clamp the ends and then hold the middle down and drill I'll build a twist into the flap.

What have others done here? I saw a post where someone put theirs in the brake, but am wondering if others have gotten by just pushing it into place...

Thanks
Thomas
-8 flaps

 

[RV7ator]

Same Concern

Thomas,

I raised the same question with Van's two weeks ago, adjunct to my informing them that the top skins in my possession were manufactured wrong (for a different characteristic). Perhaps they overlooked the inquiry, their focus being on a lot of bad skins, but Van's was silent regarding the degree of bend and the amount of pressure it took to close the skins. The replacement skins received yesterday are no different in the degree of bend. The flaps do not lay flat, as is the requirement for all other surfaces, and depicted on the flap drawing.

This is my second -7 (uses the same flaps as the -8), and I don't remember fussing over the flap closure. I simply followed the instructions the first time, but now I'm going to raise a stink because it isn't right. I've a hunch the answer will be "It's the way we've always done it.", much like a couple of other things that remain purely stupid but are dismissed in the same fashion.

In Van's behalf, though, there are a lot of improvements in this second kit that reflect known difficulties and complaints swirling about the RV world regarding the first kit. They do listen.

John Siebold
Boise, ID

 

[TShort]

I can get them to lay flat with a series of clamps and some pressure; I guess if I can get them "flat enough" then drill the holes and cleco I'll see how it turns out.
Seems that all the pressure and clamping is a good way to induce a twist in the flap, even though it is on a flat surface...

The -7 and -8 flap skins are the same, but the inboard actuator brackets are different ... must have something to do with the way they meet up with the different fuses...?

Thomas

 

[jimgreen]

I had the same problem. Just screwed up my courage and used the heels of my hands to press the bend a little more closed, and worked my way along the trailing edge. It worked out great. Now it's riveted together and top and bottom surfaces are straight - no bulge.

 

[rzbill]

exsqueeze me

I squeezed mine with my TE brake until it fit naturally into place with the rest of the assembly.

To minimize any effects to the large TE radius, as mentioned in a post above, I used the print to determine where the TE should sit in the brake naturally. In other words, with the brake in final squeezed position, how far is the TE from the hinge line assuming the radius is not squeezed? It was an easy trick to extend the top and bottom surfaces on the full scale cross section on the blueprint with a straight edge until they crossed and then measure from the intersection to the TE. Using this scaled distance, a line was laid out on the brake and the flap skin eyeballed into place on the line. This worked fine. I had to scoot the TE a little closer to the hinge line to compensate for springback, but it was easy to control and do carefully.