[lorne green]

A question for those of you who have used a fuse rotisserie. Is there a problem climbing in to the fuse to work (other than an un-secured/un-commanded ailoron roll) while the fuse is up in the air (two feet)? Just wondering if one could do damage to the floor or other areas.

 

[BuckWynd]

I'm not going to climb into mine, not only because of the risk of an unintentional "aileron roll" and the risk of tipping over the stands entirely, but also because putting all that weight on two small bolts that pass through the tail bulkhead would be excessive.

When I need to climb in the fuselage, I lower it onto a floor-level jig that supports the wooden "spar" inserts. That way, the fuselage is stable, low to the floor, and doesn't wobble in the slightest when I'm squirming around in the tail cone. I don't want to inadvertently fly my plane before it has wings, engine or prop!

 

[Rick6a]

Why risk it?

A question for those of you who have used a fuse rotisserie. Is there a problem climbing in to the fuse to work (other than an un-secured/un-commanded ailoron roll) while the fuse is up in the air (two feet)? Just wondering if one could do damage to the floor or other areas.

Lorne,
I wouldn't risk placing an undue load on the airframe while it is still in the rotisserie whether it is a true fuselage rotator or a cheap ersatz variety like my modified J.C Whitney motor stand. Besides, I have to why you would want to climb in the fuselage in the first place. With my -8 mounted in the rotisserie, I have been able to reach virtually everything I need to access except for a few skin rivets that will be shot later.....when I will really need to crawl inside.

 

[mdoyle]

I wouldn't climb in, there is no need to. You have much better access with the fuselage rolled 90 degrees, you can reach anything. I've rolled mine 180 degrees so I can reach way back in the tailcone to work. I easily installed my magnetometer mount, seat belt cables, and static port tubing without getting in the fuselage. You can easily buck the rivets for the top skins with the fuselage rotated.
If you are building a rotisserie, you have to remember to build it high enough so the steps clear the floor when rotating. I also made sure the fuselage was level, and that the front and back have the same pivot point above the floor.

 

[Mel]

I must be missing something...

I thought the whole idea of the rotisserie was to avoid having to climb in.

 

[RVbySDI]

don't do it!

I agree with everyone posting. Don't subject the stress to the attach points of the fuselage-to-stand. These areas are not the areas where the completed plane will be supporting your weight. Especially in the tail section, that point will most likely have very little weight placed on it when everything is flying (at least not concentrated as they are now while bolted to the stand). It is not designed to support your weight. As everyone has stated, if you can rotate your fuse around on the stand you should be able to get to everything you need while standing on the floor.

 

[lorne green]

Thanks

Ya, I wasn't sure if we could reach every thing in the fuse while it was on the stand. Great, I'll keep my butt out!

 

[Rockyjs]

Lorne,
You can do pretty much everything on the stand. I did need to get in once and had my son do some work inside while I installed the Tip-up. For support I used car stands, shims and a padded 2x4 placed under the spar. With the Tipup installed I wanted additonal support in the roll mode.