I am working on the empennage now and will be ordering the QB wings soon. I was wondering, what is the best way to work on the wings? Just lay them on a work bench or put them in some kind of jig/holder?
No jig needed - they are perfectly self-jigging. Laying them on the table will be fine but, you may run out of table space for use as a work bench. Put some carpet or carpet pad down to protect the skin. Have some for the top when you are working on top of the wing.
There are now so many ex-builders (because they are flying) that all you need to do is to put out a request in the forum for your area and I'll bet you'll find a wing jig that the owner would be tickled for you to come pick up and get out of his garage for free.
The jig is great for QB wings because it keeps them upright where you can get into all the areas you need to before closing them up, and they don't take up much space while in the jig.
What I think is fun is that I'm going to write the name of the builder I got mine from on it, and then put my name below his, and then give it away when I'm done. If it goes through enough builders and gets enough RV's flying, maybe it will some day end up in the "Vans RV Museum"
On the other hand, a few 2x4's and you can build your own in an hour.
not sure of the drawing #, but check your plans (preview plans, since you don't have your wings yet). there's a laid out plan drawing right after the empennage drawings that shows you exactly what you need, and gives the dimensions.
My original wing cradle (built in '89) has been all over north Texas. The last time I saw it, it had a number of names on it. Anyone know where it is now?
Mel...DAR
I am working on the empennage now and will be ordering the QB wings soon. I was wondering, what is the best way to work on the wings? Just lay them on a work bench or put them in some kind of jig/holder?
Some of the stuff is easier on a workbench covered in carpet or some other soft stuff. To rivet the bottom skin on, it's much easier if it is upright. I did one on the workbench, and one upright, and it was way easier upright.
I don't have any pictures of my setup, for some reason, but I just clamped the spar end to a workbench, and built a simple A frame with 2x4s to hold the other end, using a long bolt and some scrap 1x4 to clamp the last wing rib to the A frame. Very simple - took about 20 minutes to rig up. I can take a picture of the A frame tomorrow if my description is not clear. I'll probably resurrect this setup to do the safety wire on my fuel pickup sometime in the coming weeks.
