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Any Advice before mounting the wings?

Flyguytki

Flyguytki

Well Known Member
I will be mounting the wings first thing in the morning tomorrow, and was wondering what advice you have for me before I tackle them. A few guys who have done this a few times before will be helping out so things should go pretty smooth but more information always helps out.

thanks again
-david
 
Wing bolts

Plenty of previous threads cover the installation, but here is one thing I would add:

When I was installing the bolts, I expected them to be a difficult, tight fit. They were. I initially tried using a hammer to get the greased, frozen bolts in place. It's possible, but there isn't much swinging room down there.

The answer is a rivet gun with a brass tipped rivet set. Avery has one, stock number 1038. The bolts went in with complete control, no damage, and no cursing.
 
Get the incidence right

Since you have guys that have done it before, this will probably not be a problem but when I did mine it was very difficult for me to accept that the natural angle of the wing chord was almost right on for the right wing but not the left wing. I checked the fuselage reference plane level and the wing angle several times and stewed over my findings for a day before I accepted the fact that the trailing edge had to be raised and clamped hard and the mounting hole in the rear spar and the fuselage mounting stub drilled in the best location with respect to hole edge distance on both parts to get the angle right. The mind wants to compromise based on a lot of things I observed but I knew the correct rigging of the airplane is essential for best performance.

If things don't look right or cause concern just back off and think about it before you commit. Don't let your feelings for the helpers feelings rush this part - it's a big deal. If you have stable supports for everything you can use their help to get the wings in place and the main spars attached then you can take your time setting the wing incidence.

Bob Axsom
 
First time mounting, fit and then removal is relatively easy. My grandson and I did it in a few minutes.

1. use hardware store bolts 4" long, grind the threads off and to a taper. I chucked mine in the lathe and smoothed them with some emery paper.

2. while slowly pushing the spar in place watch the lip of the fuse closely to keep from snagging the overlap. Also the rear spar tangs may need spread a touch.

3. keep in mind the outboard tip is higher than the spar. insert one of the larger bolts in a top hole. no need to force it, just get it on the taper as little. now have someone rock the wing up/down. At this time you can tap the bolt in further. Rinse and Repeat for another large bolt.

4. With 2 large bolts slide in, you can now do the other side. This will help balance everything. In the end I used a couple large and a couple small bolts/side. No need to drive the bolts in fly, you are going to remove them anyway.

5. Level the fuse and make your preps for the rear spar work....incidence, sweep, level, location.... Check , recheck, clamp everything, mark your drill location. then go to lunch or go home and think about it.

6. come back when your brain is fresh and check again. Drill away. It's easier than you think
 
David,

I did this just about 6 months ago, and I wrote a detailed log of my experiences here:

Mating the Wings!

I don't have room in my 2-car garage workshop for the wingspan, so I set it up outside on a nice day. It was a great experience, and probably the most memorable part of the fuselage kit.

I hope this helps!
 
Now that they are on, I will add that it is best to Trim the aft wing mounts before they go on for the first time, it is very close to the rivet so even if you are not rubbing it is still a good idea to trim it a bit.

-david
 
I found that it helped to mark the top of the wing spar with a sharpie above the bolt holes. This allows you to tell if the spar is in far enough instead of fishing thru the bolt holes with mirrors etc. I later built a set of tables that are tilted to support the wings full length so I can remove them by myself by putting the tables under the wings and just sliding the wings out. They work great!
 
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