Fitting Wingtips before riveting bottom skin.

[Lynnb]

I'm finishing up my wings, but don't want to rivet the bottom skin on for a while. Should I wait to fit the wingtips until after the bottom skins are riveted, or can I cleco the skins in place and start to match drill the tips?

Thanks,
Lynn

 

[curtis]

I would say no to fitting the wingtips. Why are you waiting to finish the lower skins? I would complete whatever installations are inside the wings and rivet the lower skin on. There are too many threads within this forum where individuals wonder why components don't fit right or fair in correctly later in the build process and it could of been caused by not building in the sequence that Van's has laid out in the builders manual.

 

[Kyle Boatright]

I'm finishing up my wings, but don't want to rivet the bottom skin on for a while. Should I wait to fit the wingtips until after the bottom skins are riveted, or can I cleco the skins in place and start to match drill the tips?

Thanks,
Lynn

I, personally, wouldn't have any concern over that approach as long as you have the skin cleco'd in place well.

 

[Carl Froehlich]

Do not fit the wing tips until after the wings are on the plane, the flaps are exactly right and the ailerons are rigged perfectly (remember to clamp the elevators in neutral before rigging the ailerons).

After all this is done, then and only then do you fit the wing tips. The trailing edge of the wing tips can be moved up/down half an inch. Treat the wing tips as you would control surface rigging.

Carl

 

[Kyle Boatright]

Do not fit the wing tips until after the wings are on the plane, the flaps are exactly right and the ailerons are rigged perfectly (remember to clamp the elevators in neutral before rigging the ailerons).

After all this is done, then and only then do you fit the wing tips. The trailing edge of the wing tips can be moved up/down half an inch. Treat the wing tips as you would control surface rigging.

Carl

The tips are installed to match the ailerons, which are rigged to match the reflexed flaps. All of that can be done with the wings in a cradle or sitting on sawhorses. There is no need to bring the other factors into play when are attaching the tips.

 

[Carl Froehlich]

The tips are installed to match the ailerons, which are rigged to match the reflexed flaps. All of that can be done with the wings in a cradle or sitting on sawhorses. There is no need to bring the other factors into play when are attaching the tips.

Kyle - we will simply disagree on this issue.

Carl

 

[paul330]

There is no reason why you cannot match drill the wing tips and fit the nut-plates etc. However, when you do the rigging, you may find you need to cut the trailing edge and adjust it to match the rest of the wing or else it acts as an aileron. I needed to adjust one of the tips in this manner.

 

[Lynnb]

Thanks for the input, not sure how I'll go yet but I do like to hear everyone's thoughts.

 

[Pat Stewart]

On most of the RV,s I agree with Carl however on the 10 you can do this in a wing cradle with the flaps and ailerons rigged. On aircraft such as the 8 you need to have the wings on the aircraft first.