Misalignment problem in wing trailing edge?

[N355DW]

Okay, all components of the left wing ended up perfectly aligned in every way, but on the right wing, while the trailing edge of the flap and aileron line up perfectly, the aileron seems to rise at a slight angle as you go outboard in relation to the flap. The string I am holding is straight in relation to the T/E of the flap, and the distance from straight to the outboard T/E of the aileron is about 1/4" to 3/8". I didn't see anything I could really change to fix this, the end edges of both flight surfaces are straight, they just make a slight "vee" at their junction in the middle of the wing.

Will this be a problem?

thanks, Damon

 

[mcencula]

It seems as though your flap or aileron has some twist to it. My guess would be that you'll experience a bit of a heavy wing until you tweak the rigging.

Good luck,

 

[randyintejas]

I had the exact same problem when I built mine. The first aileron came out perfect but the second one looked just like yours. I tried everything I could think of to fix it, gave up and ordered a new one. I tore it apart latter and noticed the rib did not look like the new one! It was off just enough to cause the problem I see in your pic. Since then I have been more careful to look at the parts if there is two of something.
Good Luck!

 

[N355DW]

Thanks!

Thanks guys, I was afraid it might mean a heavy wing. When I built my trim tab the first time it had a twist in it, so I know it can be done! These ailerons/flaps are quickbuilds from the factory, so I will call and see how to best proceed.

Thanks again.

Damon

 

[Sig600]

Did you rig the ailerons yet to the tooling holes per the plans?

Remember that the flaps will be rigged once on the plane, so where they're sitting right now may not be exact to where they wind up. Mine look sort of the same sitting on the wing stand, but without the twist.

 

[LettersFromFlyoverCountry]

Couldn't you just drop the outboard end by filing the bolt attach holes (aka, the fix for the heavy wing) and then locking it in with a third bolt hole?

 

[N355DW]

Did you rig the ailerons yet to the tooling holes per the plans?

Remember that the flaps will be rigged once on the plane, so where they're sitting right now may not be exact to where they wind up. Mine look sort of the same sitting on the wing stand, but without the twist.

Yes, the ailerons were rigged neutral using the aft tooling holes in the outer rib, and the pushrod in the wing was set to length using the bellcrank jig. I then set the flap in place using two cleco clamps at each end to put the undrilled hinge in the proper spot for drilling, matching the trailing end of the aileron to the trailing end of the flap. The picture I posted is before drilling the hinge. The result was exactly the same after drilling. I had no issues with edge distance on the flap hinge with the trailing end of the flap perfectly straight and in line with the aileron, at least in the fore to aft dimension. I also clamped the flap to aileron to keep it solidly in place, and the aileron was locked in place by a bolt through the bellcrank into the bellcrank jig, and also the bar along the tooling holes was left in place so I could be sure the aileron was still neutral. I put in a cleco as I drilled each hole, and before drilling the next I re-checked everything to make sure nothing had moved. The eyelet edge of the hinge is almost perfectly aligned with the edge of the bottom skin/flap brace.

I don't think any change in the flap position when rigging the flaps after the wing is on will solve this problem, as the aileron and flap are meeting at an angle. It has to be a twist in either the flap or aileron.

Couldn't you just drop the outboard end by filing the bolt attach holes (aka, the fix for the heavy wing) and then locking it in with a third bolt hole?

I thought about re-positioning the outboard hinge slightly, but I have some concerns before I do that:

It seems like I would have to move the hinge a lot for 1/4 to 3/8" of movement in the trailing edge of the aileron. And looking at the top trailing wing skin in relation to both the flap and aileron does not tell me anything, the distance looks the same all the way along the wing, in relation to both control surfaces. So the twist must be showing only in the trailing edge, and right now I don't know if the twist is in the flap or the aileron.

 

[JonJay]

Well, I have seen a lot worse. Do not assume that you will have a heavy wing as a result. A heavy wing can be caused by many factors. Who knows, the slight twist might compensate for some other unkown and might put you in prefect harmony
Given that you will line up your wing tips to the aileron, if you do decide to use it, you will be stuck with it. Again, I have seen a whole lot worse and it would be hard to notice the appearance on a finished airplane, and even more difficult to determine what impact it may have on flight characteristics.