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Right Wing Tip Installed

N

NewGuy

Member
All,

I mounted the right wing tip and find that it is about 1/4 inch too long- it extends aft past the aileron. Tried every way I could think of to get it flush, but 1/4 inch is as close as I could get it.

My local buddies say to leave it alone, but I thought about reinforcing the inside of the tip and cutting off that 1/4 inch, then rounding / blending the aft edge.

What have you all done?

How much trouble is it?

Any problems with reinforcing the interior and cutting 1/4 off?
 
Wing Tips

Both of mine were long and I did as you suggest. Just lay a ply of fiberglass in their and then rework the edge of the tip until you have what you want. A 1/4" isn't that bad I thhink that one of mine was more than that, but it's just fiberglass.
 
Slice it and splice it. Make darn well sure you've got your ailerons rigged and secured (duct tape, clamps, whatever) perfectly in trail when you do this.

And EVEN MORE IMPORTANT...make sure your ELEVATORS(!) are clamped in trail when you do this. I know this sounds odd, but on the -7/-9[A], any elevator deflection does deflect the ailerons very, very slightly...non-differentially at that.

Get everything centered up, slice & splice the wing tips...worked for me!
 
Simple fix

Get everything rigged as Dan described. Tape the cut line on the tip and use your Dremel with large cutoff disk to make the cut.

Clean up the cut with sanding block. Tape the TE of the aileron near the tip to protect it. Now tape the ailerons so they are aligned and with the wing tip and so they won't move. Sand to match the aileron.

The next time you take the tip off, clean along the TE with actetone and build a fillet of epoxy and flox to reinforce the where you removed material.

For those who haven't started this process, build up the inside before you start the tip mounting process.

Takes longer to describe than to do!!!
 
I just finished the wing tips on my RV 7 and mine were also about 3/16 long at first. Then I put the bottom skin on with clecos, pushed forward with the wing tip, did a little sanding at the leading edge seam line and it was now less then 3/32. With some more fussing and with the aileron perfectly in trail, I marked the difference with a sharpie and then got the aileron out of the way and sanded with a 15" sanding block. I sanded the back edge, top and bottom to match the aileron. You have to bring it back in line and eye ball it as your sanding, but berfore you know it, it is perfect. You have the battle off 32nds. Just keep working it and you will get closer than you think. There is plenty of over lap in the fiberglass trailing edge and you shouldn't need to add more glass if you get reasonabley close. Good luck. Carl
 
wing tip

I did not do as Checkoway did. I used the rigging template supplied and trimmed the edge to be close to flush with the trailing edge of the aileron.
regards,
John
not flying yet so don't know whether Dan's advice will apply to me.
 
Thanks for the advice!

I think I'll slice, splice and reinforce. I do want that trailing edge as straight as I can get it.
 
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