Vagabond Wings
When working on the wings I decided that my 4x8 table was taking up to much
room in the shop. I decided to try a vertical fixture like what I've seen
pictures of the RV guys building their wings in.
I
fastened two 2x8 boards vertically from floor to ceiling taking care to mount
them square. The distance between them was from the root rib to the last full
rib of my wings. I was already hanging the wings on the wall out of the way so I
used the same rope and rings to suspend the wing in my new fixture. I then
leveled it and fastened small 2x4 blocks to support the rear spar as it faced
the ceiling. I fastened another small 2x4 block to the front edge of the 2x8
under the rear spar at the last full outboard rib. Once the wing was strapped
down to the 2x8's with Velcro this gave me the proper amount of washout (twist)
in the wing. The wing should not be built up and covered flat. If it's built
flat then it will oil can the leading edge when you rig the wing on the plane.
With the wing in this position it is very easy to roll around the room in a
mechanics chair while attaching the leading edge skins. It also made easy work
of the wooden wing tip bow installation. While I had it up there I also
disassembled the spar attachment fittings (straps) so I could blast, inspect and
repaint them. It can be done without removing the drag/anti-drag wires. They are
removed in this picture along with the aileron hinges.
Leading Edge
The next step was forming new leading edge skins. Piper used cheap .016"
aluminum which dings and bends when you look at it wrong. Most people replace it
with .020" so that's what I've done. It's a little harder to work with but will
hold up nicely.
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My rolling fixture leveled and nailed to the wall horizontally. I started with the bottom attach point of the skin facing down at 8" bellow the pipe's bottom edge. This was done using an adjustable carpenters square and a level sitting on the bottom lip. |
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Place a long piece of wood under the top lip and pull down evenly. Once it started to roll a bit I would clamp a long 2x4 on edge between the pipe and skin which allowed me to let go and use another board to push toward the wall while still pulling down. |
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I would then move one end 1/4" closer to the pipe. I kept things even by going to the other end and moving it up until the bottom lip was level again. I started at 8" and moved it four times stopping at 7". This worked out good when the leading edge was strapped to the wing. |
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Leading Edge Installation Tool
I found this little trick on the
Dakota Cub
site. It consist of two blocks of wood, a strip of aluminum and a Velcro strap.
You
screw down the leading edge to the spars bottom edge. Then you place these
little tricks as close to the rib as possible and clamp them down. They make the
skins conform to the nose ribs perfectly while you drill and screw the skins
down. What a neat trick! Some people use strap clamps but this is easier. I use
the straps to help get the long piece of skin started. This wing uses three
leading edge pieces. The short one you see here, a long one about five feet and
a short one, a little over three feet, on the outboard end. The outboard piece
is narrow and doesn't rap all the way to the spar. Please note that I was just
fitting this short piece at the root. You must start at the tip and work back.
This short one is the last piece installed.
Covering
Yeee Haaa! The wings are now covered. The blanket method was used covering
the top first. This puts the edge of the lap joint on the top of the wing where
it's less noticeable on the high wing tail dragger.
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The wings are ready for a trip to Way-Lou Aviation in Dad's Ranger. Well they were mostly in the Ranger. :^) |
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The blanket method is used to start the covering process. Ceconite 102 is used under the Air-Tech STC. |
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The top side has been covered and the wing rotated. My A&P and good friend Wayne Slaughter is gluing the fabric to the leading edge. |
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The top side is now ready for the iron. |
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First we must iron all the glued edges for a good sealed joint. The iron is set low enough as to not shrink the fabric. |
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Now it's time to carefully shrink down the fabric. |
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Working up a sweat rib stitching. |
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Here I am tying a seine knot. This close up shows the required 1.5 inch spacing on the number two and three ribs followed buy the much appreciated three inch spacing on the remaining outboard ribs. The close spacing is required in the prop wash area. |
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Applying the finishing tapes. |
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All done and ready for paint. Here you can see the inspection hole rings and reinforcing patches on the wings bottom side. |
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Yellow Wings!
Finally after several years of tinkering, the wings are finished and stowed
safely in the shop with the rest of the plane.
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All painted and ready for the move. |
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Look carefully and you can see the Cessna Ag plane relected many times on the wing surface. |
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All loaded up and ready to go with dad at the wheel. |
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A cold ride home after a rare snow day in eastern North Carolina. |
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Hanging in the shop. |
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Updated:
Wednesday May 16, 2007
