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goodings(at)yorku.ca
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 Posted: Mon Apr 24, 2006 6:24 am Post subject: Wing skins - getting it flat and straight! |
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I read about builders who spend considerable time getting a work table
absoutely flat and level. Let me suggest another approach which certainly
worked for us. My son and I built our 601HD on an 8' x 4' sheet of 3/4"
particle board laid across two saw horses; nothing was braced or levelled.
However, I am a huge believer in right angles, straight lines and
measurement. Wherever a right angle is called for (ribs on spar, etc.,
etc.), we used a large carpenter's square to make it a true right angle.
Our rivet lines are dead straight; a stretched thread is very easy to use.
The two halves of the aircraft (opposite wings, etc.) are dimensionally
identical. If you do this, it MUST come out right. (Actually, it didn't;
the overall left side of the fuselage from the very front to the very back
is 1.5 mm longer than the right side!). When the wings were mounted with
the aircraft on its gear, the tips are the same height from the ground
within a mm; I'm sure this is partly luck. The aircraft first flew
straight and level; like all Zodiacs I know about, it had a slight
tendency to turn to the left. This was cured by a ground-adjustable trim
tab 200 mm x 50 mm on the right, rear, middle aileron, angled down very
slightly. No additional adjustment is necessary with one or two people in
it. Presumably, one is holding a little more or less aileron, but it is
not noticeable; essentially, the aircraft flies hands off, but I tend to
fly it with my right wrist draped over the Y on the top of the stick. My
point is, I don't think new builders should get uptight and stressed out
about perfectly flat tables absolutely level. But I would spend effort in
getting things straight, at right angles and dimensionally accurate.
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ding(at)tbscc.com
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| Posted: Mon Apr 24, 2006 7:29 am Post subject: Wing skins - getting it flat and straight! |
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List,
Obviously there are a multitude of methods for obtaining accuracy in
wing construction, and I will offer yet another that worked very well for
me. If you happen to have access to a simple transit or dumpy level for
construction and site work, this can be used for wing frame leveling and
setup to easily obtain a ridiculous degree of accuracy. By using this
instrument set in the corner of the shop, and using shims, exact table
leveling means nothing. I use strips of wood with spring clamps to rest on
top of the spar ends, make a mark where the crosshairs hit, then move it to
the other end and adjust as needed. Takes me about 20 min. to set up an XL
wing dead level with the spar at the required 9 degrees.
Lynn Corry, PA
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