The Flightless Bird Grows Wings


Waiting for Wings

For over a year, the wings have sat in their cradle waiting for this day.  Working on the fuselage was easier without the wings attached.  The day came when the next step in wiring was to connect the wing mounted taxi, landing, navigation and recognition lights.

I asked several RV friends to help Dolly and I with the job.

Getting Ready

Word spread around the airport and a gaggle of help arrived.  Knowing I would be in the cockpit driving close fitting bolts connecting the wings to the center section, I told everyone that Dolly was the floor manager for the operation.  She had helped when we did the test fit of the wings a year earlier.

Before mounting the wings, we sorted out the coils of lighting wires and fed them into the fuselage.  We started with the left wing.  Both wings had been laid out on padded sawhorses next to the plane.  This was for safety in case we had to halt the process mid-way to completion.

In 2016 the wings were test fit and retained with lubricated drift pins that I had made from hardware store bolts in a mini-lathe.  Now for each wing, two drift pins were driven in bolt holes before driving the first close tolerance bolt.  The pins provide initial alignment and are then replaced by bolts. 

There are a total of eight 7/16″ and eight 1/4″ close tolerance bolts holding the wings to the fuselage center section main spar.  They give one confidence in this aerobatic airplane.

 

When the wings were on we all enjoyed a great lunch of Subway sandwiches and cool drinks that Dolly had laid out. 

All in all, it was a great day!

 

 


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *