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Main gear leg intersection fairing Page46A-26

Bavafa

Well Known Member
For installing the intersection fairing, do you need to jack up the plane off its gear? Page 46A-26 step 2 says ?The aircraft can now be returned to the ground and the jacks removed? but at no point prior other than for the nose wheel they ask you to jack up the plane. I don't have my engine, wings and tail portion mounted and I am wondering how much of a deflection I get with the gear if it is not jacked up.
 
I think the plans have you jack up the plane a few steps/pages before this. I don't have them in front of me so not sure exactly where, but a lot of the steps for the leg and intersection fairings (at least for the -14A) are done with the plane jacked up.
 
Is there a way to jack the plane without having the wings on? I had hoped to finish the wheel pants and gear fairings before taking the plane to the airport. I don't plan to install the wings in my workshop, i.e., twice.
 
Beware, the wheel fairings are quite a slog. You'll be glad you got this over with and not have to backtrack after you get into the more interesting and fun engine and avionics stuff.

There is only minor deflection of the main gear between loaded and unloaded, but probably enough to justify following Vans sequence for the attachment fairings.

We did ours with engine installed, but without wings attached. Used a bottle jack and some cribbing under the wing spar stub outs, one at a time (right and left). A bit wonky, but we had the tires on so we felt safe doing it this way.
 
I had jacked up the plane for nose gear leg/pants fitting and installation and it was a bit of work but then I lowered it thinking that it only needs for the nose wheel. The main wheel pants are done and used the dimples as a guide and turned out great. I will probably lift the gear again to install the intersection fairing. Visually I don't detect any deflection since I have very little weight on it but it may come out closer to what needs to be.

Thanks all.
 
I did mine with the engine on and the intersection fairings would not fit properly unless the gear leg was off of the ground. I used a high lift bottle jack under the spar carry through with a 2x4 between the jack and airplane skin. And like others have said you will be happy when this section is over with...
 
Otherwise, jack as per 46A-10

I?m same point on tail dragged, but it?s 46B-6. Don?t see how to do one at a time using the spar when the first instruction says ?level in roll?. Waiting until wings on.
 
I?m same point on tail dragged, but it?s 46B-6. Don?t see how to do one at a time using the spar when the first instruction says ?level in roll?. Waiting until wings on.
Can't you just level the plane in role but do one leg at the time?

BTW, tail draggers use a tubular gear leg which deflect both outward and backward so it is more important to do it with no weight on it.
 
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