What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

Does wing tip need a trim?

B

Barneybc12d

Well Known Member
My wing tip is 1/4" longer than the aileron. To trim or not to trim, that is the question.

I had a 5/16" twist in this aileron before I took it apart and reassembled. Ended up with 1/8" of twist.

The trailing edge of the tip also has a 3/16" offset from the aileron trailing edge.

I am going to take 2 beers and go to bed.

213j5h4.jpg
 
split fairing



Grab your hacksaw blade holder and split the back of the fairing

Butter the inside of the split with a generous epoxy/flox mixture. Make sure you put it deep enough into the fairing because you will sand/file off the back of the fairing into this mixture.



Raise the flaps and make a straight line with the flap, aileron and fairing. Notice the aileron wind gust lock holding everything straight. Use wood and clamp on the fairing. Put saran wrap down to keep from gluing stuff you don’t want glued

Use a long file to straighten the edge. I used a 3 foot aluminum channel with sandpaper glued onto it.



Upgrade from beer.... you've earned it!
 
Last edited:
Barneybc12d said:
My wing tip is 1/4" longer than the aileron. To trim or not to trim, that is the question.
Click to expand...

I called the factory on a similar build question. Reply I got was "there are two reasons to redo a part; first is safety and the second is if you will say 'oh s**t' every time you look at it." This obviously falls in the second category so it all depends on how you answer the question. I would get out the sanding board and trim up that wing tip.
 
Personally I would trim the part, as described by the previous poster. However I would not install the tip until the wing is on the airplane and the flaps and ailerons are lined up in their final position. This allows you to set the tip to line up with those control surfaces.
 
Agreeded

I agree. Make sure your flight controls are totally rigged and aligned side to side before splitting and reglueing the tips back together. There is some ability to correct vertical alignment too. I waited until I was flying and properly rigged before I did this to my tips.
 
My tips extend aft of the ailerons as well. I may sand them down later after the wings are mounted and I am getting close to being finished. The -14 kits have a rigging tool that fairs the aileron surface so that the tip can be located correctly. There is also some reflex in the ailerons so you do not want to rig them to the flaps.
 
HeliCooper said:
Can you explain what this means to me?

Thanks
Click to expand...

The flaps are actually above the normal lines of the wing( take a straight edge under the wing and the flaps do not follow the straight edge , they are above it a bit) in the reflex position. Van's has found the aircraft actually flies faster when in reflex position.
 
Thanks Ron. So this means when properly rigged the flaps with be slightly above the ailerons correct? Or are both the flaps and ailerons in the reflex position?
 
The flaps and ailerons are not reflexed on the RV-14 (and RV-10) because it was found to be faster.
The airplanes have a custom airfoil that was specifically designed with reflex in the shape on the aft portion of the airfoil.

The ailerons when at neutral are in the reflexed position.
The flaps align with the ailerons when fully retracted, and are drooped 3 degrees for take-off and climb.
 
rvbuilder2002 said:
The flaps and ailerons are not reflexed on the RV-14 (and RV-10) because it was found to be faster.
The airplanes have a custom airfoil that was specifically designed with reflex in the shape on the aft portion of the airfoil.

The ailerons when at neutral are in the reflexed position.
The flaps align with the ailerons when fully retracted, and are drooped 3 degrees for take-off and climb.
Click to expand...

Then I guess one of the reps at your booths wasn't aware of this, as that is what I was told when I asked about the reflex on the RV-10. Thanks
 
Ron B. said:
Then I guess one of the reps at your booths wasn't aware of this, as that is what I was told when I asked about the reflex on the RV-10. Thanks
Click to expand...

My point was that it is a wing specifically designed for reflex to reduce drag and go faster. The way you worded your post it could sound like reflex was tried and found that it went faster. That always starts lots of the questions of why don't we reflex on the other RV models.
 
I'll leave the light on

DanH said:
Phooey on fiberglass....let's talk about that bottle of Lagavulin.
Click to expand...
Dan, No need to just talk about the Scotch, if ever passing through the Denver area (KBJC) I have a spot in my hangar for the plane and a glass for your hand.
Bob
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top