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Wingtip fitting...

kbalch

Well Known Member
I've been working on getting my right wing buttoned up and have only a few tasks to go. I got the autopilot roll servo installed and wired yesterday and was moving along with the aileron trim servo when I realized that the little black box was dead. The good news is that Ray Allen is replacing it immediately, gratis (really nice guy over there!). The bad news is that I won't be riveting those bottom skins until the replacement arrives. No point installing it through an inspection panel opening if I can avoid it...

So, back to the left wing today. Aileron mounted, bellcrank, torque tube, & both pushrods set to their neutral positions and torqued. I spent a little time puzzling over the apparent trailing-edge up attitude of the aileron when set to neutral before realizing that this was the normal, much-discussed, reflex position. Awesome, a "problem" that doesn't require a solution!

On to wingtip fitting - and a question. With the inner flanges trimmed in accordance with the manual and the wingtip properly positioned on the wing (wingtip leading edge fully snugged down into the leading edge skin), there's about 3/16" of the wingtip trailing edge sticking out aft of the aileron trailing edge. There's absolutely no more room to move the wingtip farther forward (when I apply any more force with the ratchet strap, the wingtip tries to buckle), so this appears to be the wingtip's final position.

Should I sand the wingtip trailing edge straight across? There appears to be enough glass there to do so without springing it open, but that just doesn't seem right somehow. Thoughts?
 
Trim to match the trailing edges of the ailerons. Straight edge to draw a line then dremel then sand.
 
The bad news is that I won't be riveting those bottom skins until the replacement arrives. No point installing it through an inspection panel opening if I can avoid it...

Thoughts?

Where are you installing the R/A servo then? If you are thinking of some other place, other than the recommended inspection plate, make sure it is some where that you can still reach it easily for maintenance. If it died once, there is no reason that it won't again so how will you replace it if not easily reachable?
 
Where are you installing the R/A servo then? If you are thinking of some other place, other than the recommended inspection plate, make sure it is some where that you can still reach it easily for maintenance. If it died once, there is no reason that it won't again so how will you replace it if not easily reachable?

No, I'm definitely putting it in the standard location. Since I've already installed my torque tube-to-bellcrank pushrod, however, I'd prefer to complete the trim servo install without removing it. I can do that prior to riveting the bottom skins, since marking/drilling/riveting access to that pushrod (for the spring retainer clips) will be far less limited than afterward. That is to say, while still installing the servo on the inspection plate, I don't want to complete the installation process through the inspection plate.

Believe me, I'm not looking to do anything weird or "off-plans" with this airplane. I'm all about less work now and more efficient maintenance later. :)
 
Same experience on my build.



Marked a scribe line to match aileron/flap trailing edge position:



Hacked off the wing tip trailing edge with the Dremel to that line, then sanded the edge smooth and straight with a sanding block:



Strengthened the joint between the two halves from the inside (poured epoxy into the joint):



They both look fine after-the-fact:



Best pic I have showing the alignment on the wing:



A friend of mine opted to "blend" his wingtip trailing edge by cutting a more curved line from inboard-to-outboard (kind of matches the RV-6 wingtip).
 
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A friend of mine opted to "blend" his wingtip trailing edge by cutting a more curved line from inboard-to-outboard (kind of matches the RV-6 wingtip).
This is also what I have done but as your pix show, there is very little to trim (less than a quarter) so I am not sure if the curve will be seen without the aid of a straight edge :)

Nice work E, I admire your work and also documentation. so many good pictures of the build.
 
Nice work E, I admire your work and also documentation. so many good pictures of the build.

Me, too. Yours is the best (very thoroughly documented!) of the top three or four -14(A) build sites and one to which I refer several times each week.
 
Nice work E, I admire your work and also documentation. so many good pictures of the build.

That side profile of the plane is a thing of beauty!

+1 Ditto!

Me, too. Yours is the best (very thoroughly documented!) of the top three or four -14(A) build sites and one to which I refer several times each week.

Gentlemen,

Very kind, thank you. I am pleased you find my blog useful. Such sentiments make time I spent nourishing the blog worth-the-while.
 
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