Title: Installed wings for the first time
Yesterday I once again read through anything I could find on wing installation. I went to the hardware store with a flat granite countertop sample we had left over from a recent kitchen remodel and a micrometer. Checked a bunch of grade 5 bolts for runout and most of them were a couple thousandths bent. picked the straightest ones then measured and picked the 6 smallest diameter ones. they were a couple thousandths below nominal. Chucked them up is a drill press, burnished them to a high shine then cut the threads off and made rigging bullets out of them. I also sprung for a fancy digital level from lowes. I'll skimp when appropriate, but I think wing rigging is one place where good tools will pay off. Threw together a small cart/stand out of scrap lumber for resting a wing on during positioning pre-installation. nothing fancy, but it all takes time.those two operations took several hours. Today I got home from a an early flight about 10:00 and spent the next several hours rearranging the garage, getting stuff laid out, measuring, leveling etc. Brother in law Nate came over around 2:00 and we had a limited amount of time, so I didn't want to waste any time looking for tools or whatever. Lubed everything with LP-2. Spars, webs, caps, holes, drift pins. everything One person on each end, rest on cart just shy if fuselage, move to sides, lift and insert about 1/2". One guy to tip and one at root controlling insertion. get close then root guy climbs in and gives guidance via inspection mirror. Once they are aligned, tap in a drift pin with a delrin hammer. Start to finish, not counting all the prep, both wings were installed in two hours. Stacy Greene swung by after work and the 3 of us checked triangulation for symmetry and dropped plumb bobs for sweep. wings naturally fall symmetrical almost perfectly. Sweep fwd is approx 1/8 in. I will get down in the weeds on this tomorrow, but am counting tonight as a victory.


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