Wing Installation and Wing Root Gap Seal Questions

[8pointroll]

Just finished test fitting my wings--used WD-40 but it was a nightmare and a half getting the wings in and not so bad removing them--what do you guys recommend to make it easier? In the absence of a better suggestion, I'm thinking a liberal dose of anti-seize lube on all contact surfaces instead of WD-40 which will also make it easier to remove the wings than WD-40 which will lose its effectiveness over time.

For those of you who have used the Vans wing root gap seal, I have the following questions:
1. What was the gap you used between the wing skin and the fuselage?
2. I noticed that the seal flap under the wing skin separates from the wing skin when you raise the sealing flap into a nice radius--did you use any sealant to hold the gap seal to the underside of the wing skin? If so, what did you use?

Any lessons learned, things you would do differently, tips of things I should do or not do?
Thanks in advance for your input.

[ScottM-Sonex1629]

I just completed installing the root seal using the Vans product, and I believe the gap to trim was about 5/8"...but could be wrong. Best way to do this is position the root doubler over to the next rivet line - cleco in place and use a device to transfer a blue line mark as you follow the fuselage. I added 1/2" to the thickness of the root seal, took a piece of paint stir stick, and drilled a hole at the edge distance (think it was 1-1/8") and inserted the thin pointy end of my blue sharpie, and traced the wing perimeter against the fuselage. Remove the root doubler and trim the excess material, file smooth, place the root seal material and reinstall to rivet in place.

Best to do this when wings are installed for the last time.

[wlarson861]

One place to look at is Bob Meyers site for some overview of procedure.
http://n982sx.com/sonexlog116/index3.html

His site was a wealth of information as he was about a year ahead of me in my build.

[Bryan Cotton]

Glider wing installation is very similar to the Waiex. Has anybody done the final sealing with tape like the glider guys do?

[kmacht]

I used 3m trim adhesive from the auto store in a few spots on the underside of the wing to hold the seal in place. I had a section of it from the main spare to the trailing edge on the underside come loose after about 10 hours of flight before I added the adhesive. It scared the heck out of me to suddenly have a loud banging sound coming from the underside of the plane. It was completely harmless but really grabs your attention if you don't know what was causing it at the time.

Kei
#554

[Bryan Cotton]

Keith,
My query was for using tape in place of the seal, not to secure the seal. It is a very common practice in the glider world.

[peter anson]

My guess is that the problem with using tape is finding some that will stretch enough to stick flat against the fuselage where it goes around the nose of the wing.

I used the Vans gap seal and my memory (did this over 4 years ago) is that I had a pretty small gap, about 5 or 6 mm or around 3/16"to 1/4". That leaves a pretty small radius but it has never shifted.

You can easily do a trial to find a fit that suits. Fit the gap seal to a piece of scrap sheet (representing the wing) and push it up against a flat surface (representing the fuselage). Adjust the gap until the fit of the seal looks right and measure the gap.

Best lubricant for fitting wings? W. C. Fields recommended Goose Grease.

Peter
Sonex 894

[mike.smith]

1. Make sure you install the RIGHT wing first!

2. I kept notes from other builders during my build. I don't know who to attribute these notes to. Maybe they will help, maybe not.

*********************************************
It is much better to rig the wings without the ailerons and flaps installed.

The best advice I could give is to have at least two other people assist you as you will need six hands to hold tape measures and jostle the wings to get everything to fit and make measurements. Naturally, it is best if these others have already rigged the wings on their Sonexes!!

Expect to need to trim the forward fuselage holes where the spars "slide" into the spar tunnel. I think mine needed trimming on the top and bottom of both sides. Be prepared with tools on hand such as laser levels and standard levels, tools or materials to turn into shims to properly place the rear spars into the fuselage and for me a high torque drill was quite necessary as the holes for the main spars are long. To shim the rear spars, I had wood wedges on hand but as it turned out hand files worked into position did the trick.

Otherwise, review the builder's web pages on the Sonex site and budget five or so hours and all will go well!!

[gammaxy]

Glider wing installation is very similar to the Waiex. Has anybody done the final sealing with tape like the glider guys do?

I didn't originally use any gap seal at all. Recently I became curious if gap seals have a noticeable impact on performance so I used 3M polyethylene tape:

https://amzn.com/B00B4XUY4E

I didn't do a great job applying it (its a little wavy) and the comments about getting it to work around the leading edge of the wing are correct. I did a better job on the second wing, so I think it's possible to make it look decent.

[Bryan Cotton]

Thanks Chris! I think I will give it a try. I have taped a lot of gliders before and I think I can get it to work.