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More work today. Aileron ribs completed and riveted to the "top hats" to allow attachment to the torque tube. Test fit of course.
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Had to stop and fire up the grill to fix momma filet migon for dinner. MMMMM good. Gotta keep momma happy.
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How did you ensure symmetry between wing tips? Truthfully, as long as they are close, nobody would ever notice, but I found the only way I could get them to match was to make them at the same time. When I waited, even using the same jig, they came out different, perhaps due to using different forces when bending.
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Frank, I did the same. Both tip bows and the aileron trailing edges were made at the same time as mirror image. Considering the tip bows are compound curves, they came out extremely close. I don't know if I posted photos of them together here, but I did on theaerodrome.com.
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I guess I missed it.
Just as you've done, I found that posting the build in mirror fashion there and here was beneficial - two different subsets of the building community with different perspectives and ideas sometimes means two different solutions to the same problem to chose from.
Plus I can ask stupider questions here - they already think I'm an idiot on the aerodrome site, and I don't want to enlarge the opinion.
It's interesting that your wingtip bow tube is larger than the one on the aileron. I didn't see that in the plans; another improvement?
While it's jumping ahead, covering won't be too much further along. On the transition between front spar and bow tube, I found a very simple solution to preventing the "sharp tube step" effect that can happen - tape. Some cloth tape (I used that first aid stuff) from bow to the start of the rib worked great. It doesn't take much and is only there to help the fabric drape well and give a hint where not to get too aggressive with the iron.
I know you're going to pinch down the rear spar for a nice smooth transition, so tape will just be there for anti-chafing. Hats off for this - I didn't trust myself to do this right, so I just extended out the bow with a bit of half inch tubing from the spar to fake the work and give the fabric a chance to miss the end of the spar.
Right about where you are in the build I was getting excited, and work actually sped up. Get on it before busy time strikes at work!
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Frank, you are correct on all accounts. The 3/4" tip bow is an upgrade on my part. Also, the spar gets flattened at the tip and I will definitely be adding anti chafe tape over all the sharper edges.
Check post 104 on page 11 for the ends of the other wing.
Busy work time is already here.
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Actually Frank, you didn't miss photos of matching the wing tip bows. I didn't post any. I did post matching the tip bows on the lower wings however.
I pretty much made all the parts for both left and right wings at the same time. Or if I didn't actually make the second part, I made a pattern. That will come in handy when I start making the shrouds around the wishbone and wing root.
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For the lower wings, I just tacked the inside rib in with one rivet front and back. I mounted the wings, set the lower wing angle, and adjusted that rib to match. No gap seal required.
Then I ran the leading edge on the lower right wing a bit too far and had it bind and put a little smile on it against the fuselage panel. Because I'm smart like that. ;)
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Keep in mind on the N17, there are rounded cowl cheeks that add to the fitting issues of the lower wings. I do not plan to attach the root ribs of the lower wings until I can fit them against the cowl cheeks. Sometime next spring. I hope.
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Won't seem like much, but the aileron ribs are not attached to the torque tube, the diagonal brace is attached to the inner rib of the aileron, the aileron rib ends have been tweaked to keep the trailing edge straight and the end of the spar has been drilled for the wing tip bow.
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Next up is cutting out the end of the spar past the tip bow and flattening the end of the spar around it. Once the spar is flattened, the holes for the tip bow will be tweaked for exact alignment, then the bow can be fit to the leading edge and once all is good, the spar end formed around the tip bow and all riveted. Then the aileron trailing edge-tip gets the same fitting procedure. There is an extension tube that will slide into the torque tube that will extend to the tip.
If I don't get back on here until after the date:
MERRY CHRISTMAS
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Dale
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I haven't dropped off the planet, just have been real busy with other stuff.
My son was home at Christmas and helped me mount the wing tip bow.
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After that, things sat a while, but last weekend, I was able to do some work on the aileron - fitting the ribs to the trailing edge and getting ready to add the extension to the torque tube that ties into the aileron tip. When that gets fit, squeezed and riveted, the aileron ribs will be riveted to the trailing edge. Then on to the aileron leading edge and wing aileron cut out fairing. A labor intensive fiddly project. I hope to be able to spend several hours on that this weekend.