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Wing tips

Chipper G

Well Known Member
Struggling with the wing tips. History: the tips are 10 years old and I am the second owner and just to the point of installing them. I can’t seam to find a lot of instruction on these other then the small amount about centering them on the aileron TE and put the tip rib in. I can’t find a location or measurements for the install location for this rib. I am also fighting the fact that the tips may not have been stored correctly as the TE is twisted about 2” up near the aileron. I trimmed the TE level with the TE of the aileron and I have been moving the tip rib around trying to get the tip to match the thickness of the aileron so it looks good. This has been a struggle.
 
I remember using the jig in the bell crank to fix aileron position. Then I checked neutral using the measuring device based on tooling holes located on the outboard rib of the wing. Hopefully you saw that. Then I had an intern (CMU ME) help me align the tip to the wing before we fixed its position. As I remember we adjusted the tip rib fore and aft so that we got a tip shape that was smooth and which matched the extrapolated wing shape. Also you can cut the tip at its outboard edge aft then clamp to help with alignment. Finally you can cut excess material aft so the tip and aileron lengths are equal.

I also remember trimming the wingtip aft near aileron attach point to prevent interference.

The other aspects are lighting work, antenna work (like archer nav antenna) and installing longitudinal tip stiffeners to encourage rigidity (similar to what you might do in the cowl.)

Finally you have to attach to wing using either hinges or screws/nut plates.

The key point is to have a nice clean wing tip joint, strong attachment, and maybe most important is flush wing tip TE alignment so you don’t get a heavy wing.

I think there might be two types of tips. I have the more recent ones. I don’t remember the differences.
 

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I remember using the jig in the bell crank to fix aileron position. Then I checked neutral using the measuring device based on tooling holes located on the outboard rib of the wing. Hopefully you saw that. Then I had an intern (CMU ME) help me align the tip to the wing before we fixed its position. As I remember we adjusted the tip rib fore and aft so that we got a tip shape that was smooth and which matched the extrapolated wing shape. Also you can cut the tip at its outboard edge aft then clamp to help with alignment. Finally you can cut excess material aft so the tip and aileron lengths are equal.

I also remember trimming the wingtip aft near aileron attach point to prevent interference.

The other aspects are lighting work, antenna work (like archer nav antenna) and installing longitudinal tip stiffeners to encourage rigidity (similar to what you might do in the cowl.)

Finally you have to attach to wing using either hinges or screws/nut plates.

The key point is to have a nice clean wing tip joint, strong attachment, and maybe most important is flush wing tip TE alignment so you don’t get a heavy wing.

I think there might be two types of tips. I have the more recent ones. I don’t remember the differences.
Yes I saw that but can’t seam to find info on the jig on the wing plans. I did align the aileron with the tooling holes as described
 
The jig is a small aluminum piece that came with the kit. Call Vans and they can send you one.
 
A key thing to keep an eye on as you fit the tip is the effective dihedral of the tip. It is not sufficient to get a good match at the aileron. You have to insure that the straight line of the trailing edge of the aileron continues out as a straight line on the tip, not a droop or up angle.

This is one of the keys to getting the airplane to fly straight. A drooped tip will cause a local lift increase and the airplane will roll the other way.
 
Jig

I may have it in some boxes. Does anyone have a pic of it

There may be a photo in my blog but I didn't trust it. No matter how it was installed, the aileron could move. O fabricated a long aignment bar from 1-1/2 x .125 with the tooling holes and a centerline. Then I aligned the aileron to the centerline and locked the assembly with clamps. Then the aileron shape was traced on the jig. The jig was cut. Then a block of 2x4 was also traced and cut. The block fits over the aileron and trailing edge of the tip locking both to the jig bar. It held the tip while the epoxy set.
 
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