Category: Winglets

Center wing spar and landing gear

Leveling and centering checked again, and then the center wing spar was glued into place with structural adhesive+flox+cabo and clamped. MLG legs were bolted into place and bushings glued on both ends. MLG were then removed again. Thick tapered layups of triax were applied to link MLG bulkhead, firewall, and center spar together.

Aft keel was cut down for -5 option, and carbon keel cap was placed in position (not glued). NLG linkage, shock absorber, and over center link was installed in keel. NLG swing check completed.  NLG bushings and over-center hard points were mounted inset in keel skin, so careful cutting of outer skin and foam was needed.

Rudder pedals were positioned and attached to canard bulkhead and linkage was attached to see-saw.

Topside layups joining winglets to wings applied and curing. Strap layups at spar bolts applied – wings and winglets are completed (for now)!!!

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Winglets and main landing gear

(Matt and Elise assist – Thanks!!)

Right winglet exterior layup installed.  Left winglet bottom fit on and clecoed in place.

Upper MLG legs wrapped with Al tape and waxed, ready to accept gear socket layups.  Six-ply triax layup wetted out on plastic and then draped over MLG upper legs. MLG cable pullies installed in front of gear bulkhead. Note that pulleys were installed wrong – cable guide tabs should be aft, in the cutout.

 

 

Saturday work

Wings were put back on wing fixtures for fitting of winglets.  Wing and winglet contours adjusted by sanding until the edges were within 1/8″along the join line. Foam was partially cut out of spar and both LE and TE blocks to accept the inner layups. BID layups placed on inner seam, and then dug-out foam was replaced with micro.  A block of foam was then glued in place with micro, and after cure, was contoured with knife and sanding to blend lower wing and outer winglet surfaces.

NACA oil cooler scoop was cleaned up, with excess cabo ground away and outside lip of scoop sanded flush with fuselage skin.

MLG cable pulley holes were cut in gear bulkhead. Strips of 2-ply BID layups were placed along gear bulkhead and canard bulkhead for strengthening.

Rudder pedal and toe brake assembly was built up from parts.

 

Winglet fabrication

The winglets foam parts were removed from the billets, glued together with micro and set aside to cure.  The next day, the foam cores were sanded and excess micro ground away.  Trenches were cut for the VHF COM antennae (one on each winglet), the antennae were glued to the surface, and the cables were run to the winglet root. The surface was filled and faired with micro and cabo, and then UNI glass was wet out on the surface, with the orientation along the long dimension of the winglet.