started the wings today

[TJay 1041]

[EDMO 1078]

TJay,

What am I missing here? I have never seen the spars supported anywhere except on the ends - Without the support on the ends, you wont have your washout block in the right place - Well, guess if you are adept with a level, you can figure it out this way - just never seen them set up like this - I only built one at a time.

Wondering how you are going to get the glue around the rear spars???

Guessing that the strut attachments are not going to be put on a rib either....

EDMO

Edited 21 Dec 2014 by Ed In Missouri

[akflyer 1427]

damn, your just kicking some tail on this project!  Keep it up, you will be in the air in no time!

 

When I rebuilt my wings the first wing I just pulled the measurements for the rib tails.  It took a little massaging to get the flaperons to bolt up when the time came.  On the second wing, I clamped the flaperons in place on the rib tails to assure the spacing was perfect and that one came out much better.

 

[TJay 1041]

hey ed im just getting them ready for glue I will set the saw horses at the ends and level every direction later I have alot of little stuff to do yet. but as far as the strut attach goes its with en 2 inches of being 86 5/8 from the root end, seems silly to me to place it half under a rib but thats how it works out.

[EDMO 1078]

TJay,
I think that the strut attach needs to have some more scrutiny - Never saw one at a rib position before - maybe recheck your measurements for both ribs and fittings? My KF1 fittings were about 6 inches from a rib if I remember right - I can go check my new wings because I used the old measurements when setting them up - the same as my KF2 wings were done. I will gget back to you soon on this. Something is not right - Did you measure from the root end for everything?
EdMO

Well, I got my manuals out and took a memory pill - YES, the strut fitting is partly on a rib for the KF1 - You have to do a little file and sanding on the radius of the rib that fits over the strut fitting.  That rib should be about 88 3/4 inches from the root end of the spar.

My KF4 book shows the strut fitting about 10 inches farther out than the KF1, and that fitting is between ribs.

Leni gave you good advice about matching up the flaperon fittings to the ribs.  You can also tape the ribs to each other to keep them upright while the glue sets.

EdMO

Edited 21 Dec 2014 by Ed In Missouri

[EDMO 1078]

TJay,

I added some and corrected my earlier message - please read above.

EDMO

[1avidflyer 1983]

Kitfox 3 and later use longer lift struts. Can't compare them to the model 1 or 2. Wow TJay, you are moving right along. I'm glad you got the kit, it would still be hanging from the ceiling in the hangar other wise. Wish you lived closer, I would hire you to kick start me on my projects. Now wife wants to go to SC to see her daughter. There goes most of January. I'm thinking about doing a sailplane flight when I'm in SC. There is a club about 40 miles from where we will be going. Not that I don't know what it feels like to fly without an engine.....what's it been 4 or 5 times now....just is kind of a surprise when you take off with one but land without one. Northern Mn does have more trees than fields...Man, I've got to get to work on that I mean those projects Jim Chuk

[EDMO 1078]

TJay,

      check on the additions I made to earlier post for strut info.

Here are a couple of Kitfox Mandatory Service Bulletins in case you don't have them.

EdMO

[EDMO 1078]

TJay,

Combining posts about wing tanks with wing building thread - My FG tanks vary from 33.25 to 33.5 inches across - distance between hanger ribcaps is 34.5 and distance between actual hanger rib centers is 35.5 - Some of the manuals talk about putting a .125 thick strip under the two adjoining rib caps to make a ledge to add a .125 sheet of plywood over the tanks - and others like the Avid Magnum use a fiberglass sheet over the tanks. My FG tanks just have a false ribcap glued on the center of the tank top and bottom to support the fabric. Donno what the aluminum tanks instructions say to do.

Also, when you install the root rib, it needs support between it and the aluminum tank to keep the fabric from bending it, since the tank eliminates the original angled braces - perhaps you could add a sheet of .250 plywood to the edge of the tank and glue some wooden dowels or blocks between that and the root rib for support? But, put some holes in the plywood for your fuel fittings.

Be sure to scroll back up and read my earlier posts.

EDMO

Edited 21 Dec 2014 by Ed In Missouri

[TJay 1041]

oh good then I should be ok I have 34 inches between ribs 1 and 3 if rib 1 ends up right next to the fuselage butt rib. I will not know untill I rig the wings and set the number 1 rib. all I have done so far is clamp the butt rib up there and do some rough measuring. but if the tanks are 33.5 I have plenty of room to work with. thanks.

[EDMO 1078]

oh good then I should be ok I have 34 inches between ribs 1 and 3 if rib 1 ends up right next to the fuselage butt rib. I will not know untill I rig the wings and set the number 1 rib. all I have done so far is clamp the butt rib up there and do some rough measuring. but if the tanks are 33.5 I have plenty of room to work with. thanks.

TJay,

The measurements I gave are for my FG tanks - I don't know how the aluminum tanks compare - maybe you should measure them?

EdMO

[TJay 1041]

ah I don't want aluminum tanks I have had them in every other plane I have owned/built and never once had an issue but the way it sounds in a kitfox, no thanks. I really do like the plastic ones that wingtanks.com sell but they are more expensive than two from kitfox. I am trying to keep the cost of this thing low. (yeah right huh)

[EDMO 1078]

Yeah right about costs - I would go with at least one Kitfox tank - depending on how far you want to fly before fueling - If you are using a nose tank too, then that would be a total of 18 gallons with one wing tank.  When you get my age, 4 to 6 gallons is about the limit before a piss-stop!

EdMO

I hope you are planning to get a fresh kit of 9460 ($100) to glue your wings - those kits are only good for about 2 years.

EdMO

Edited 22 Dec 2014 by Ed In Missouri

[TJay 1041]

Hey Jim hope you have fun on your trip. My wife said we are heading to our land in Wisconsin for Christmas,  In the back of my mind I thought ah crap there goes 3 days off from progress lol but its ok I love just sitting around and enjoying life every once and a while too. Merry Christmas to all.

[Av8r3400 1179]

Where in Wisconsin, TJay?

[TJay 1041]

Southwest part, just outside a little town called Elroy, how bout you I have been up north a few times.