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Thread: Another new guy

  1. #1

    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Location
    Houston,MS
    Posts
    8

    Default Another new guy

    Hello All
    I have a new to me IV with quickbuild speedster wing. I have read many posts on this fine forum. Now before I get the drill out I have to ask for my own piece of mind. I have set dihedral to plans,wing twist to plans,triple checked with lasers,levels, strings and everything else I could think of. I checked plumb on tail in relation to fuselage. The tips are off when folded by 2.5 inches. I barely have 5 inch clearence at the HS on the low tip. So, am I correct in my thinking that most everyone believes that this is acceptable? I believe, just my observation, the fuselage wing strut attach point is not square to the rear spar attach point on the low side. So drill, or is there something I have not done correctly? Any info from you folks would sure be appreciated.

    Thanks
    Mike

  2. #2
    Super Moderator Av8r3400's Avatar
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    Jan 2009
    Location
    Merrill, WI
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    3,044

    Default Re: Another new guy

    First: Welcome.

    Second: If everything is golden when the wings are deployed, drill 'em. Very few of these planes still line up when folded, mine don't…
    Av8r3400
    Kitfox Model IV
    The Mangy Fox
    912UL 105hp Zipper
    YouTube Videos

  3. #3
    Senior Member t j's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    Ellensburg, WA
    Posts
    861

    Default Re: Another new guy

    Mine is a long wing model IV so has more dihedral than the speedster. There is 6-1/2 inches clearance to the Horizontal stab on the low wing when folded. I would say yours is good to drill.
    Tom Jones
    Classic 4 builder

  4. #4
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    Garland, Texas
    Posts
    1,476

    Default Re: Another new guy

    You want the wing rigging correct for flight, not for when the wings are folded back. If you checked the fushelage is level in both roll and pitch axis, verify the tail is plumb, measured the wings are leveled in both wing tip to wing tip were level, and the wing cord, verified the dihedral, and a wing tip to common measurement point on tail centerline common measurement point, you should be good.

    Due to hand drilling the hole may not go through the attach point exactly perfectly perpendicular to the leveled in wing. Trigonometry, aka trig errors will result in a misalignment of the wing tips when folded. For 1 degree of error there is .017455 inches of movement per inch, over 180 inches (I'm assuming 15 feet from the bolt to the wing tip) that would result in a 3.141911 variation at the wing tip. So with 2.5 inches you have less error than 0.8 degrees when folded. For those of you that are Engineers & Mathmaticians I know the formula is over simplified, but the answer is a close approximation.

    Quote Originally Posted by Nu2me View Post
    Hello All
    I have a new to me IV with quickbuild speedster wing. I have read many posts on this fine forum. Now before I get the drill out I have to ask for my own piece of mind. I have set dihedral to plans,wing twist to plans,triple checked with lasers,levels, strings and everything else I could think of. I checked plumb on tail in relation to fuselage. The tips are off when folded by 2.5 inches. I barely have 5 inch clearence at the HS on the low tip. So, am I correct in my thinking that most everyone believes that this is acceptable? I believe, just my observation, the fuselage wing strut attach point is not square to the rear spar attach point on the low side. So drill, or is there something I have not done correctly? Any info from you folks would sure be appreciated.

    Thanks
    Mike
    Paul Zimmermann
    LSRM-A
    Garland, Texas

  5. #5

    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Location
    Houston,MS
    Posts
    8

    Default Re: Another new guy

    Thanks Guys
    I sure appreciate the boost of confidence from the group. Now I'll go ahead and drill baby drill. This will be my first Kitfox. I have a RV-4 and have had a few other aircraft. So far I am really enjoying it.

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