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Covering Wings

wpbrady

wpbrady

Registered User
I am about to start covering my wings. I watched the Stewart movies and they cover the bottom first. Others show covering the top first. Does it matter? In my mind the only difference is the lapped seam around the wing tip bow would be on the bottom not the top. Thanks
 
I did the bottom first, simply because it's a little more work, with the cutouts and all. And it's easy to look into the top for positioning inspection rings and the grommets around the jury struts.

HOWEVER, DON'T DO WHAT I DID YESTERDAY!! All ready to start rib stitching and a friend (whose name I won't mention because I don't want him to share the embarrassment of my folly) drove up to help. Got one wing over half stitched, friend gone home and I'm pecking away on my own, when I notice - - - no reinforcing tape on the bottom of this rib. OH NO, I'd neglected to put reinforcing tape on the bottoms of ALL the ribs!!! No choice but to cut off all that stitching and start over. I told my friend MAYBE it'll be funny a year from now - - -
 
The only other reason that I can think of to cover the bottom first is then you can mark all the inspection plate rings from the inside so you are sure they are in the right place.
 
I covered the bottom first as Stewarts show. It is nice to mark the inspection locations from above as mentioned. One thing, if you are doing double overlap leading edge such as I did, the seam will terminate on bottom. Make sure that seam is nice and straight because after taping can still be seen.

11-18-08_2156.jpg
 
Splitting hairs category and why some cubs fly better than others possibly (been following the other reasons.AI, fuse straightness etc.)... When watching the Stewarts video on this I wondered, is there any reason to be concerned about the unevenness of the seam/tape on the top of the wing verses the bottom? Conventional wisdom says you can pretty much hang/do anything you want to the bottom of the wing since it's a board basically but any little thing you do to the top radically affects airflow characteristics. Any expert aerodynamic opinions?? Maybe this thought is to anal about the effects at low speeds? I did notice a big effect when moving my pusher engine from top to bottom clearing up the air flowing on top in that area. This is prolly more do to drag reduction (at 45 mph) since I'm now breaking the air before it hits the engine.



Steve's Aircraft (Steve) said:
Be careful covering wings that way. If you do one side that way and stretch it wrong you can warp a wing.

Steve
Click to expand...
 
To avoid warping, you want to shrink alternate bays, starting from center out. Also I only did the first shrink on bottom, then covered top, then first shrink there. Then all over again on bottom, then top, for the 2nd and 3rd shrink. Same principle covering model airplanes with monokote that I did for years. That is how I did it anyway. I'm no expert. I like the way my plane flies.
 
A question and a comment:

On reinforcing tape, Stitts originally had something that looked like heavy strapping tape. It worked quite well. Now all I can find is this wimpy white stuff that is difficult to keep perfectly straight. Does anybody know of better PMA reinforcing tape?

Comment: The Cubs that seem to not fly straight around here can be made to fly straight, by factory rigging on the wings and a known good set of ailerons. We have two bad pairs of ailerons, and no matter what airplane they go on, it immediately flies horribly! I tried everything to fix these ailerons, to no avail. Will be ordering a new set from Dakota - that's how bad it is!
 
my reasoning,

top first then bottom, that way the lap seam is on top of LE and shows less on big tires...

also gives top a better joint since its glued to LE and then bottom fabric is glued over it, plus the tape overlap....

but this all dope stuff I do...
 
If one is dilligent in their tape application i.e. thoroughly wetting/glueing the tape down, I don't think there is a problem, BUT if the tape is on the top of the leading edge and it starts to peel up due to poor application it would create a spoiler.

John Scott
 
I install the top first for the same reason Mike does.Helping a friend building some J3 wings last night and this subject came up. Use the layout drawings from Clyde Smith that I posted in my photo gallery and send out with my aluminum grommet kits to get the proper inspection grommet placement and cable exits.
 
Steve Pierce said:
... the layout drawings from Clyde Smith that I posted in my photo gallery and send out with my aluminum grommet kits to get the proper inspection grommet placement and cable exits.
Click to expand...

I get out the tape measure and camera before covering for 2 reasons, one is for inspection plate locations, the other is for paperwork time.. i.e. 'installed blah blah at sta. xx.6..' helps to see where things are at end of project

IMG_1075.jpg


IMG_0989.JPG


IMG_0979.JPG
 
behindpropellers said:
Mike-

Curious why you are painting black vs. white for internals?

Tim
Click to expand...

to match the black interior, always have......(unless interior is another color)

and I am not blind(yeT), i can see cracks just fine in black... and if.if... never mind.... i get annoyed with the needing white to see thing..... pet peeve!
 
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