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Wing Pre-cover checklist

glidewell

Registered User
Arizona, South-East
Hi there fellow Cub drivers!
I am about to cover a couple wings for a PA-18, and would like to be sure everything is correct before being hidden for many years. Maybe someone has drafted a checklist they would be willing to share?
 
make sure stuff fits on...

flaps, ailerons
tanks and covers(ALL HOLES!)

double check lock tabs bent...

drag wire lock nuts locked

drag wires not banging together unprotected

?????????
 
Cables not rubbing on anything...... don't know how many times I've seen someone that just finished covering their wings only to find they didn't check cable routing, and it's rubbing in there.....not fun!
 
Rib Repairs
Leading Edge Repairs
Trailing Edge Repairs
Tip Bow Varnish
Trammel Wing
Lift Strut Fittings Checked
Butt Hinge Fittings Checked
Drag Wires Tight
Drag Wire Anti-chafe
Strobe Wire
Nav Light Wire
Nav Light Ground
Pitot System
Landing Light
Landing Light Wire
Electrical Wires Secured
Rib Lacing
Jury Strut Brackets
Aileron Hangers
Flap Hangers
Flap Bellcrank
Flap Stop
Flap Spring
Aileron Cable
Aileron Pulleys
Cleaned Wings
Repair Diagram Completed
Pre-fabric Tape
 
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If you replaced your false spars using dakota blanks ??? At the middle aileron hinge be sure that you cupped the false spar so the turnbarrel wont rub before you cover !!!!! New dakota wings don't even have that done to them
Steve C
 
Control cable pulled tight and secured so that the rib stitching is not cut when the airplane is assembled.
 
Use a small straight edge and hold it from the bottom of the rib up to the top on the side and go from the front to the back of each rib on both sides and see if anything sharp is going to work on your rib sticthing to cut it or eat at it. And make sure the gas tank is grounded to the spar when all done. Pitot and static tubing in there nice and out of the way with a little extra. Good bracing on the butt ribs so when you shrink the fabric it dosent pull things all out of whack for wing root fairings. No wrinkles in leading edge, they really show up. doug
 
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Rib Repairs
Leading Edge Repairs
Trailing Edge Repairs
Tip Bow Varnish
Trammel Wing
Lift Strut Fittings Checked
Butt Hinge Fittings Checked
Drag Wires Tight
Drag Wire Anti-chafe
Strobe Wire
Nav Light Wire
Nav Light Ground
Pitot System
Landing Light
Landing Light Wire
Electrical Wires Secured
Rib Lacing
Jury Strut Brackets
Aileron Hangers
Flap Hangers
Flap Bellcrank
Flap Stop
Flap Spring
Aileron Cable
Aileron Pulleys
Cleaned Wings
Repair Diagram Completed
Pre-fabric Tape

Add "check every little #4 PK screw in there".

If your butt rib (inboard most) is not new, ensure that the rear mount tabs are not broken........the flap loads concentrate where this rib mounts to the rear spar.........many that I check are damaged here. LOOK CLOSELY. I'm a fan of Univair ribs for this location.
 
Blow out the wing with air including the false spar and spar caps to get rid of all the drill cuttings etc.
 
Blow out the wing with air including the false spar and spar caps to get rid of all the drill cuttings etc.

And ONLY turn wing with leading edge up once you start covering so those cgips dont get between fabric and leading edge. Best of you can shrink fabric somewhat before turning wing so there is no gap for the crud to get in
 
Is there anything special to cover the N compression strut with where it hangs down below the ribs on the underside of the wing, before laying fabric on? The bracket at the trailing edge joint isn’t super smooth. I do have the piece just behind the front spar that holds the fabric out of the way of the strut attach point.


Sent from my iPhone using SuperCub.Org
 
That n strut is a place where you will be putting a tape over the cover on the outside anyway like you do with the ribs. Certainly no reason you can’t put a tape or a piece of fabric on the n strut before you cover the wing if you’d like. I wouldn’t put anything very thick on it because it will just protrude more. I use scraps off the end of tape rolls on trailing edge seams as well. Sometimes you can minimize the edges by putting that on before the cover.
 
Sometimes you can put a few inches of tape on a seam or edge with some thin fabric cement. If you cement only the outside edges, you can shrink the rest of the tape, sometimes to make it cover a seam.
 
Hey Steve, on #45, do you really mean wrapping the tape around the leading edge? And would you want to mention adding the drain holes on the bottom of the trailing edge of the wing (maybe specifying exactly where)?
 
Hey Steve, on #45, do you really mean wrapping the tape around the leading edge? And would you want to mention adding the drain holes on the bottom of the trailing edge of the wing (maybe specifying exactly where)?
We use one piece tapes from the trailing edge on top of the wing, around the leading edge and terminated at the trailing edge of the bottom of the wing.

I added burning the drain holes in the trailing edges. According to the Poly-Fiber STC you don't need drain grommets if you burn them through two layers of fabric. We use a soldering iron to burn the holes at the low point trailing edge of each rib bay.
 
My daughter has laid out the grommets and tapes and is applying the tapes now. You can see what goes over the top of the wing is rolled up and clothes pinned at the leading edge right now.
PXL_20230516_214059024.jpg
 

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ALRIGHT, Sir -- just wanted to be sure I didn't do something wrong out of ignorance -- and I especially appreciate the pix -- THANKS !!!
 
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