Plucking the wings

MidCoastCub · Oct 27, 2019

I'm a new member here and in the process of buying a J-3 and trucking it up to its new home. I will need to pull the wings and hang them in some jigs. Is there a good place to get instructions on how to do this and also build the jigs?

stewartb · Oct 27, 2019

Jigs? Do you mean transport racks? I used an enclosed trailer to move my old -12. With small tires the airframe fit and the wings hung using hooks and small ropes by aileron and flap hangers with bottom of the wing towards the walls.

bob turner · Oct 27, 2019

Do your friends a favor, and pull all bolts; disconnect all cables and wires, before you start. Put nails in the bolt holes.

The world's simplest wing rack: three 2x4s, two very large carriage bolts, and two eye bolts.
clamp the spars between two boards using the carriage bolts, and clamp the third to the lift strut attach fittings with the eye bolts. I am goung to do that today to move my finished wing to the paint booth, so maybe a photo.

My spare wings are stored that way, with the 2x4s bolted together in a triangle. The middle triangle has wheels so I can easily move them.

I have done two transcontinentals this way - the entire Cub fits on the back of an 8 foot bed 1959 Chevy pickup.

bob turner · Oct 27, 2019

Oh - and if your Cub is flyable, it is much better and safer to fly it to its new home.

Carey Gray · Oct 27, 2019

In an enclosed trailer, I've used a cheap blue tarp for each wing.
Attach the tarp to the wall, put the wing in leading edge down and attach loose end of the tarp to the wall. Spreads out the load on the leading edge, no damage.

flybynite · Oct 27, 2019

This is a PA-12 in a 22' Uhaul. 2X4s were wedged into the sides and screwed to another 2X4 that spanned the floor. The wings were hung on strips of carpet that were screwed into the 2X4s.
The engine/prop and tail feathers were transported separately. The trip was approximately 100 miles over paved roads and was made without incident.
It was tough tying the stuff down well because of the aluminum floor and walls. I would have screwed pads into a wood floor to properly tie the airframe down.

Wayne

courierguy · Oct 27, 2019

You don't mention if the move is across the country, or across town? Here's how I moved my '46 T cart out of the shop and to the airport for "test flying" (new wings, but it's first test flight took place long before I was born, had to laugh at that), about 25 miles away.

Free junk mattresses from a thrift store, some lumber I had laying around to build a bunk bed type rack, (zero out of pocket expense) gust locks on the tail, and my old Dodge flatbed, done. A cell phone pic of a picture on my hangar wall, thus the lousy quality. I don't remember how we unloaded it, I used the shop's beam trolley to load it.

flybynite · Oct 27, 2019

At a later date, I moved it using a 4 place snowmobile trailer. Could have doe it with the engine mounted.
I only moved one wing at a time though cause I didn't want to build a rack for the 2nd one or stack them with a mattress between them.

Wayne

astjp2 · Oct 27, 2019

Still have the T-craft?

courierguy said:
You don't mention if the move is across the country, or across town? Here's how I moved my '46 T cart out of the shop and to the airport for "test flying" (new wings, but it's first test flight took place long before I was born, had to laugh at that), about 25 miles away.

Free junk mattresses from a thrift store, some lumber I had laying around to build a bunk bed type rack, (zero out of pocket expense) gust locks on the tail, and my old Dodge flatbed, done. A cell phone pic of a picture on my hangar wall, thus the lousy quality. I don't remember how we unloaded it, I used the shop's beam trolley to load it.

courierguy · Oct 27, 2019

No, I sold it preemptively on the advice of my attorney, after being served with a lawsuit for $13,000,000 by the EPA. He told me to divest myself of any assets I could, just in case. It of course had a paper trail. I bought a Titan Tornado ultralight (no paper trail, a too heavy and too fast UL, but close enough) built it, and flew it for a year and a half until the Feds settled for $300.00. A small amount of asbestos, less then a 5 gallon bucket worth, and not my problem anyway (according to my contract, written by an attorney I was a union carpenter with, way back when) as the owner of the building I was demolishing illegally hauled it off and buried it on his ranch, and I had the aerial photo's to prove it, just another way flying has paid off for me. My only certified plane, and I still have to say it'd be a REAL performer with the 100 HP plus Rotax and 86" Prince prop I have now on the S-7S, seeing how it performed so well on the A-65.

irishfield · Oct 27, 2019

Made it to Ireland in one piece...

MidCoastCub · Oct 28, 2019

bob turner said:
Oh - and if your Cub is flyable, it is much better and safer to fly it to its new home.

That was the original plan but the engine is not usable so I will need to go by road. I was looking forward to the flight but it is not to be.

MidCoastCub · Oct 28, 2019

Sorry yes, what I ment by jigs was transport racks. I'm getting some great feedback, thanks!

MidCoastCub · Oct 28, 2019

Tats a great idea, I like simple.

MidCoastCub · Oct 28, 2019

That's the truck I'm planing to use, the engine is already off but I was hoping to keep the tail feathers on. Links like I may have to rethink that.

bob turner · Oct 28, 2019

Here are four shots of the 2x4 method. Excuse the clutter. The new wing has Dakota spars, and the rear spar is cut at an angle that really doesn't support the lower 2x4. Also, the photo of the new wing shows wimpy threaded rod. I usually use 3/8" carriage bolts. Note that the 2x4s are long enough to protect leading and trailing edges. Drill holes for your ropes to attach to truck or rack. Note that the eye bolts are only 1/4"-20. I have never had one fail - mostly it is the contact of the 2x4 with the lift strut steel that supports the wing, not the eye bolt.

I may have these out of sequence - you get the idea.

gingerbob · Jan 12, 2020

Hi all, I'm "MidCoastCub"'s accomplice, and I just wanted to say thanks for the suggestions. We ended up going with the "blue tarp method" for hanging the wings. It might have been a bit of overkill, and- as with most such notions- wasn't quite as simple as the initial concept (in my mind, at any rate!), but it worked out great. I rather liked the idea that we were spreading the load out and hopefully providing a bit of shock-cushioning. There were a few joints in the road that made us cringe.

We got the Cub home to Maine without any damage, and are now working on the A-65 we found locally (as in, next-door T-Hangar!) and figuring out all those other things we need to figure out. I'm an A&P, though haven't actually worked as such much at all, and we've got an IA looking over our shoulders. We're hoping to have her back in the air come spring. (Stop laughing, you guys in the back!)

Bob

cubdriver2 · Jan 12, 2020

Welcome Bob, where you guys hiding in Maine?

Glenn

gingerbob · Jan 12, 2020

Owl's Head (Rockland). I live in Bucksport.

cubdriver2 · Jan 12, 2020

gingerbob said:
Owl's Head (Rockland). I live in Bucksport.

Love Owls Head, tell Karl I said hello

Glenn

courierguy · Jan 12, 2020

astjp2 said:
Still have the T-craft?

No, after selling it locally, a few years later it got resold to someone in Bozeman, and to my delight I was asked if I'd care to ferry it up there. No problem! Never met the new owner, maybe MTV has seen it around, Hickory Brown and Daytona White.

.

Plucking the wings

Registered User

…

Registered User

Registered User

Registered User

Thun Field, Washington

Eagan, Minnesota

Attachments

Inkom, Idaho

Attachments

Eagan, Minnesota

Attachments

Registered User

Utah/Alaska

Inkom, Idaho

Registered User

Penetanguishene, Ontario Canada

Attachments

Registered User

Registered User

Registered User

Registered User

Registered User

Attachments

Registered User

upstate NY

Registered User

upstate NY

Inkom, Idaho

Similar threads