Started February 8, 2004
I have completed all of the wing steel parts with the exception of the flap and aileron hinges. I wanted get the wing assembled to a certain point before making the Flap and Aileron hinge brackets. The reason is I want to check for proper alignment of the flaps and ailerons before final welding the hinge brackets. So with that in mind, I have begun the wing assembly process and will return to the wing steel when I get the wing assembled to a point that I can't go any further without the hinge brackets.
I will be departing from the norm here on a couple of things. First, I will assemble the wings completely in the upright jigs instead of building the skeleton on a table then hanging them in a jig for skinning. Secondly, I will build both wings simultaneously to save a lot of time. I like doing it this way because you can do the same operation on each wing while the tools are still out and the process is still fresh in your mind.
Here is the a picture with both wings now sitting on the wing jig and assembly has begun:
Both wings were set up with the wing bottoms facing outward for easier access. This jig is set up sideways in a two car garage. There is about 3' between the wings in the middle so there is plenty of room to get between the wings for drilling and driving or bucking rivets and plenty of space around the outside.
On the root end, a plumb bob was hung from the center of the wing attach bolt hole on the main spar. The rear spar wing attach bolt hole was aligned with the plumb bob. The rear spar was then clamped to hold its position:
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