Wings assembly test
Finally got through all the Christmas events and chores and back to the shop. I finished the cradle with the foam pads and handle. Next step was a wing assembly test with turbine installed and gear, air lines, and servo wires installed.
Air line holder was installed in both wings to route the 4mm air lines to the wing root opening
The red up lines flex when retracted because the two cylinders move inboard
Wing air lines trimmed to final length. Brake lines are not yet installed. They will be tricky with the rotating retracts
Fuse air lines trimmed to final length
Next wings were attached. This took about an hour trying to figure out how to do it by myself. I've never had to connect the servo plugs and air lines before and hold the wing at the same time. I finally got everything figured out and aligned using a stool and ladder. I needed make sure everything tucked in ok and was not pinched or binding on anything.
The wings take 14 bolts to install and its difficult to get everything aligned while holding the wings with the gear down. Plus its much heavier with the gear installed. These are the 4 internal bolts after final tightening. Its a little tighter to access them with the turbine installed. Plus if you drop anything (and I did) it takes a magnet to get it out.
These are the 4 wing bolts, 2 countersunk and 2 socket head. The wing can not have any weight on it to get the holes aligned so I usually wiggle it a little to get all the bolts started before snugging everything down.
These are the 2 trailing edge saddle bolts. They are 2" long and would not fit over the turbine at first so I had to remove the turbine and re drill the holes on an angle to get them started in over the turbine.