I have seen several references to sealing hinge gaps. What does this mean and how it is done?

Thanks,

Travis

The space between the fixed surface and the movable surface[wing/ailerons, example] that little grove cause a air leakage,getting rid of that little gap helps the plane fly smoother and more responsive,a few think it stops fluter,I'm not one of those few. Bend the control a little further than max.then cover the gap with tape,or iron on covering,ultra cote,mono cote or?make sure the material goes down in the hinge line,like a V,or with the moving part straight,use a little clear silicon in the gap

Hi,

With reference to that last post !!!!!!!!!!!

Use Clear Silicone ??? would that not fall out or would it stay in ok ?, would you still suggest using a covering or just using silicone.... ?

TerrellFlyer,

Thanks for the explanation. Is the material placed along the entire line between the surfaces, or only in between the hinges? Also, is the silicon used instead of, or in addition to, the material such as clear monocote?

Travis

I've used clear silicon between the hinge line without any problems,if the hinge line is large then the silicon might fall out with time or add too much weight,the silicon is very flexable,I use the silicon instead of.I cover the complete hinge line on the bottom to keep the top clean,on the rudder I usually seal one side only,what ever sealing material I'm using,except tape,. I'll iron down on the leading and trailing edge of the hinge lineLast year MinnFlyer had a drawing on sealing the line with iron on material,do a search or drop him a line for pictures..

I found that using trim tape works great for sealing the hinge gaps. Just do like these people were saying, deflect the control surface all the way down, fold the tape in half, lay the tape in the V and then press the ends of the tape down on the control surface and the plane. Works awesome, and will help prevent snapped hinges. And seal the whole surface, on top of hinges as well as in between them. Good luck! - Spool [8D]

Here's that drawing (Well, I'm at home now, and that one is on my office computer, so this is a new rendition)

Mike,

You mean that you view and post on RCU at WORK? [X(] Why, I'd never do that at -- (hang on, I think I hear the boss coming).

Dave Brown also makes a product to seal the gaps [link=http://www.dbproducts.com/cgi-bin/perlshop.cgi?ACTION=dummy&thispage=tmsl.htm&ORDER_ ID=821596772]Dave Brown Trimseal[/link]

Transparent duct tape works wonders as well.