cougar347

I've noticed in a few posts where guys were stating that the fit of their wing panels to the wing tube was on the tight side. I am putting an 80" Edge ARF together and I am having a bad time with the fit of both wing panels to the tube. The tube is very tight in both wing panels and will not bottom out unless I really force it. I have sanded the entire outside of the tube with some 220 wet/dry sandpaper and I made a round tube sander to sand the inside of the fiberglass tube in the wing panels, and it's better, but it's still not right. I have to twist and push to get the tube to fully seat in the wings and I'm really afraid that I'm going to damage my wing panels either putting it together or taking it apart.

I'm not sure what to do at this point. This is my first airplane with removable wings. I was tempted to shorten the wing tube by one or two inches to eliminate that tight spot at the end of each wing panel, but I'm afraid I may be ruining the effectiveness and overall strength of the design.

Has anyone else experienced this, and if so, how did you fix it? I'm getting very frustrated. Do I just keep sanding until it fits properly? Should I concentrate on the aluminum tube or the fiberglass wing tubes? How do I reach all the way to the bottom of the fiberglass tubes in each wing panel? I was thinking of putting something like talcum powder in there to maybe lubricate it a little bit when I assemble it, but was afraid that would screw things up worse.

I thought I read that someone said that the fit between these parts loosens up over time with every flight, so I don't want to make it too loose to start with, but it doesn't seem right the way it is. What kind of fit should I try to achieve?

HELP!

krayzc-RCU

My Feedback: (31)

sand that inside tube just a bit or slap some wax on that tube or both

UltimateFlyer120

My Feedback: (5)

I just had the same problem with the 79" Yak. There was a lip on both ends where the tube was cut. I took emery cloth on the tube and in about 5 minutes I was able to slip wing tube into wing's.

scottand100

Cougar347,

What did you do to resolve this? I have the same problem with my 80" Edge. Thanks.

AFSalmon

My Feedback: (3)

Make sure the end of the aluminum tube does not have any burs or lip as mentioned above. If the sleeve is tight wrap sandpaper around a dowel using self adhesive sandpaper or 3M77 and sand the tube slowly until you are satisfied with the fit.

cougar347

I did pretty much what Mike recommended. Checked the alumnum tube for burrs, gave it a light sanding with 220 grit sandpaper, then took a wooden dowel and wrapped 220 grit sandpaper around it. Kept carefully sanding the inside of the fiberglass tube until the fit improved. It now fits, but it's still a little on the tight side all the way down at the bottom of the hole. I guess more sanding will be necessary. I'm trying to be careful not to go too far and end up with a loose fit. Patience is required.