Wing assembly

[Shay King]

Hi All,
I’ve just slid my wing ribs on to the rear spar to start wing assembly. I’m a bit daunted by the task ahead, trying to get everything lined up and not make any mistakes.
Can I glue all the ribs in place at the outset, or are there other things I need to do first like install the aileron spar before the end ribs are fitted?
Also, my XL plans show the wing diagonals in the same plane as the lower spar caps, but all the photos on here seem to have them resting on top of the spar caps. Is this the general consensus on the way to do it?
Any advice or tips on the best way to proceed would be greatly appreciated.

[Kamcoman77]

On the XL, the lower spar caps & diagonals are on the same plane. The LEU and DE are different. Watch some of ADCO Aviation's YouTube videos. Make sure you trim the front vertical 1/4x1/4 of the four inner ribs to the correct size. You must allow for the plywood doubler on the rear of the front spar. Remember to put 0.8mm ply shims under front spar to hold it slightly off the table. The ribs should be 1/32" above the front spar and 1/32" below it to allow for the 0.8mm nose ply. Once I slid all my ribs onto the rear spar, I made sure the leading edges were flush with the front spar and trailing edges of the ribs were even, I epoxied all the ribs in place. Aileron build is easy with all the ribs glued in.

[pappyadkins]

Thanks for that plug... Not sure I covered it as well as you just did in my videos (can't remember that far back) lol... just to piggyback the one brace that goes to the metal bracket, you'll probably need to add a spacer from cross brace to ribs - if I remember right, it'll be 1/4 to 1/2" above rib...  this was one thing that Leonard told me - "the XL is made differently - FOLLOW THE PLANS!"  I too saw the 'wing' video from Leonard & noticed several on this forum were different from my plans... these pictures should make it clear, but don't hesitate to reach out - we're all in this together...   

Speaking of shameful plugs... here is a link to my playlist if you want...

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQJ4PdLg1HhIjizdwjRzulc6B1alf8kPB&si=CvHVvjCpB76MK54d

[Shay King]

Thank you guys for the replies. The photos and videos are great. I  re-watched the wing building videos. Things are becoming clearer.
As Columbo used to say: ‘Just one more thing’, the diagonal with one end in the metal shoe must slope downward a bit towards the front spar. Does the metal shoe need to be made with a slight angle to accommodate that, or is there enough slop in the fit to allow for it?
Thanks again.

[Chuck in Indiana]

The only change I made to the metal reinforcement was to cut off the outer 1 1/2" or so to save another few grams of weight.

[pappyadkins]

no... just cut out the wedge, bend & weld... don't worry about the slope...  don't forget T-88 doesn't need super tight clamping or you'll starve the glue joint... BTW, I always liked Columbo & it was always more than just one more thing, but that's ok here too... We're all in this together...

[Shay King]

 Thanks again.

[Shay King]

Sorry folks, I’m back on this topic again. Just made these brackets today. I’m trying to decide whether to cut about an inch off the 4” leg or space the holes out more. I know Chuck went for the cut but what’s the general consensus.

[Chuck in Indiana]

Nice welds..

[Kamcoman77]

The load is supposed to be in tension & compression. I would cut it, if I were using the metal brackets.

[Chuck in Indiana]

Yep, it's just extra weight.

[Shay King]

Thanks guys.